La Paz Waterfall Gardens is a popular ecological attraction in Costa Rica made famous for its waterfalls and animal sanctuary with over 100 species.
The property is 70 acres, of which 40 acres is cloud and rain forest. The remaining 30 acres is reforested pasture. The gardens are a breeding ground for over 25 species of butterflies, and maintains 4,000 at any time within the butterfly conservatory.
The vast property is on a mountainside amid the back slope of the Poas Volcano. Driving from San Jose, the ride to La Paz is an hour as you ascend to an elevation of 4,000 ft. Once you arrive in the cloud forest, you realize that that you have entered a completely different environment, surrounded by lush rain and clouds.
Big Cats, Monkeys and Rare Birds
La Paz is unique for its stewardship of jungle cats, frogs, birds, snakes, monkeys, and butterflies. Many of these are enclosures allow you to walk right through, which is different from a traditional zoo, which are banned in Costa Rica. What this means is the animals at La Paz Waterfall Gardens have either been rescued or injured, and unable to return to the wild.
A trio of 5-month-old jaguars at La Paz are the only jaguars known to be born in captivity in all of Costa Rica. The jaguars were a pleasant surprise as the species is near threatened, and the reproduction is slow. The park is also responsible for the birth of two pumas and an ocelot