La Paz Waterfall Gardens Tour - Expediciones Tropicales

This guided garden tour surrounds you with native tropical flowering plants and trees as you hike to 5 beautiful waterfalls. You’ll see monkeys, wild cats, exotic birds, and snakes as La Paz Waterfall Gardens is also a rehabilitation center for rescued wildlife. This is a unique opportunity to see in one place the amazing flora and fauna that makes Costa Rica so awe-inspiring.

Your day will begin when you are picked up from your hotel and driven through strawberry fields, coffee plantations and cattle ranches that are strung across the Central Valley. Upon arrival at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, your bilingual guide will introduce you to how the property became available for people and animals alike to enjoy. Included in the day’s journey is a delicious buffet lunch.

You’ll leisurely hike along the winding trails as your guide leads the way through this beautiful paradise, stopping at platforms to see each waterfall. You’ll visit a variety of rescued animals and birds safely housed in simulated natural habitats throughout the property. Your guide will point out any visible native wildlife too, living freely in the area, including interesting insects with their clever camouflage.

The main attraction of the Gardens, are the 5 breathtaking, cascading waterfalls. This series of waterfalls is closest to San Jose as well as the most accessible waterfalls in Costa Rica. The largest, called “Magia Blanca”, sits up at 120 feet and can be viewed from a wooden platform that allows you to take photos while standing underneath the waterfall!

Many people expect to see monkeys while on their Costa Rica vacation and this is a sure way to see them as La Paz Waterfall Gardens is also a wildlife sanctuary. Several species of indigenous monkeys living here were rescued and donated by the Costa Rican Ministry of Wildlife. This governmental agency helps to fund rehabilitation centers for injured and mistreated wildlife. At the Gardens, you will likely see both the White-throated Capuchin and the Black-handed Spider monkeys in the Monkey Pass portion of your walk.

You’ll see jaguars, pumas, margays and ocelots while stopping along the way at the Jungle Cat House. It is a rare occurrence to see these elusive felines within the wild especially as they are nocturnal, so this is an excellent opportunity to get to see them. In 2016 Costa Rica outlawed zoos and placed all the zoo animals in rehabilitation sanctuaries.

The outdoor hummingbird garden will provide you with lots of entertainment watching these colorful creatures buzzing around. Twenty-six species have been documented feeding here. As highly socialized birds, you can feed them straight out of your hand. There are special times in the morning and afternoon when you are allowed to feed the birds a special bird food provided by the Gardens.

You will also visit a huge bird sanctuary, serpentarium, butterfly conservatory, trout and frog pond as well as tour the beautiful flower gardens. If you are an orchid lover you won’t want to miss the orchid house.

After working up an appetite you’ll be treated to a buffet lunch in their award-winning restaurant. You can take this time to enjoy resting and reflecting on all the beauty surrounding you. You may wish to bring extra spending money to purchase alcoholic beverages, or souvenirs from the gift shop.

This tour includes a bilingual nature guide, entrance fees, lunch and transportation from Alajuela, Escazu, Heredia, and San Jose. One way transportation to La Paz Waterfall Gardens takes from 1.5 to 2 hours depending on the location of your hotel and local traffic conditions.

Combined time of guided garden tour, lunch, and round-trip transportation is typically between 6 and 7 hours. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring your camera, sunblock, insect repellent, rain gear, and extra spending money to purchase souvenirs if you’d like.

If you love Nature and want to experience Costa Rica’s natural wonderland, this is definitely the place to be.