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.

  We loved the butterfly sanctuary and crocodile refuge in manual Antonio! Diego was our guide today and he was knowledgeable and friendly! I highly recommend this experience for adults and... read more children.the setting is in the lush jungle and Diego will gladly answer any questions you might have. Next time we are bringing the grandkids back here to experience this beautiful place!!

  Could not recommend more! Such a fun experience. - We did zip line tour and it was awesome! Could not recommend more. Very attentive, knowledgeable and fun guides, very personal experience. Diego did a great job at organizing our... read more tour. The zip lines are so exciting and at the end you rappel near the waterfall. I’ve never done zip line before so this set the bar really high! It also included the croc tour and butterfly garden and we happened to see some sloths pretty up close. Everything was done so well and the price was great!

  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!

  Our guide Sebastian was very friendly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the animals and insects of Sukia. We went during the day and did not see many animals (a heron, a... read more dart frog, and some lizards) during our hike but we did learn a lot about the ecosystem and thoroughly enjoyed our hike through the property and the waterfall. There's also a beautiful butterfly garden where we got to see them in all life stages, as well as a crocodile, turtle, and black Cayman refuge which was very cool to walk through and learn about. Highly recommend!

  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!

  I visited Sukia last month with my daughter and her friend. We have visited the butterfly gardens on previous occasions, the park in now under new ownership and offering much... read more more.
Juan our knowledgeable guide, showed us the butterflies, crocodiles and turtles and then we headed onto beautiful trails that lead to a waterfall view point. Juan was excellent, and great with the kids. I’m excited to see what other projects they are working on, and pleased that they are developing sustainably and protecting this vital natural area in the heart of Manuel Antonio.

  Do not miss the opportunity to visit this fascinating sanctuary of native Costa Rican reptiles, butterflies, assorted plants, wild monkeys and birds. A natural stream runs through the property, providing... read more a ‘green’ solution for the animals. Many are rescues, all cared for by knowledgeable staff.

The butterfly pavilion must be experienced to be believed! Walk among Blue Morphos and other species in their native habitat to observe and learn about breeding, care and preservation.

  We had a brilliant morning exploring Sukia with the lovely Juan. Juan’s expertise & knowledge blew us away & he really stood out as one of the best guides we... read more encountered in Manuel Antonio. His relaxed yet super engaged & passionate style made for the perfect guide.

We saw scarlet macaw couples grooming each other(such an intimate & sweet behaviour). The butterfly house was great & seeing each stage of their life cycles was fascinating. The immense care taken with each chrysalis & pupae was evident when Juan handled them to give us a closer look.

We were impressed with the crocodile, caiman and turtle rescue section & despite the sad stories that have led some of the inhabitants there, felt reassured by the ethics of the current owners and clear dedication to the welfare of all the animals on site.

Highly recommend this unique & memorable experience. Another highlight, we didn’t see any other humans at all :)

Big thank you the awesome Juan, Pura Vida :)