IAR Costa Rica

If you’re curious about Costa Rica’s local wildlife, an Educational Visit is a meaningful way to learn more while supporting active conservation work.

During your visit, you and your family will have the opportunity to learn about howler monkeys and other wildlife native to Costa Rica, and some of the challenges they face.

What you’ll experience:

• An engaging presentation on Costa Rica’s local wildlife
• Fascinating facts about howler monkeys and their role in the ecosystem
• A look at our Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Release work
• A guided walk through our sanctuary and an introduction to our permanent residents
• Practical ways people can help reduce human-wildlife conflict

Our approach:

We prioritize animal welfare above all else. This means visits are calm and guided, centered on learning, observation, and understanding, with an emphasis on education, respect, and conservation.

The area you will visit is our wildlife sanctuary, which is home to the animals in our care that cannot be released back into the wild. The sanctuary is separate from our wildlife hospital and rehabilitation facility, where injured or abandoned animals are treated and rehabilitated away from detrimental human interaction, with the goal of reintroduction back to the wild whenever possible. Every visit directly supports this work.

Visit Schedule:

• Visits are typically 1.5 hours in total. If you have any questions, contact us at (506) 8849-7447 or through WhatsApp. As we are a working rescue center, visits are only possible with a reservation.

Health Precautions:

• You must be in the country for at least 3 days before visiting us.
• You should not have any illness that could put our wildlife at risk (e.g., cold or flu).

Cost:

• A $60 donation per person over 13 years old ($12 per person for locals and residents. Please bring your ID with you.) Payment is required when booking to confirm your reservation.
• 100% of the proceeds go toward the care of the wildlife at our center.
• The cost for youth ages 6–12 is a $25 donation, and children under 5 may visit free of charge. Please note that we discuss some mature topics related to wildlife incidents.

Additional Contributions:

• You are welcome to make an additional contribution upon arrival at the rescue center.

Reservations can be made online based on our availability here.