![]() |
Costa Rica Butterfly WatchingCosta Rica is home to over 35,000 species of insects. Among them are more than 3,000 species of butterflies and moths. Hidden within the country’s dense rain forests are an abundance of colorful butterflies which account for 90% of Central America’s butterfly species and 18% of the entire world’s butterfly species.
La Guacima During morning tours, guests can witness butterflies emerging from their chrysalides. On export days visitors may watch thousands of pupae being packed for export all over the world. There are also information videos, ox-cart rides, bee gardens and bird aviaries. Multi-lingual guides are on location to identify and explain the various species. For those wanting to visit the butterfly farm, direct bus service is offered daily from many of the hotels in San Jose. Monteverde All the butterflies in the garden are bred on the premises, unlike most gardens which buy in their chrysalides. A variety of eggs, caterpillars, pupae and adults can be examined on location. In addition to a climate-controlled butterfly garden, they also offer a biodiversity center, medicinal plant garden, and live leaf cutter ant colony where visitors can observe insects in their natural habitats. Vara Blanca There is also an on-site laboratory that displays the stages of development while serving as a breeding ground for the fluttering species. In nature, on average only 5% of butterfly eggs reach adulthood compared to the 55% success rate at the butterfly garden. There are over 4,000 butterflies in the observatory at any one time, assuring that guests will come in contact with many butterflies during their visit. From San Jose, the shortest route is through Heredia, past the National University and toward the town of Barva. Follow the signs towards Poas Volcano, Vara Blanca and Sarapiqui until you reach the butterfly grounds. Limón The exhibit features a research lab where guests can study the life stages of the insects. They also have the world’s largest indoor nocturnal frog exhibit, a reptile vivarium, a hummingbird garden, and a tram ride through the rainforest canopy. The park is less than one hour from Port of Limón and only 2.5 hours from San José El Bosque Nuevo The butterfly farms here specialize in education, by teaching residents how to harvest butterfly pupae for sale to conservatories around the world. They also provide information on the species that flutter among the Costa Rican Rainforest, as well as a list of the butterfly pupae available in the area. |