Surprisingly Fascinating! - I wasn't expecting too much from our visit to Sukia as we had been to the National Park, which was perfect. BUT, Juan shared with the 5 of us all... read more sorts of interesting facts about the butterflies. We were able to interact and see all stages of their development. Then we headed to see the crocodiles, and WOW! If I could post the video of the croc leaping for the pole, I wouldn't because it would ruin the surprise. Juan was so knowledgeable and so compassionate about his tiny "charges."

  We toured Sukia park having already visited Manuel Antonio earlier in the week. What a difference. This is a very personal tour guided by Juan who is one... read more of the best guides we encountered in the area. He made the tour so special for our grandchildren by paying attention to their questions and finding plants and animals that would be especially interesting for kids. We saw a family of monkeys very close up including the alpha male which was very exciting. In addition to the jungle tour they have a crocodile habitat and a butterfly garden so there is plenty for all to see. No crowds like Manual Antonio either.

  Butterfly sanctuary, seeing the many species enjoying their fruit and nectar, seeing their stages of development, and the secrets of their colorful wing scales. Walking the property to see the... read more waterfall and experience the peaceful serenity right in the middle of Manuel Antonio. There are night tours that reveal another universe of reptiles and nocturnal animals. It's memorable, every visitor to this beautiful place should see the turtles and crocodiles, the plants, and the colorful insects. Learn from the helpful guides how humans coexist with the wildlife in the area.

Come prepared with good walking shoes, some insect repellent if coming at evening hours, and I recommend tipping the guides for their thoughtful lessons and Q&A talks.

  I finally got to see my fill of beautiful blue morpho butterflies here!

Our guide, Sofia was great and explained all about the different species of butterflies,... read more and their life cycles, environmental niches and differences between species. I was so impressed that she was only 14 years old!

It does get hot in the conservatory, so I suggest early morning for the tour. By later in the day, there is shade on some of the walkways to see the crocodiles and turtles.

We saw a variety of butterflies and chrysallis pods, and even got to hold a blue morpho caterpillar! Outside the butterfly conservatory, we saw various species of rescued turtles, caymans and crocodiles (babies, young adults and huge older adults!). As they had been fed the day before, there were lots of turkey vultures hanging about too! We also saw tilapia as well as basilisk lizards - perhaps you may catch them running atop the water!

I really enjoyed the stories our guide told us, of how each crocodile was rescued and named, and the importance of education in saving these amazing prehistoric creatures from human ignorance.

I love that this tour was not too long for children, and that the tour area itself was small. This would be a great first or last stop for families as you get to see cool new animals, learn about them from a younger guide, and aren't exhausted by a 12 hour tour or 2 hour hike through a rainforest!

  We did the butterflies and crocs tour. Juan was fantastic! Kept our whole group (age range from 5 yo to 55 yo) engaged. He was just wonderful! Highly recommend!

  We took a tour of Manuel Antonio National Park in the morning, and had a tour reserved here for the afternoon; we were so tired after the morning we almost... read more canceled and I’m so happy we didn’t!! This tour was much better than the national park- we saw WAY more animals (capuchin monkeys up close, howler monkeys, sloths, woodpeckers, macaws, very interesting frogs and insects, lizards, and of course the crocodiles and butterflies after the walk), plus the walk itself felt more authentic and was very beautiful. Our guide Juan was so nice and incredibly knowledgeable. Another plus was that there was no restriction on bringing in snacks, which was a big problem for us in the national park with young kids. Honestly we would have done this instead of the Manuel Antonio National park tour.

  Close Encounters of the Croc (and Butterfly) Kind - Excellent tour! We did the butterflies and crocs tour and had a great time. Our guide was very knowledgeable, skilled with handling the butterflies, and was very enthusiastic. The tour... read more presented 9 varieties of vivid Costa Rican butterflies up close and also boasted a variety of reptiles. The sanctuary does very good work raising the animals, and we’d highly recommend a visit!

  We took a tour of Manuel Antonio National Park in the morning, and had a tour reserved here for the afternoon; we were so tired after the morning we almost... read more canceled and I’m so happy we didn’t!! This tour was much better than the national park- we saw WAY more animals (capuchin monkeys up close, howler monkeys, sloths, woodpeckers, macaws, very interesting frogs and insects, lizards, and of course the crocodiles and butterflies after the walk), plus the walk itself felt more authentic and was very beautiful. Our guide Juan was so nice and incredibly knowledgeable. Another plus was that there was no restriction on bringing in snacks, which was a big problem for us in the national park with young kids. Honestly we would have done this instead of the Manuel Antonio National park tour.

  Fascinating tour with Juan who is a natural biologist and full of interesting information about the first, its plants and animals.