The Bat Jungle (tel. 506/645-6566, fax 506/645-9999, http://rwcarlson.googlepages.com, 9:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. daily, $8 adults, $6 children), between the gas station at Cerro Plano and cheese factory in Monteverde, is the first in Costa Rica to provide an insight into the life of bats (Monteverde has at least 65 species).

Seven species of live bats flit, feed, and mate within a sealed enclosure behind a wall of glass. Fascinating exhibits illuminate bat ecology, and an auditorium screens documentaries.