Visitors of Costa Rica have several opportunities to get an upclose look of one of the most adorable animals on the planet; sloths. There are several places where visitors will have the opportunity to get closer to a sloth than they ever have before. Here’s where to go to see sloths if you are in this country.
Buttercup Inn’s Sloth Sanctuary
In order to visit the sloths, you will need to be taken on a Buttercup Tour as no general admission is allowed. Tours are available Tuesday through Sunday from 8am to 2pm. For those 13 and up, admission is $30, for children ages 5-12 it is $15 and children 4 and under are free. Visitors will get to learn about how they live and what they eat. They will also get to go on a canoe trip where they can see the natural habitat of the sloths. Tours start on the hour from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. and visitors should plan on arriving 20 minutes before their tour. Each tour lasts around 2 hours. Currently, there are quite a few sloths located here so visitors will easily be able to see several of them lounging around, interacting with one another or hanging from a tree limb. If you want to get as up close as you can with sloths, there are exclusive tours that include everything that the Buttercup Tour includes as well as a behind the scenes tour of the sloth’s nursery and clinic. Here you can see them sleeping, eating or playing. This tour costs $150 for adults and lasts 3 hours.
Arenal Volcano’s National Park Sloth Sanctuary
A new sloth sanctuary just opened at Arenal Volcano National Park. Guests and visitors of Nayara Springs and Nayara Resort, Spa & Garden can see sloths around the property as these furry animals sleep and hang out on some of the 300 Cecropia trees that are located here. These trees are ideal for viewing sloths as they have sparse branches which means that sloths can’t easily hide among them. There are more than 15 sloths on the property and the hope is that these numbers will consistently increase. There is a complimentary walking tour that takes place twice a week where visitors can learn more about the sloths. There are also exclusive tours available that include a Sky Tram and Trek tour where participants can go high up to see animals, including sloths, hanging out in the rain forest canopy.
