Diamante Park Tips – Animal Sanctuary 101

Diamante’s Animal Sanctuary is home to the largest variety of species in one location. It is also the largest animal sanctuary in Guanacaste. It was built in partnership with La Paz Waterfall Gardens. There are many ways to experience wildlife in Costa Rica. Many will venture to national parks and try to spot the animals out in the wild. This can be a hard task as many animals tend to be nocturnal. So getting to see animals up close in nature is a grueling task to accomplish. But if you are looking to get an up close view we encourage you to visit our animal sanctuary. All of our animals have been rescued and donated by the Wildlife Ministry of Costa Rica. We have created a fun, educational and enriching experience for wildlife seekers.

If you are an animal lover and want to get the best experience from this gorgeous world-class five star habitat for rescue wildlife here are some tips to make it unforgettable:

Hours of operation

Diamante Eco Adventure Park opens every day at 8:30 am and closes at 4:30 pm. To get to the animal sanctuary, it is first necessary to check-in at the Welcome Center. Our staff will give you a brief explanation of the sanctuary, what activities are going on, how to get the shuttle and more useful information.  The only way to get down to the Animal Sanctuary is with our transportation. The shuttle runs every 10 to 15 minutes from the welcome center down to the Animal Sanctuary. You can always come back to the Welcome Center for lunch or to browse the gift shop and then go down again to the Sanctuary. As long as we are open, the animal sanctuary is too!

Aerial shot of the Monkey Habitats and Butterfly Observatory

Tour information

The Animal Sanctuary is a self-guided tour. This means you can take as long as you want in each habitat. Therefore it gives you the chance to skip to your favorite wildlife animal! We do offer private guided tours for those interested in that option. Every habitat is label and has information about each animal of interest. There are also guides all over the animal sanctuary that will approach you and tell you all about our family. They have the knowledge you seek for! Names, back stories, fun facts and more! Don’t be shy and shoot the questions you’ve been dying to ask.

Aerial shot of the Wildcats Habitats

Largest animal sanctuary

So what makes us home to the largest variety in one location? Here goes a breakdown of our wildlife family:

• Two toed sloths!
• American crocodiles
• Caimans
• 2 species of turkeys
• 2 species of iguanas
• 3 species of monkeys: white faced monkey, spider monkey, marmosets (only non-native species in Diamante – read Rocky & Luna’s story)
• 3 species of toucans (read Sam The Toucans Story!)
• Around 20 different types of small birds
• 3 species of parrots
• 4 species of wild cats: ocelots, margays , pumas and jaguars
• 5 species of turtles
• 10 species of butterflies
• 11 species of frogs
• 14 species of snakes

And much more!

Diego the American Crocodile

Most active time

If you are looking to see the animals up and running around, our recommendation is to get as early as possible to Diamante. Butterflies, wildcats, and toucans are best to interact during the early mornings. Our recommended route to see the most of their active lives is: start with the butterflies, move to the toucans, followed by the wildcats. After finishing with the wildcats, go look at our monkeys, crocodiles and sloths. The sanctuary is a great way to learn about the wildlife in Costa Rica and it is an opportunity to interact in a safe environment with it.

Feeding times

At Diamante’s Animal Sanctuary we strive to keep each species natural environment and this includes feedings. Here are some of the feeding times you will not want to miss at the park:

*DISCLAIMER* some animal feedings are not open to the public and no human contact takes place during them.

Daily Feedings:

• Two-toed sloths: 9:30AM , 12:30MD , 3:30PM
• Jaguars release at 10:00AM after their feeding. Jaguars also have a bi-weekly enrichment program on Tuesdays and Saturdays at the same time of their release.

Lucy the Sloth hanging upside down

Weekly feedings:

• Mondays are crocodile and caiman feedings at 12:00PM and 3:00PM respectively.

If you are looking to get the best experience out of animal watching, be sure to come on a Monday and get the full experience at the Animal Sanctuary!

Remember that the Wildlife Conservation Law of Costa Rica states that it is illegal to extract wildlife or native flora, to engage and/or remove any animals from their habitat. It also discourages people from feeding animals in the wild or captivity as this changes their eating habits and creates an unhealthy dependence on humans. For more safety travel tips click here.

Visit the largest animal sanctuary in Guanacaste

There are two passes that allow you to experience our wildlife family and best Costa Rica tour experience:

• Discovery Pass ($42): Enter the largest Animal Sanctuary and meet our wildlife family: Lucy the sloth, Nico & Sama the jaguars, Balu the white faced monkey, King Julian our largest iguana and many more!
• Adventure Pass ($118): experience the full zip line tour plus one extra cable that runs through our animal sanctuary and a hanging bridge over the crocodiles! Finish the tour inside of our top of class animal sanctuary and enjoy our wildlife family. This pass also includes a buffet lunch at the Welcome Center and access to our beach activities (stand up paddle board, snorkeling, kayak and hanging out at the hammocks).

Diamante Eco Adventure Park is open from 8:30AM to 4:30PM – 365 days! For more information visit:

Www.diamanteecoadventurepark.com

+ (506) 2105-5200

Pura vida!