La Paz Waterfall — Attraction in Sarapiquí

My girlfriend and I needed something to do on our last day in Costa Rica, we were recommended to do a tour at La Paz Waterfall Gardens because we had previously visited the amazing Proyecto Asis rescue center. We booked a tour with Olman Arce Mejía and he was fabulous! He had knowlege of the surrounding areas of San Jose, he also stopped at the largest coffee plantations in the province for pictures, a drink, etc. I was a little disapointed when he did not have information about the animals we were seeing, he moreso walked around and pointed out animals to us. The facility itself is beautiful but NOT a "Perfect Costa Rican Experience". It is run by Americans, is full of American tourists and is lacking in culture. The buffet is not worth the money - not to mention they can't even play local music; instead they play top 40 flute versions of songs. The walk to the waterfalls is cement and it my opinion really takes you away from the nature of it all; not to mention how much building it would have disturbed nature! They claim that they are a wildlife refuge although they have amphibians (employees touch and move them around for visitors to get good pictures), butterflies (which they breed) and poisonous snakes (in small exhibits). All of the above listed animals are not generally found in wildlife refuges/rescue centres in Costa Rica. They had a number of birds that seemed to be in decent exhibits, although most of them had fake trees and lacked in enrichment for the animals. They were also working with loud construction equipment in and around the exhibits and you could visually tell that it was stressing the birds out. Next we visited the monkeys who looked very stressed out due to a worker washing the glass with a ton of soap and water inside their exhibit. Again they had fake trees and lacked in enrichment for the animals; not to mention how filthy the bottom of the monkey exhibits were. The butterfly enclosure was next. It was amazing to be able to see all these insects up close and personal. But they were breeding many of the species and never mentioned anything about releasing them. Next was the hummingbird garden which I cannot have any complaints because it is an outside garden full of hummingbird feeders (although they were just filling them with the red syrup which lacks all the. nutrients the birds need). I probably only saw about 10-20 birds, if you really want to see birds I suggest the Monteverde Cloud Forest as they have a FREE hummingbird garden with at least 50 birds! The snakes were all kept in small enclosures with no where to hide. The hardest enclosures for me to see were the cats. I am a huge cat lover and have never seen cats as stressed out as every cat was here. All the males were spraying I'm assuming because they did not feel comfortable in their environments. All the cats were pacing in their exhibits, they had no where to hide and we're full of fake logs and trees. It was so disgusting to see such beautiful animals in this state. When we walked in to see the frogs there was a weak and tired hummingbird who was stuck indoors - we informed an employee who didn't seem to care but said he would "deal with it", we were in with the frogs for at least 15 minutes and no one helped the poor hummingbird. The frogs were picked up and moved by employee so everyone could get a good photo etc. Overall this is not a wildlife refuge, this is a zoo. The majority of the animals who cannot be rereleased into the wild in Costa Rica are those who are kept as pets; many of the animals at La Paz are poisonous and would have never been a pet. A couple of the big cats were relocated from zoo's but this place is a zoo. Relocating from zoo to zoo is not helping the problem. Do not spend an inordinate amount of money on this place as it does not seem like the money even goes towards...

Beautiful grounds and waterfalls, lots of walking (and stairs), and great wildlife. Admission is $40/adult which was steep, but it goes to a good cause. Also, beware that food/drinks in the gift shop are crazy expensive. I got a bag of Snyders pretzels and an Evian water and it cost $17.Whoa.

The aviary was great. Lots of parrots, including macaws, and some very colorful smaller birds. You can enter a toucan area and take a picture with one on your arm, with a requested tip box sitting close by. The butterflies were also great - there is a research area where cocoons are hatching (if that's what cocoons do?) so it was amazing to actually watch up close as butterflies were breaking out of their cocoons.

There were also other animals, including monkeys and quite a few cats. We had been to a puma sanctuary near Nicoya a few days prior and if I had been here first, there's no way we would have gone there. The cats had beautiful enclosures and very informative descriptions next to each. The jaguars were so amazing- we got lucky enough to catch them at feeding, a snack maybe- one of the keepers threw pieces of meat to them through the bars and gave them some sticks to play with. They were very active and playful, stalking and leaping and climbing. It was such a great experience. There is also a reptile area that was very well done- it was both unnerving and humbling to see such beautiful, deadly creatures up close. There is also a hummingbird garden with some 50-75 birds feeding, zipping past your head, pecking each other out of the way. 40mph, those little guys are fast.

The waterfalls were also beautiful of course. There is a lot of walking involved, a lot of steps and hills (both up and down), so wear comfortable shoes. The park is set up very nicely with lots of photo opps and natural looking paths and handrails. I went in late July and there were some visitors, but it wasn't congested, and we were able to get people to take a photo of us which is always a bonus. After all the walking, you end at some restrooms and a shuttle takes you back up the remainder of the hill which was much welcomed...

This park is very beautiful. We wanted to go for a hike in the woods and see the waterfalls. We were expecting a very wild hike on dirt trails, which is what we would have preferred but this place was still very pleasing!

This park is very well put together with paved walk ways. The stairs get steep at some points. If you have a medical condition I would not advise going too far into the park along the paths. There are caged animals that are easy to get to on flat land areas. Baby strollers would work at some points but most of the place has stairs and pavers where the stroller would not move so smoothly. You’d be better off with a back pack baby carrier or a sling for an infant child.

There are a many options of food to eat at this location. There is a buffet and a restaurant to choose from. Both were very nice. Both were very clean and the employees were very nice and helpful. The restaurants were children friendly with plenty of room. The buffet eating area was covered but has an open concept that keeps you close to the many beautiful trees, flowers and shrubs that the paved walk ways are lined with. The professional landscaping along the walk ways are immaculate.

If you’re going on a date with a significant other or a family trip with children you’ll enjoy this park. Be sure to wear your walking shoes. There’s a lot of...