When you think about Costa Rica, you probably imagine lush tropical Rain Forests, flowing white rivers, spectacular waterfalls, birds, butterflies and flowers. La Paz Waterfall Gardens is located 1 hour from San Jose and just 20 minutes from the Poás Volcano. Here you will find all that you expect to experience in Costa Rica: lush Rainforests, majestic waterfalls, fluttering butterflies and whimsical hummingbirds.

Our first stop is breakfast at a local café where you will enjoy an authentic Costa Rican style breakfast. We will then take you to a third-generation coffee plantation and show you how coffee is picked, milled, ground, and roasted.

Once you’ve found out first hand, or cup, why Costa Rica is known for its coffee, it’s off to the Poás Volcano. This crater volcano is one of the four active volcanoes in Costa Rica. The crystal blue sulfur pools will amaze you along with the steam rising from the various volcanic vents.

But, that’s not all: our last stop is La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Your personal tour guide will take you through the butterfly observatory, the hummingbird garden and the waterfall trails. After your hike you will enjoy our Costa Rican buffet lunch.

As you wander the trails of La Paz Waterfall Gardens your senses will delight at the five waterfalls that line the trail.

The spacious glass and acrylic design of our Butterfly Observatory allows our guests and day visitors the opportunity to enjoy the butterflies no matter what Mother Nature has in mind for the weather outside. Our laboratory allows guests to see the butterflies up close as they emerge from their chrysalis or in larva stages of their growth

Our Hummingbird Garden attracts 24 different species of the birds, more species than any other in Costa Rica and quite possibly the world.

Our Frog Exhibit has received rave reviews from our visitors, it's the best place to see frogs roam freely throughout our landscaped enclosure. Because you are not looking at them through glass it is the perfect environment for taking photos of the frogs.

Our collection includes the most famous frogs of the Central American Rainforest including the Red Eyed Tree Frog, the Flying Frog and various species of Poison Dart Frogs. Each night guests are invited to handle the friendly Leaf-frogs during their most active period.

What should you bring? FILM AND LOTS OF IT!! No, that’s just our prejudiced opinion. (And don’t worry if you don’t bring enough, we have plenty in the gift shop.) We recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes (preferably with a thick tread for hiking the trails and hundreds of stairs), shorts or comfortable pants and a lightweight jacket or raincoat. Please keep in mind that the park ranges in altitude from 5,200 feet to 4,200 feet so it can get chilly when the clouds roll in.

Attractions at La Paz Waterfall Gardens:
Five waterfalls, cloud forest and rain forest, safe hiking trails, aviary with 40 species of birds, toucan feeding, marmoset monkeys, insect exhibit, butterfly observatory and butterfly gardens, butterfly laboratory, two-toed sloths, Capuchin (white-faced) monkeys, black-handed spider monkeys, hummingbird garden with 26 documented species, hummingbird hand feeding in the mornings and afternoons, serpentarium (snake exhibit), Jaguar, pumas, ocelots, jaguarundi, margays, casita de la paz with petting zoo and ox cart, ranarium (frog exhibit), orchid exhibit, heliconia exhibit, bromeliad exhibit. All of these offered at one place makes us the best eco park in Costa Rica.