≡ Menu

HOME

Buttercup Tour: 1 hour

  • Meet our sloth ambassadors in their protective enclosures
  • NOTE: Due to inclement weather and water levels of the river, we are often unable to hold our regular canoe trips. We appreciate your understanding.
  • Total tour time: 1 hour

Note: No touching the sloths! Wildlife conservation regulations limit touching, holding and handling of sloths to trained Sanctuary staff only. For the safety of the animals in our care, we cannot make exceptions.

US $28   Adult/Teen  age 13+
US $15   Child  age 5–12
n/c  Young child  up to age 4. Children age 12 and younger must be accompanied by adult.

Book your tour

Group sizes are limited per governmental COVID precautions.

Tours begin on the hour: 8 AM / 9 AM / 10 AM / 11 AM / 12 PM / 1 PM / 2 PM

Payment: Cash or credit card when you arrive, US$ or CR colones.

For groups of 20+, please call to arrange advance payment.
US $25 for each adult in your group
US $22 for each student in your group holding valid school/university ID

PARKING: Remove all valuables and lock your vehicle.

NO PETSDogs/pets strictly prohibited on site, in your car and outside the gate.
Service animals excepted, but email us to learn the regulations.

Drive times - approximate - to the Sanctuary. Traffic/construction/rain may add travel time. Due to road conditions, driving atfer dark not advised. From San Jose: 4 hrs 20 min. From Limon: 35 min. From Cahuita 15 min.

A rescued infant in a NICU incubator

Insider’s Tour: 2 hours

  • Morning Tour // 8:45AM  arrival & registration / Tour begins at 9 AM
  • Afternoon Tour // 12:45PM  arrival & registration / Tour begins at 1 PM

The Buttercup Tour, plus go “behind the scenes” to the NICU/Nursery. You will hear their special rescue stories and learn why Costa Rica wildlife rescue centers are so very important.

Note: No touching the sloths! Wildlife conservation regulations limit touching, holding and handling of sloths to trained Sanctuary staff only. For the safety of the animals in our care, we cannot make exceptions.

US $150  Adult  age 19–64
US $75    Youth  age 6–18
US $85    Senior  age 65 and up
n/c  Child  through age 5. Children age 12 and younger must be accompanied by adult.

For reservations with a Costa Rican cedula, please text us via WhatsApp (app available here) at 6450-0312 (Tuesday–Sunday, 8AM–3PM).

Book your tour

  • Use form below. We confirm availability and send your invoice by email. Using PayPal, pay the invoice using a credit card (no account required). Your tour is booked when we receive your payment!
  • Please bring a printout of invoice to your tour. Please read the cancellation/rescheduling information detailed on your invoice.

    INSIDER'S TOUR BOOKING REQUEST

    Name (required)

    Email (required) Please verify spelling is correct!

    Please re-type and check spelling!

    Preferred tour date (Tuesday through Sunday only; closed Mondays):

    Select one

    How many guests, please?:
    $150 Adult 19–64
    $75 Youth 6–18
    $85 Senior 65+
    n/c Child 5 and younger

    If you would also like to book a room at our Buttercup Inn, please complete the form on the Buttercup Inn page.

    When we receive your request, we will promptly check availability then respond by email. If your requested date is available, we will email you a PayPal invoice to be paid via a credit card. When you pay the invoice, your booking is confirmed!

    Details about your visit?

    Press SEND below. If you cannot send the form, email details to ContactUs@SlothSanctuary.com. Thank you for supporting the sloths with your tour.

    Insider’s Tour Gift Certificates

    Send details to Tours@SlothSanctuary.com. We will respond with a PayPal invoice that you may pay by credit card. Once paid, we will email a Gift Certificate to your recipient. Valid for two years from issue date.

    Updated rooms at our Buttercup InnBUTTERCUP INN

    Booking the Insider’s Tour is required to stay at the Inn. Available Tuesday through Saturday night. Stay up to three nights and explore other area attractions. Room rate includes continental breakfast.

    > Click to request your Insider’s Tour & stay at the Buttercup Inn

    HOW TO GET HERE Click for details

    FLY
    From USA: Southwest Airlines to San José, Costa Rica
    From San José and Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast: Sansa Airlines to Limon (2 flights a day from San José)
    From Liberia, Costa Rica: Nature Air to Limon

    DRIVE
    Set GPS to Latitude 9.799565  Longitude -82.915112 Route 36

    Sloth Crossing sign at bus stop outside our gateBUS/SHUTTLE
    Interbus:     Take route Limon/Cahuita/Hone Creek/Puerto Viejo. Ask driver to stop at Aviarios del Caribe/Sloth Sanctuary. See large yellow sloth crossing sign at the bus stop near front gate.

    EasyRide Costa Rica: Shuttles & Private transport options to/from Puerto Viejo & Cahuita

    TOP 5 MOST-ASKED QUESTIONS  • Click here for full FAQ

    I want to touch or hold a sloth. May I?

    Can I volunteer, work, intern or help at the Sanctuary?

    I’m coming to visit! Where can I get water & snacks?

    Where can I learn about sloths?

    Media inquiries


    I want to hold or touch a sloth. May I?
    No. Per MINAE conservation regulations, only Sanctuary staff are allowed to handle sloths. When handled by unfamiliar people, sloths exhibit tachycardia (abnormally fast heart rate) that weakens the heart muscle, a cause of premature death. Also, foreign microbes and allergens attached to guests can compromise rescued sloths’ immune systems.

    Note: Avoid roadside locals who lure tourists to pose for photos holding a sloth. They will tear a baby away from its mother to exploit it for money. After they take your photo, they discard the baby inhumanely, leaving it to die from malnutrition or dehydration. If you see someone trying this, please take a photo of the person, then call 911 to report them to the police.  top of page


    Can I volunteer, work, intern or help at the Sanctuary?
    No. We are not hiring volunteers or staff. We are proud to employ local Costa Ricans and also offer veterinary clinical rotations solely to university students who reside in Costa Rica. We do not endorse or recommend any particular Costa Rican conservation volunteer program.  top of page


    I’m coming to visit! Where can I get bottled water & snacks?
    Purified bottled drinking water is essential for your comfort & health in tropical Costa Rica. On your way here, seek out a local market or our favorite, Auto Mercado (multiple locations). top of page


    Where can I learn about sloths?
    Visit our social media pages. top of page


    Media inquiries
    We require 60 days’ notice to film at the Sanctuary or interview Judy Avey-Arroyo. Send your request to Support@SlothSanctuary.com

    top of page

    Call us via WhatsApp (app required)
    +506 6450 0312

    ContactUs@SlothSanctuary.com

    Urgent sloth rescue:

    • If you find an injured, orphaned or abandoned sloth, call and tell us the exact location where you found the sloth. Use your mobile phone to take a screen capture of the GPS coordinates.
    • Si encuentra un perezoso que requiere ser rescatado, es muy importante que nos indica su ubicacion exacta. Se puede obtener la ubicacion exacta tomando una captura de pantalla de las cardinales GPS desde su celular.

    Located on the southeast Caribbean side, we are a 320-acre nature preserve and rescue center. The Sanctuary is funded solely by proceeds from educational tours, the gift shop and inn and generous donors around the world.