Hacienda Los Inocentes Wildlife Center

This 1,000-hectare ranch (Apdo. 228-3000 Heredia, tel. 506/79-9190 or 506/265-5484, fax 506/679-9224 or 506/265-4385, info@losinocenteslodge.com, www.losinocenteslodge.com), on Hwy. 4 about 16 km east of Hwy. 1, lies on the northern edge of Guanacaste National Park, on the lower northern slopes of Volcán Orosi. Until recently, it was a ranch with 8,000 head of cattle (the estate belonged to the Inocentes family, which owned almost one-third of Guanacaste). The former pasture is being returned to native forest. It now operates as an ecotourist and biological research center and boasts one of the most stunning settings in Costa Rica, with the great ascendant bulk of Orosi looming ominously to the south. The hacienda has a stable of 160 horses and specializes in horseback nature rides ($35, two hours with guide; $70, six hours to Orosi; $100 to Nicaragua). It’s one of Costa Rica’s finest bird-watching sites: toucans, oropendolas, and collared aracaris are especially prolific. Garrulous parrots and scarlet and great green macaws fly free in the hacienda grounds. There are hiking trails, and tractor-trailer tours ($35 for three hours, or $40 full-day with lunch). Meals cost $11. A taxi from La Cruz costs about $15 one-way.