Top Things to do in Province of Alajuela
Top Restaurants in Province of Alajuela
Top 10 Budget-friendly Things to do in Province of Alajuela, Costa Rica
Discover the best top things to do in Province of Alajuela, Costa Rica including Venado Caves, Proyecto Asis, Bogarin Trail, El Toledo Coffee Tour, Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge, Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center, Poas Volcano, Arenal Hanging Bridges, Lake Arenal.
Restaurants in Province of Alajuela
1. Venado Caves
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 402 reviews
Reviewed By Richard-E-Canada
Very interesting, worthwhile tour. We did the full trip, complete with tight squeezes through some narrow spots and some hands-and-knees passages in water. You’ll get thoroughly wet, but it’s warm and not very muddy. Guide was friendly and funny, with decades of experience. I brought my own powerful waterproof light and it was helpful for a few photos. If you’re -how should I put it- “sizeable” , the tight squeezes might be challenging or impossible, but there are other more open options.
2. Proyecto Asis
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,698 reviews
Previous Reservation is required. Proyecto Asis is a Wildlife Shelter and Environmental Education Center located very close to La Fortuna. Wild animals which have been found wounded, forsaken or are rescued from the black market by the local forest rangers are brought here. Those that cannot be released are used within our educational programs. In order to finance our shelter, we offer daily tours and volunteer activities. Schedules: Monday to Saturday at 8:30 am or at 1:00 pm. Sundays Closed. Easy access facilities and trails for all ages.
Reviewed By connierussell - Thunder Bay, Canada
My husband and I spent the full day at Proyecto Asis. We had a guided tour of the Sloth Rescue Centre in the morning (which ended up being a very good idea since it was a hot day and rescued sloths' enclosure requires standing in the sun so better to do that early), walked down to the local 'soda' for lunch, then had a guided tour of the main rescue centre in the morning, finishing with a short volunteer stint where we helped prepare and deliver food to some of the wildlife. Both guides were very good, explaining the reasons various animals were at the centre, which ones would be able to released, and rehabilitation/release process. We very much appreciated the philosophy of the place and were impressed with the good work they were doing. (One has to be careful in Costa Rica not to be sucked in by shady places who pretend to be doing wildlife rescue but are in fact exploiting animals for profit.) Spending time at Proyecto Asis was one of the highlights of our trip. Highly recommended!
3. Bogarin Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 578 reviews
Our private trail offer a lot of wildlife just 5 minutes away from downtown La Fortuna, this tour is for nature lovers, we oofer a selfguided tour or a guided tour with pur experts guides. To make a reservation with us please contact us directly!
Reviewed By nkrul - Rehoboth Beach, United States
We had gone hiking on other trails in the area without a guide, and hadn’t seen any wildlife yet. So we went with a guided tour by William at Bogarin trail and it was one of the best tours I’ve ever done!! William has an amazing eye to spot the wildlife. We caught a mom and her baby sloth on video and poison frogs and many other animals. A must do tour when you are in Arenal!
4. El Toledo Coffee Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 398 reviews
We are a sustainable organic coffee farm. We have been using sustainably organic practices for over fourteen years. Today we are happy to consider ourselves environmentalists first, and coffee farmers second.
Reviewed By CJDueck - Altona, Canada
Highly recommend this coffee tour, if you enjoy learning the difference between organic and truly natural processes of coffee production. We have toured three other coffee plantations in CR and they were all unique and enjoyable, but this one I especially appreciated for the authenticity and the small farmer perspective.
5. Tapir Valley Nature Reserve
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 86 reviews
Tapir Valley is a private ecological reserve located in rural northern Costa Rica. A group of concerned citizens purchased the land over ten years ago with the vision of protecting valuable rainforest habitat for many animals including the endangered Baird's Tapir. The reserve covers over 220 hectares of primary and secondary rainforest and adjoins the Volcano Tenorio National Park. No walk-ins permitted. Entry by reservation only.
Reviewed By 2bajadreamers - Los Barriles, Mexico
Spending two days here with Donald was the highlight of our stay near Bijagua. The grounds are beautiful, with many flowering plants, old growth trees, and even a large wetland area. The walking pathways are very good-good footing, wide and mostly level, with minimal steps and elevation changes, and well planned routes. For my purposes, the wide, open, areas in the gardens, forest edges, wetlands and grasslands were perfect for bird photography. The owner, Donald, was very knowledgeable and had spent much time (15+ years) in the reserve, so he could predict where we were likely to find specific species of birds that I wanted to photograph. All in all, a great place if you are interested in seeing Costa Rica nature, and especially birds, in an easy to access environment. If you are interested in photographing the birds, there might not be a better all around spot in northern Costa Rica.
6. Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 504 reviews
Located in the north central part of the country, this extremely humid park contains the wintering grounds of thousands of migrant birds.
Reviewed By ginnyb2006
We went on this tour in March 2020, our guide was Pierre, he was very informative about the tours, the animals and Costa Rica in general I thoroughly recommend this tour and it's a bonus if you get Pierre! I only had my phone for photos, but don't fear..Pierre takes fantastic close up photos of everything you see, then Whatsap you the photo's free of charge, I recieved over 250 photo's! Don't miss this trip, you will see more wildlife here than anywhere else, full day including lunch and a beer..
7. Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 800 reviews
Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center (formerly Rescate Animal Zoo Ave) is a non-profit that has been rescuing wildlife for over 30 years. While educating the public about local wildlife, this rescue center and sanctuary also breeds endangered species for release to the wild. They have reintroduced several different species to previously extinct areas of Costa Rica and their current Scarlet Macaw breeding program plans to reintroduce a further 500 of the species by 2030. Every admission fee to the sanctuary goes to supporting their cause.
Reviewed By Allagash98 - Newton, United States
The center is 15 minutes from the airport, and it was an excellent place to spend a few hours before our flight. We enjoyed spotting the sloths, and seeing the peacocks and lizard which roam freely throughout the paths. Eating early at the cafe was a good call, since a bus tour arrived that Saturday and filled up the restaurant just as we finished.
8. Poas Volcano
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,396 reviews
Reviewed By EANash - Nashville, United States
You never know if you're going to get to see a view of the volcano or not but we took the chance and were really glad we did. Our tour guide getting us there was amazing and told us lots about the volcano, surrounding region and country of Costa Rica so even if we hadn't had a great view of the volcano (fortunately we did!), it would still have been an enjoyable trip because of the guide.
9. Arenal Hanging Bridges
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,770 reviews
Reviewed By Hamiltoncs - Anchorage, United States
We stopped here on our drive from Arenal to the Pacific Coast and very happy we did, the trail you ramble is very well maintained, i.e. walkable for most folks I would think, the hanging bridges offer great views, though a bit wobbly to take photos from, but good bird viewing as well as sloths and coatimundis,
10. Lake Arenal
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,892 reviews
Reviewed By keithc989 - Lake Orion, United States
My wife and I recently visited La Fortuna and Arenal to see the volcano and beautiful waterfall. After our stay, we took the ferry across Lake Arenal on our way to Monteverde. The boat ride across the lake was quite tranquil and the Arenal Volcano provided the most scenic of backdrops!! Beautiful views surrounded us from each of 360 degrees. The countryside was lush and the rolling hills were breathtaking! Quite the bonus on our transfer between locations!
