ESTACION BIOLOGICA LA SELVA

It is an ecological station with an educational and scientific vocation founded by the Organization of Tropical Studies (OTS), which, since 1963, has brought together forty-six universities and two museums of natural history from the United States, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. La Selva is located at the northern end of Braulio Carrillo National Park, south of Puerto Viejo. The 1,400 hectares of the reserve correspond approximately to the hunting territory of pumas or jaguars; there are an incredible number of species of trees, migratory and non-migratory birds, reptiles and mammals. Within the research center, in addition to the courses and interventions given to students and researchers, several times a year business leaders from all over the world are invited to be sensitized to tropical ecology in the context of their industrial activities. About 50 km of marked trails allow for bird watching, but in rainy weather the already wet ground becomes totally impassable. That's why some trails are lined with a kind of sidewalk. In any case, bring rubber boots, light clothing (the average temperature is 24°C, but it seems higher in an atmosphere saturated with humidity) and a good insectrepellent. The tropical forests are not very bright, so do not expect to see more than a dozen animals. Beware of snakes!