La Selva Biological Station

La Selva Biological Station Hotel in Heredia Province

About this hotel

Nestled in Heredia Province, this charming hotel for $92 per night is a great choice for your next trip. Situated in Sarapiquí, 1 km from La Selva Biological Station main area, the lodge has a garden and a shared lounge at the dining hall, as well as free WiFi.

Amenities

Internet / Wifi

Parking

Laundry

Balcony / Patio

Wheelchair accessible

Garden

Family friendly

Map of Heredia Province

Nearby attractions

La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park

18.82 miles

zarcero, Evangelista Blanco Brenes Park

31.22 miles

Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto

31.40 miles

Monte de la Cruz

25.47 miles

La Selva Biological Station

4.4

Excellent(146 Reviews)

Hotel in Heredia Province

Reasons to book

Free cancellationFull refund if you change your mind

Includes essentialsGarden, Internet / Wifi, Parking and more

Book with confidenceWe partner with the top travel sites so you know you're getting a great deal on the perfect rental

$$$$

About this hotel

Amenities

Internet / Wifi

Parking

Laundry

Balcony / Patio

Wheelchair accessible

Garden

Family friendly

Map of Heredia Province

Nearby attractions

La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park

18.82 miles

zarcero, Evangelista Blanco Brenes Park

31.22 miles

Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto

31.40 miles

Monte de la Cruz

25.47 miles

Reviews

4.4/5.0

Excellent(146 Reviews)

100% verified reviews

10.0

Jun 2023

Exceptional

The accommodation is basic but who cares, you're not there for the room-you are there for a once in a lifetime wildlife opportunity and that is what you get. On our free guided tour (with just three other lovely people and an expert guide) we saw two types of vipers, two types of poison dary frog, countless birds, armadillos, peckarys (and more) and learnt so much. Equally, walking the trails ourselves was amazing! The food was tasty and it was nice to meet all the scientists conducting research here. If you like wildlife, make the effort and go. Also, if like us you are backpacking with huge, heavy bags, you can ask to leave them at reception and just take what you need to your room. We travelled all around Costa Rica and this was our favourite location.

10.0

Apr 2023

Fabulous staff and a great wonderful place to stay

Very nice breakfast and very helpful and friendly staff at the reception..They helped me to sort out Taxis to Sarapiqui and gave me lots of help with onward travel arrangements to the bus station

8.0

Apr 2023

Pretty good if you like pizza and rice

The location and the Reserve are great. Seemed like a good place for family

Your food is good quality but quite monotonous.

10.0

Apr 2023

Amazing experience in every way

Amazing and immersive rainforest experience. The forest itself is the true star of the show. The diversity of wildlife is outstanding. It was so special to have the researchers for the guides (you get a free morning tour if you stay there and we paid for a night tour). We saw and learned so much. we stayed for two nights with full board and loved every moment. Its not a hotel and we really enjoyed that it was something different. We embraced it as a place for learning and enjoyed that everyone was there for the same reason.

Pillows and mattresses need replacing but still slept fine. Maybe more places to hang wet clothes (hooks?).

10.0

Mar 2023

Exceptional

24 hour access to many miles of great paths into the amazing forest.

Mattress was well used

10.0

Feb 2023

This birdwatcher's paradise

I am a birdwatcher and nature lover, and rated highly for that experience rather than the room and board. Room was very clean and the overhead oscillating fan was appreciated. Electrical outlets by each bunk. Staff were helpful and guides worked very hard with multiple tours a day. Grounds are safe and marked, with wifi extending away from reception and room. To save me the long walk to my room and back for meals, they moved me closer to the main reception and eating area. Able to accommodate gluten free menu.

I knew going in that accommodation and meals is more like summer camp. Bunk beds, thin sheets, bad pillows and minimal lighting, but that is easy to accept as it is a research station first...that happens to allow tourists to stay. I received an accessible room, which is great if you need it, but it is missing the lockable cabinet and outdoor bench other rooms had and I realize they didn't make wardrobe accessible....hanger rod is 6 feet high. Not a deal breaker, but to be noted.

10.0

Dec 2022

Exceptional

Incredible wildlife right at your doorstep! The facilities are fantastic and clean. Staff are helpful and friendly and the cafeteria food is great. Would love to stay here again, you can walk along the variety of trails at any time (In our short 24hrs at the station we spotted sloths, coatis, agouti, spider monkeys, 4 species of snakes, many poison frogs, glass frogs, red-eyed tree frogs, toucans, woodpeckers, bullet ants, and much more). Note for other visitors some of the accommodations are roughly a 15-20 minute walk away from the dining hall/reception. It's a comfortable walk along a mostly flat, fully paved path but you will need torches/headlamps at night to navigate. Highly recommend all nature enthusiasts to visit La Selva Biological station

8.0

Oct 2022

Definitely more of a biological station than a hotel, but worth it if you're a dedicated naturalist

The place is full of birds and wildlife. The night tour was pretty good. The guide really knew his stuff. It's a great place to birdwatch and to get acquainted with the natural side of Costa Rica. I'm a birdwatcher and saw many new species (not easy for me, even in Costa Rica), maybe six species of frogs, a bird snake, peccaries, and an agouti. They have a resident ocelot on the property, but it wasn't around during my stay. The guide told me that they also occasionally get jaguars there. The place is apparently thick with fer-de-lances, but I didn't see any.

The rooms are rustic. They had bunk beds only and the beds on the top were constantly damp due to the rain. Our shower drain had no screen on it, leaving me to wonder if I was going to find a fer-de-lance in my room one day. I didn't. The food in the dining facility was a little worse than not good.

8.0

Oct 2022

As a natural history visitor La Selva is highly recommended as a first destination to start a wildlife/ birding trip

Professional staff could not be more helpful. Fully manned reception desk, good sense of security on site with a 24 hour guarded gate. Good map of the site, facility and trails. Rooms and facilities all close together. It is important to realise for the visitor that La Selva is firstly an academic research facility and as such is set up to accommodate the needs of researchers. As natural history or eco-tourists we are lucky to be be given access to the facility, mixing with the researchers and freedom of access to the trails.

A minor criticism was poor or zero internet in the accommodation, but that may have been limited to just my room. Some of the trails were missing sign posts making it difficult to know where you are in the jungle.

10.0

Apr 2022

A fantastic place to bird and experience Costa Rica as a country.

The wild life and birding is exceptional. The staff were very friendly and helpful and the accommodations were rustic which was expected since it’s a biological station.

nothing to dislike

6.0

Apr 2022

Great location a pity about the room and canteen

Forest setting is superb

Room standards are very poor. No fridge in room. Poor sound proofing. Very basic room. Canteen facilities are only adequate.

9.0

Apr 2022

Superb

The forest!!! The staff is friendly Réception work and help is outstanding The tours are great

That i couldn't stay longer....

9.0

Apr 2022

Great location for naturalists

The food was good (buffet style). Our morning guided nature trip was very good value. For naturalists it is an excellent place - many many birds and animals. The restaurant was a good place to hang out and watch the world go by.

Our room was a bit basic and one km distant (along a forest path) from the restaurant, so a car would have been handy (a road leads around to it). But we only slept in our room as we were out and about all day, so it wasnt really an issue.

9.0

Apr 2022

Magical place

Wonderful breakfast with a lovely view of the gardens. Nature walk in the morning with Kenneth was excellent

10.0

Mar 2022

Very interesting place to stay overnight and do tours with.

Location was awesome. We went on a night tour and a day tour. Saw lots of different animals on the two tours. The man in charge of reception was very nice and friendly. We were woken up by howler monkeys but never saw one.

The meals could have been a little better but it was an enjoyable visit.

8.0

Mar 2022

Superb birding, very nice atmosphere. Easy to reach town for a good meal at El Bambu

Breakfast was basic. Guides were fantastic and made this really worthwhile for birding. Tea and coffee around the clock.

Room could have benefited from better lighting snd a couple of chairs.

8.0

Feb 2022

birdwatching and forest trails, wonderful place with bunk beds

research station, very quiet, dark at night, with forest trails

nothing

7.0

Feb 2022

Pricey for services provided, but fantastic location if you are a birdwatcher

The location is fantastic, a true paradise for birdwatchers. In that sense, it is totally worth the price! The trails are beautiful too

The prices are quite steep compared to other properties, especially for the services provided. Of course paying a little more for this fantastic location is no problem at all, but the rooms are pricey for what you get (kind of like empty student rooms, bunk beds, the wifi in our room also did not work), prices of the food are quite high for the quality you get. If you take guided tours (night walk, birdwatching), the guided are excellent, but again the prices are kind of high compared to similar places in the area. Since this is a research station I guess it is non profit, so maybe paying more would be less or an issue if I knew where the money goes, maybe it is used to buy more land to conserve forest, in which case I wouldn't mind as much!

8.0

Dec 2021

Into nature? Book this!

This acommodation is mainly meant for students, researchers and true nature enthousiasts, don't expect luxury, but lush nature in return. The rooms all consist of 3 bunk-beds, but when you book as a tourist you have the room and all it's facilities to yourself. The main dining area reminds of a classic school cafeteria as is the case with most research facilities. The meals are good and cater to everyones needs, but can be a bit expensive considering you can dine in a restaurant in nearby Sarapiqiuí for less. The trails an nature however are amazing, they have an extensive trail network which leads through various habitats and interesting sites for a high diversity of wildlife.

The rooms are a bit noisy, which can make it awkward if early risers and late turners have rooms next to eachother. When we turned in around 11.pm our neighbours were quick to complain about our discussion of sightings from the nightwalk.

8.0

Aug 2021

Very good

Amazing location for nature observation! Highly recommended for scientists and nature enthusiasts. No noisy tourists here which is a huge bonus. We stayed in five different locations in the norther half of Costa Rica and this was the BEST for nature. Great bird watching.

Be cautious when asking for a cab. The main concierge man is AMAZING but a different guy who stood in for him on his day off tried to get the maximum price for the cab driver which was WAY higher than the actual rate. I had to insist on a lower price. I wish I remembered his name so that I could report him to his manager.

9.0

Aug 2021

Wonderful retreat in the jungle

Top tier location in a wild and preserved reserve Highly skilled tour guides Very clean and quite confortable

Bed mastress could be of better quality

9.0

Jan 2021

Nature walk and hiking trails are excellent!

I love staying at OTS biological stations as they usually include a free 3 hour morning nature walk with a super experienced guide that works at the station for 30 years, can find all the birds and tell you lots of interesting things about the flora and fauna - all scientific, research based and first-hand knowledge. The walk itself is worth the money, the room is a bonus :) The station itself is wonderful, the hanging bridge over the river is just so beautiful - i took probably a 100 pictures and never wanted to leave from there. There are many many walking trails, you could stay for a few days and always do different ones. Excellent birds, you can see some really rare ones and so many different species. It's nice to imagine that you are a biologist doing research in the forest and what that kind of life would be like for a few days. The room is very simple, but functional. Excellent hot shower! If there was a double bed instead of bunk beds, I would call it a comfortable stay without any stretch.

The food is expensive and rather meh, but it wasn't a big deal for us. They do vegetarian no problem, though, which is great!

FAQs

How much does this hotel cost compared to others in Heredia Province?

The average price for a rental in Heredia Province is $77 per night. This rental is $15 above the average.

Is parking included with this hotel?

Yes, parking is listed as an amenity at La Selva Biological Station. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.

Is there a pool at this hotel?

We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this hotel. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.

Is La Selva Biological Station pet friendly?

Unfortunately, this hotel is not pet-friendly. Try searching again and filter for "Pets Allowed"

What amenities are available at La Selva Biological Station?

We found 8 amenities for this rental. This includes internet / wifi, parking, laundry, balcony / patio, and tv.

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$$$$

La Selva Biological Station

About this hotel

Amenities

Map of Heredia Province

Nearby attractions

La Selva Biological Station

Hotel in Heredia Province

Reasons to book

About this hotel

Amenities

Map of Heredia Province

Nearby attractions

Reviews

FAQs

How much does this hotel cost compared to others in Heredia Province?

Is parking included with this hotel?

Is there a pool at this hotel?

Is La Selva Biological Station pet friendly?

What amenities are available at La Selva Biological Station?

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