While it is nice that this couple took their hard earned money to create a sanctuary for injured animals,I do believe that they could have accomplished their same goal by just paying to insulate the wires around the area then campaigning for insulated wires through out the peninsula. These two really do get a lot accomplished especially with no prior experience as veterinarians,the monkeys that live with them do seem happy, but $50 a pop is a bit pricey for a tour around their garden and 20 minutes with their monkeys. I'm sure it pays the bills and keeps them comfy in their little tropical paradise.

If you care about Costa Rica's wildlife and enjoy a tour "off the beaten track", come to visit the Sibu Sanctuary. Just the premises alone are breathtaking and showcase the beautiful Costa Rican forest and landscape. Steve and Vicky will give you an amazing tour full of details about the premises, nature and the animals. The best part is the tour of the actual Sanctuary, though. You will meet Tobi, Ben and Jerry and all the other orphans who were rescued and rehabilitated by Steve and Vicky. All of these animals were traumatized by their experience with unprotected electrical power lines and the accounts of their circumstances deeply saddened me. It is heartwarming to see how everybody at Sibu cares for the animals and the mutual love can be felt when you join in and let yourself be greeted, touched, cuddled, nibbled at and sometimes peed on by these gentle creatures. ;-) I loved every moment of the physical interaction with these animals and was very impressed with the actual sanctuary "amenities". So much so that I am now trying to find some sponsors to support Steve and Vicky's great work! Although the tour is supposed to last between 1.5 and 2 hours, we stayed for more than 3, which shows the dedication of the Sibu team. Enjoy the tour and give generously! Thanks again guys for a wonderful experience, I will be back in December!

This and MissSky were without a doubt the 2 best things we did in Nosara!!!!
There are actually 2 locations for the Nosara Wildlife Rescue: the Sanctuary and the Refugio. We visited the later and spent an amazing 2+ hours with Brenda who introduced to some amazing creatures including Jack, Feo (so-named due to scars on his face; we re-named him 'Lindo' b/c he was a beautiful monkey), Monica, and many others.
The work that Brenda is doing is truly remarkable and really tugs at your heart. They go out and try to save howler monkeys who have been electrocuted by un-insulated power lines and then they bring them back to the Refugio where they ultimately seek to patch them back up and hopefully send them to the Sanctuary and potentially back into the wild.
Brenda does a great job of explaining the reality that these monkeys face as well as displaying their true tenderness. You will not get a better opportunity to get this up close and personal with howler monkeys within such a nurturing setting; additionally the money that you are donating is going to such a great cause. If you do plan on visiting and are feeling charitable you'd be surprised at the very basic things you could bring them to help out (stuffed animals for the baby monkeys, etc); just go ahead and contact them ahead of time and ask.

Experience first hand the heartbreaking, selfless and passionate work that Steve and Vicki Coan have committed themselves to. Upon entering the gates of the rescue, you have no idea you are about to have a life changing experience. If you love animals and/or still have a little bit of hope for mankind.... arrange a visit and give a donation. I promise after your visit you will be thinking of ways of how to drop everything, pack up and move to Nosara. Or at least start with donating, or contacting anyone with the means or funds to donate to a fantastic non profit cause. Do it because you are a lover of the animal kingdom, or you just need to see that love and selflessness still does exist in mankind. They do not get government funding and rely solely on donations. If you do one thing in Nosara, make sure you visit Nosara Wildlife Sanctuary.