La Paz Waterfall Gardens

This splendid and popular nature and wildlife park (tel. 506/482-2720, wgardens@racsa.co.cr, www.waterfallgardens.com, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, $21 admission adults, $10 students and children), at Montaña Azul, about four km north of Vara Blanca, features the largest butterfly garden in the world, enclosed in a soaring hangar-size cage within which butterflies flutter freely. There’s also a hummingbird garden, a rainforest wildlife exhibit, and orchid houses, all accessed by well-laid concrete trails that lead along the river to four waterfalls; educational posters line the trails. Standing on the viewing platform at the Templo Fall, you’re pummeled by spray blasted from the base of the fall, a testament to its awesome hydraulic power. Continuing downriver, you get to a metal staircase that clings to the cliffside and takes you to the Magía Blanca (the largest cascade), Encantada, and La Paz falls. It’s a daunting climb back. A short distance further downhill, at a tight hairpin bend in the road, is La Catarata la Paz—the “Peace Waterfall”—a pencil-thin fall that attracts Ticos en masse on weekends (watch for pedestrians in the road). The restaurant here has a veranda with marvelous views over the valley and forest. Birding tours are led by Dr. Aaron Sekerak, author of A Travel & Suite Guide to Birds of Costa Rica. Last admission is 4 p.m.