La Selva Biological Station

We had an amazing time walking at 0545 and bird spotting with a highly knowledgeable guide. We saw lots and he took time to show us other animals and how the forest is changing. We are a family of four (parents, 13 year old, 16 year old) and we all had a really good time. Very highly recommended.

Great stay on La Selva Biological Station La Selva is a great place for nature lovers. Tropical rainforest with a lot of birds, monkeys etc just outside the window. Cabins are big, charming and clean but don’t expect luxury- you are sharing the place with scientist and other nature lovers. 3 great local meals were included in the room price as well as a guided rainforest walk - a very good surprise.

The forest and the wildlife are the reason for staying here so in that respect this place gets 10 out of 10. We did a birding tour and a night walk and took advantage of the free nature walk. The latter was conducted by Joel and I strongly encourage people not to pass on this even though they may have other tours booked. It was absolutely superb and held our interest for every minute of the 3 hours. The accommodation is simple. The beds were a little hard and the pillows win the prize for the worst in the world but the bed linen was clean and fresh and the fans were effective so overall we slept well. The bathroom was clean and well lit and the shower was probably the best we encountered throughout CR, even in some expensive places. The wifi worked well in the rooms and there was a pleasant balcony at the back of the cabin to sit and watch the birds. Laundry is cheap and efficient and there is a bag in the room for this purpose. Food was served in the canteen and was buffet style. It was pretty much the same every day and I think it was a bit over-priced for what we got. We had a car however so we ate in town for 2 of our 3 nights there. Breakfast was ample and there was free coffee and water all day. There are many trails here that you can follow without a guide and the beauty of being a resident means you have free access to them whenever you want. All the staff here were excellent. We would certainly return but might consider bringing our own pillows next time!