La Selva Biological Station

No doubt is one of the best birding places in all the country although their popularity make them rise their fees way too much for what they offer. Staying there has advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantage is the extremely basic accommodation and food. The place is thought for young researchers. If you care sleeping and eating good better go out and stay at the better hotels around and do the 10min drive to get there. Now if you want to visit for the day get ready for their super high entrance fees and awkward schedules designed to make you pay more if you want to do a full morning of birding.

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!

Staying at La Selva was a unique experience. The accommodations are very rustic, which fits a research station. The highlight was the 3-hour guided tour that was included in the stay. A great experience for nature lovers.

Super sejour Super sejour. La visite de 3h du parc avec guide etait super. Logement simple mais propre. Environnement exceptionnel

Die Unterkunft ähnelt einer Jugendherberge. Was jedoch negativ auffiel, war die inkludierte Tour: Unser Guide hatte kein Teleskop, weil er es „nicht mochte“. Wir waren die einzige Gruppe ohne Teleskope, wodurch es sehr schwierig war, einige Vögel zu beobachten. Wahrscheinlich würde ich hier nicht wieder übernachten und auch keine Tour buchen. Der Guide war außerdem sehr desinteressiert.

Excellent birdwatching and a great vibe with plenty of young people enjoying nature. The only problem was Google Maps kept directing us in the wrong direction down tiny little country lanes. This led to severe frustration because we wasted our limited time before even arriving.