Pierella Ecological Garden wasn’t on our original itinerary, but sometimes the best discoveries happen when you’re open to detours. This private rainforest reserve in Sarapiquí isn’t featured in many guidebooks or popular travel blogs, which is precisely what makes it special. What we found here was something quite extraordinary – a place where nature has been allowed to flourish in the most organic way possible. For anyone passionate about birds, wildlife photography, or who wants to experience Costa Rica’s incredible biodiversity up close, Pierella Garden has become our go-to recommendation.
Where is Pierella Ecological Garden?
Pierella Ecological Garden in Sarapiquí is conveniently positioned for travelers moving between popular destinations. If you’re driving from San José or the Caribbean coast to La Fortuna, it’s a perfect mid-way stop – the kind of place that can transform a travel day into an adventure.
Pierella Garden welcomes visitors seven days a week, but send them a WhatsApp message before you arrive. It’s a family-run operation, and giving a heads-up ensures someone will be there to guide you through the rainforest.
How It’s Started
The story behind Pierella Garden began with one of Costa Rica’s most famous butterflies – the Blue Morpho. Back in 1995, what started as a family business plan to breed these iconic butterflies and export their chrysalides ended up creating something much more significant. When they planted the host plants butterflies needed, a lot of bird species came along, dropping new seeds throughout the area. What happened next is a beautiful example of ecological succession in action. New plants sprouted, trees grew, and gradually the butterfly garden transformed into a rainforest habitat. The birds stayed and brought more wildlife with them.
Today, thirty years later, Pierella Ecological Garden has become home to an incredible variety of animals, with Blue Morpho butterflies still fluttering around as just one part of a much larger ecosystem.
Rainforest Tour
Walking through the forest, it’s inspiring to see how nature can take over in 30 years time. The tour typically lasts 1.5 to 2.5 hours, although the exact duration depends on weather conditions, your interests, and what wildlife decides to make an appearance that day. You really can’t predict nature. Our tour stretched to almost three hours, followed by an amazing home-cooked lunch.
At $30 per person for a private tour with a knowledgeable guide, it’s an excellent value for money. You can also add a home-cooked lunch for an additional $15 per person – and we highly recommend it. Credit cards are accepted.
Birding Paradise
If you’re interested in birds, this needs to be a must-stop on your itinerary. We haven’t encountered such diversity anywhere else in Costa Rica.
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Pierella Garden is home to more than 200 bird species, but there’s never a guarantee of what you’ll see on any given day. You might spot tanagers, honeycreepers, hummingbirds, parrots, toucans, aracari, woodpackers, or dancing white-collared manakin. The mating season for white-collared manakins runs from April to August in Costa Rica, and their courtship display is absolutely fascinating to watch. We were lucky enough to witness the male’s jumping courtship dance and even spotted a female on her nest.
The dining area viewing platform, located near the entrance, makes an excellent spot for observing hummingbirds and toucans up close.
Frogs And Snakes
The rainforests around Sarapiquí are prime territory for spotting frogs and snakes, and Pierella Garden is no exception. During our visit, we encountered the Strawberry poison dart frog (also known as the Blue Jeans frog), the Green and black poison dart frog, and the nocturnal Red-eyed tree frog – widely recognized symbol of Costa Rica.
Animals At Pierella Garden
Beyond the incredible birds and frogs, you might also spot sloths, monkeys, porcupines, bats, iguanas, and lizards. We were thrilled to see three-toed sloths – a mother and baby – though two-toed sloths also make appearances in Pierella Ecological Garden. Can you spot the tiny baby sloth hand in the photo below?
The absolute highlight for us was seeing Honduran white bats. About the size of a golf ball, they are incredibly cute!
Insects And Butterflies
You’ll visit the outdoor butterfly garden, where you can observe different butterfly species and learn about their lifecycle from egg to flying beauty. The tour concludes at the laboratory, where you can see giant stick insects and other amazing creatures.
Home Cooked Lunch
After the tour, you can enjoy a home-cooked lunch featuring local dishes. It’s well worth the additional $15 per person – the meal was absolutely delicious, cooked over a traditional wood fire, which added an authentic touch to the whole experience.
Chocolate Tour
Costa Rica is famous for its chocolate, and Pierella Garden grows several varieties of cacao trees. If you’re a chocolate lover who wants to learn about the process and try your hand at making it, this could be a fun activity to add to your visit. We didn’t participate in the workshop ourselves, but we did sample their tasty homemade chocolate.
King Vulture Tour
For this tour, you’ll be transferred about 30 minutes from Pierella Garden to another location higher in the mountains, which provides a perfect habitat for the King Vulture. Known for its striking colors, the King Vulture is the largest vulture species in Costa Rica, and it is quite a sight to behold. Note that this tour requires advance reservation.
