Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary
Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary
Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary
5
About
Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary is a non-profit organization where we Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release Costa Rica's exotic wildlife back into the jungle! 100% of your donation goes to care for the animals. You will see a variety of species and hopefully walk away with an understand on the importance of conservation.
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- Holly C31 contributionsBe sure to visit this amazing Sanctuary!We visited Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary on a friday and booked the 3:00 tour. I had read that this time slot was a nice choice because it was after the animals had been fed and they would possibly be extra active. The tour did not disappoint. Our guide Ryan was extremely knowledgeable and I could tell he really had a passion for the animals. As we stood in front of each enclosure, he knew each animal by name and was able to tell us why the animal was there and what the animal's future looked like. The highlight of my tour was being so close to the 2-toed sloths. They were right in front of us and even slowly moving around. I recommend the 3:00 tour because across the parking lot beginning at 4-6pm is the hotel's happy hour with delicious cocktail smoothies. They welcomed us to take a swim in their rooftop pool and enjoy our appetizers as we watched out over the ocean and listened to numerous toucans. The road is a 4x4 recommended vehicle road, however we easily made it up in low gear with our 7 passenger van. I'm excited to update our Amazon Smile Recipient to Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary. Every little bit helps and I'm so thankful such wonderful people exist in this world!Thank you for the great review! That is definitely one of the better times for the chance to see the nocturnal animals coming out for a quick snack. Being a sanctuary that aims to release the animals that arrive, we don't get to choose what animals are in our sanctuary as many of them that are were pets or injured in a way they wouldn't survive. Our guides are very informative and do a great job explaining the stories of the animals and educating more about the species itself. Sloths are always a highlight of the tour and a favorite for many. How lucky they were moving around for you. In the dry season it is a little easier to climb up our road and I'm so glad you were able to make it with your vehicle. Thank you for your support through AmazonSmile and through your visit as well. We are so thankful kind people like you help us continue our work.Written January 15, 2020This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited January 2020Written January 12, 2020
- Copper836Ottawa, Canada7 contributionsInformative tour that also helps injured wildlifeExcellent tour. Florian is very knowledgeable and entertaining while talking about the important work they do treating injured wildlife and providing sanctuary to animals that can’t be returned to the wild. Interesting that of animals that live past 5 days 80% are returned to the wild. I would recommend it for anyone who cares about animals.Thank you for the great review! We are very fortunate to have Florian here not only sharing our work but doing it in a way that is entertaining and engaging for our visitors. His passion is shared by all here and he makes it show in the tours. We are fortunate to have a great, qualified staff working through the night sometimes to ensure the health and welfare of the animals at Alturas Wildlife sanctuary. Thank you again for your support and we hope to see you again!Written February 10, 2020This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited February 2020Traveled with friendsWritten February 4, 2020
- Kiah B1 contributionFantastic Hands Off Sanctuary (the way it should be!)Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary is run by a team of fantastic, hard working and animal loving humans. The sanctuary has a “hands off” approach which supports ethical tourism and saying no to animal “selfies”. You can really make a difference by volunteering or donating as seen first hand during my month stay here. New enclosures were being built everywhere, increasing the space for resident animals. Alturas is always seeking ways to improve the short or long term stays of all animals. They have an incredibly high standard of animal welfare and ethics and provide a great quality of life for the animals through a dedicated enrichment program, to allow their natural behaviours to flourish. Definitely support Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary if you are near Dominical, Costa Rica.Thank you for the great review. We pride ourselves in ensuring the best quality of life for the animals in our care. We want to make sure we are encouraging great practices for all wildlife, not just in Costa Rica. Animal selfies are an issue worldwide but we can take these first steps here to help people respect wildlife from a distance and when in the wild, enjoy viewing them in their natural habitat. Your time here helps immensely and we hope we educate and truly appreciate your support! While we can't do everything we want to at the same time, we are constantly working to improve what we can when we can. Thank you for your support and we hope to see you again!!Written March 8, 2020This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited February 2020Traveled as a coupleWritten March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
949 reviews
Excellent
836
Very good
91
Average
17
Poor
3
Terrible
2
Kristin
1 contribution
Mar 2020
I highly recommend this experience if you love animals/wildlife! The guide was very knowledgeable and informative about the animals, what brought them to the sanctuary, what they've done to rehabilitate them, and why they're still there. They had a variety of wildlife each one with a unique story to tell. I gathered that these are all people who truly care about these animals and what happens to them.
Written March 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the excellent review! We welcome all to come an learn about wildlife. We strive to educate our visitors about the animals and why they are here permanently. We hope through education, changes are made worldwide through understanding and respecting wildlife.
We are very passionate about our work and improving the lives for wildlife here and their environment once released.
Thank you for your support. It is much appreciated.
Written March 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Barbora Havlikova
14 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Maybe if we hadn't seen all the animals in Corcovado Park the day before, and my children and my husband would have a good understanding of English, this visit would be interesting for us. The guide spewed the information one by one and gave me no room for translation into our native language. Anyway, they do a great job of saving wild animals and trying to return them to the wild. We do not regret the admission fee, but it was a waste of time for our family. Our children are too young to be completely interested especially when they don't understand a word :)
Written January 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your input. How fortunate you were able to see and witness many of the same animals in their natural environment, where we work very hard to return wildlife. Corcovado is a beautiful place with so much biodiversity and we have had animals come into our care from that area.
We appreciate the support towards our work as we are hoping to continue to return animals to the wild so you, and others can see them in places like Corcovado.
We offer tours in Spanish or English as said on the tours page of our website, and sometimes German if asked for and arranged ahead of time. I'm sorry you were learning so much about what we are doing and about the animals in our care, but we only have so much time for a tour and we truly want to educate. If the guide is not made aware of this need, we can't anticipate everyone having to do translations. Unfortunately we are only able to offer tours in a few languages. It is also unfortunate to receive an average review because of a language barrier that we can't completely control and you were fortunate to see so many beautiful animals in the wild the day before.
We hope you visit again and can try and arrange a tour in your native language if we are able to offer it so the whole family can enjoy because not only do we want children to visit and enjoy the animals, but learn so many important things about wildlife and helping to keep them wild.
Written January 15, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stefan R
9 contributions
Jan 2020
We took the 90 minute tour on a wednesday afternoon. Florian was a great guide who made the tour informative and funny while still explaining the difficult situations the animals where coming from and why they are not able to be released back into the wild.
Some of the stories you are gonna hear are very sad but its great that those animals get a second chance to live a better life.
It is obvious that the team of the sanctuary cares very much for the animals under its care.
The entrance fee goes to support their important work.
Some of the stories you are gonna hear are very sad but its great that those animals get a second chance to live a better life.
It is obvious that the team of the sanctuary cares very much for the animals under its care.
The entrance fee goes to support their important work.
Written January 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the great review! Through the tours, we not only want to educate our visitors about the wildlife in Costa Rica, but also have a great time doing so. We aim to explain not just why the animals in the sanctuary can't be released, but how to prevent more animals coming into our care (or others around the world) for the same reason.
We all are very passionate about our work and what we are doing for the wildlife of Costa Rica.
Thank you again!!
Written January 26, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Citizensue
6 contributions
Mar 2020
The price is a bit steep for the tour but it is also a sanctuary donation, so we didn't mind. The animals that have been rescued, and could not be returned to the wild, have led to a sort of wildlife "zoo". The tours are the main support of the sanctuary, with most injured animals being returned to the wild.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and we learned so much about the local species. We went at 9 am so we did not eat there, but I bet it was good. The most surprising thing is that a luxury hotel is on the property- with a lovely seating area and panoramic views. I would recommend getting lunch there just for the ambience, if you have a chance.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and we learned so much about the local species. We went at 9 am so we did not eat there, but I bet it was good. The most surprising thing is that a luxury hotel is on the property- with a lovely seating area and panoramic views. I would recommend getting lunch there just for the ambience, if you have a chance.
Written March 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the great review. We are 100% reliant on our tours and donors for funding, and without your visit and the support from around the world, we would not be able to rehabilitate and release as many animals as we do. We do wish all of the animals that come into our sanctuary could return to the wild, but we also could not release an animal without confidence in its survival and would not suffer. The animals get great care due to our wonderful staff who guide the best volunteers to help.
Our tour guides are great and do a wonderful job of expressing the work we do and our passion for wildlife amd we are glad you could leave having learned about local species.
Thank you again for your visit and maybe we will see you back as a volunteer someday.
Written March 17, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
BaliBuddha
Vancouver, Canada60 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
A wonderful family outing! The small wildlife sanctuary houses the animals that are either too domesticated from the illegal pet trade or too injured to be released. With a high release rate, being small is a sign of successful rehabilitation as they receive approximately 400 animals a year.
The 3pm tour was ideal as the animals were more active after the hot day and were being fed. It also allowed us to benefit from the happy hour on the adjacent hotel pool terrace where there is a fabulous panoramic view and a nearby sunset deck as well.
Toucans were flocking to a tree as we sipped smoothies at sunset, so magical!
The sanctuary is up a steep dirt road with signage that 4x4 is needed. We saw rental cars that clearly weren’t SUVs at the top, so you can make it if you floor it apparently.
The 3pm tour was ideal as the animals were more active after the hot day and were being fed. It also allowed us to benefit from the happy hour on the adjacent hotel pool terrace where there is a fabulous panoramic view and a nearby sunset deck as well.
Toucans were flocking to a tree as we sipped smoothies at sunset, so magical!
The sanctuary is up a steep dirt road with signage that 4x4 is needed. We saw rental cars that clearly weren’t SUVs at the top, so you can make it if you floor it apparently.
Written January 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the great review! We are happy that we don't have hundreds of animals in our sanctuary because, as you said, we are able to release as many as possible.
The afternoon tour is a great time to be able to see our awesome volunteers finish up the feeding and that definitely draws some of the nocturnal animals out.
The local wildlife is great and I'm glad you were able to see some wild animals along with those in our permanent care.
We are up a steep hill but we appreciate all who make the trek up here to visit and support our work. Thank you again!
Written January 15, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
lizzlelizzle
Aldeburgh, UK43 contributions
Jan 2020
If you care about animals and want to know more about those in Costa Rica, this sanctuary is well worth a visit. Tour guide Florian is very knowledgeable and clearly cares about the plight of the animals at the sanctuary. He also manages to throw in a few jokes here and there, making his talk very entertaining. The aim of the place is not to provide a zoo, but a refuge. Rehabilitation and release back to the wild is the primary goal. However, it's just not always possible to achieve this, and it was great to see that the animals they can't release are kept in the best possible conditions and can live out their lives in peace. It's sad to discover some of the reasons why the animals have arrived there, but there's no doubt that they are well cared for and respected once they get there. If you have a spare hour, I'd definitely encourage you to visit. They need all the support they can get.
Written January 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the great review! Florian is a great guide that really does a wonderful job of explaining the stories of each animal in a fun but still educational way. We are all here for the animals, staff and volunteers alike, and are able to continue our work with the support of visitors like you and the help of the volunteers.
Thank you so much for the kind words and support.
Written February 1, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kylee F
1 contribution
Feb 2020
My boyfriend and I visited the sanctuary in 2019 and went on a tour and I knew that if I ever came back to Costa Rica I needed to spend more time there so this year we volunteered for a week and it was such an incredible experience. I highly recommend volunteering or at least visiting the sanctuary on one of their tours. By no means is this a zoo, petting zoo, or anything of that nature. They do an incredible job of educating the public on animal/environmental conservation.
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the great review! We are so glad you enjoyed your time here and that it lived up to your expectations. We are doing our best to educate and provide quality lives to the animals in our care, permanently or for rehabilitation. Volunteers and interns are vital in this process and care.
Thank you for your support and we hope to see you next year!
Written March 8, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
wunderlust719
Fredericton, Canada13 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Florian, our guide, was fun and funny. There are not a lot of animals there but the ones that are there each have a compelling story. Florian did a wonderful job of explaining the work of the ALTURAS WILDLIFE SANCTUARY and Rescue Centre. Coco, the capuchin monkey was a real character and is very good at engaging everyone. The Pair of Scarlet Macaws are also fun to watch as they are very busy. Florian’s sense of humor was really a pleasant surprise and kept us on our toes.
The sanctuary sits in the jungle and after we finished our tour we saw a large group of wild capuchin monkeys pass over the sanctuary. It was all very cool.
The view of the ocean is magnificent from there.
The sanctuary sits in the jungle and after we finished our tour we saw a large group of wild capuchin monkeys pass over the sanctuary. It was all very cool.
The view of the ocean is magnificent from there.
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the great review! Florian is an excellent guide truly devoted to what we do here and our mission. While we wish all of the animals could be released, those in our sanctuary are serving a great purpose to educate our visitors about wildlife and how we can protect their place in the wild. Education is one of our goals of the tours and when people leave feeling like they even learned just one thing, it is worth it.
Coco is my personal favorite here. I think she is a little misunderstood, and definitely a character.
Our small team and volunteers work day and night to maintain healthy animals and help everything in our care be reintroduced to the wild.
Your visit goes towards the animals and ensuring their best care and we can't express how much we appreciate it and your kind words here.
How fortunate you were able to see some wild animals as well!
Thank you again!
Written January 26, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Quakeup
Victoria, Canada219 contributions
Dec 2022 • Couples
Las Alturas wildlife rehabilitation centre is just a few kilometres outside of Dominical. We showed up without reservations on December 1st and the tour guide, Ryan, kindly allowed us to participate.
Reservations are recommended because the groups fill up fast. The tour is well worth the cost, supporting the sanctuary in its efforts to rehabilitate and release wild animals and birds. The tour could have been a downer given the sad stories of many of the creatures who find sanctuary at the centre. Many are released but some cannot fend for themselves and live out their lives at Las Alturas.
Through its affable guide Ryan, Las Alturas stresses all the right values of non-imprinting (keeping animals and birds wild and apart from humans), and providing quality of life that includes enrichment activities. Ryan also emphasized the importance of not feeding wildlife and not adopting them as pets.
Highly recommended two hours that you can follow up with a trip to the gift shop and a donation toward feeding and housing the critters. Check out volunteer activities if you can make a commitment to this worthy cause. The xo-located bar and restaurant with a stunning view have a good reputation.
Reservations are recommended because the groups fill up fast. The tour is well worth the cost, supporting the sanctuary in its efforts to rehabilitate and release wild animals and birds. The tour could have been a downer given the sad stories of many of the creatures who find sanctuary at the centre. Many are released but some cannot fend for themselves and live out their lives at Las Alturas.
Through its affable guide Ryan, Las Alturas stresses all the right values of non-imprinting (keeping animals and birds wild and apart from humans), and providing quality of life that includes enrichment activities. Ryan also emphasized the importance of not feeding wildlife and not adopting them as pets.
Highly recommended two hours that you can follow up with a trip to the gift shop and a donation toward feeding and housing the critters. Check out volunteer activities if you can make a commitment to this worthy cause. The xo-located bar and restaurant with a stunning view have a good reputation.
Written December 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Renee J
1 contribution
Mar 2020 • Family
My family and I, 8 adults and 2 infants, visited Alturas and our experience exceeded all expectations.
The facility is clean, the staff is extremely friendly, funny, and knowledgeable, and the animals are very well cared for.
We highly recommend this tour, and it is suited for people of all ages.
The facility is clean, the staff is extremely friendly, funny, and knowledgeable, and the animals are very well cared for.
We highly recommend this tour, and it is suited for people of all ages.
Written March 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the wonderful review! We are so glad your group enjoyed this and we were able to meet and exceed your expectations. We are fortunate to not only have a great staff, but amazing volunteers who learn and then do a lot of the animal care work. We wouldn't be able to do this without them.
Thank you again and we appreciate your support!
Written March 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Can you come and volunteer to help out for five days? Can you stay there?
Warren H
Dominical, Costa Rica8 contributions
Good Morning.
We have a few options for our wonderful volunteers. If you visit our website and contact us, we will be able to assist your further and provide more information about our programs here.
Thank you for your interest and support.
Is it possible to access the sanctuary via public transport from Dominical? if not is it a walkable route?
Sue C
99 contributions
Hi, I took a taxi from Dominical, you can get a bus and get it to drop you on the main road but it's quite a steep climb up to the centre from there - the driver told me only 4x4s can cope with it.
Tracy B
Dobbs Ferry New York101 contributions
Are guests allowed to hold the baby sloths?
Nick B
Aylesbury4 contributions
This isn't the sort of place where you get to handle the rescued animals. They mostly want to return them to the wild. There are some that have a permanent home here, but the public can only view them. It is a worthwhile place to visit as they do great work here.
purplepact
Sarasota, FL2 contributions
Not to sound mean, but many of the cages look so small in your pictures.....I want to visit, but do not want to get upset at that? Are some larger than they appear??thank you
Michelle C
2 contributions
The upsetting feelings you will get will NOT be due to the enclosures size, but at the humans that thought they could have these animals as pets, the reason most of them are there. This is not a zoo, the efforts the sanctuary has made to keep the quality of life for the animals is above and beyond. Check out there Amazon Wish list before you arrive if you want to feel good about you visits.
Is it necessary to schedule a tour ahead of time?
Julie P
Middletown, CT28 contributions
No. they do have set times however so you may have to wAit
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Frequently Asked Questions about Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary
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Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary Information
Excellent Reviews | 836 |
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Very Good Reviews | 91 |
Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary Photos | 835 |