Pura Vida Gardens and Waterfall
Parks & Wildlife · Jacó & Herradura · Garden trails
Hillside botanical garden above Tárcoles with trails, a waterfall overlook and Pacific views. Visitors report macaws, toucans and sometimes howler monkeys; the entrance fee is on the high side but the gardens are well kept.
Reported as closed and the property was listed for sale; call ahead (+506 2645-1001) before going.
Contact & directions
- Phone: +506 2645 1001
- Location: 9.749163, -84.586542 — Google Maps · Waze
Secret spots nearby
- Catarata Manantial de Agua VivaWaterfall · hidden gemA waterfall near Tárcoles, Puntarenas province.
- Feria Nacional de la Lapa Roja (Scarlet Macaw Fair), Bijagual de TurrubaresLandmark · Free · hidden gemA free village fair in the hills above Carara National Park celebrating the scarlet macaws of the area: food made with local Turrubares ingredients, talks on wildlife and living alongside it, hands-on workshops, a cacao exhibit, games and races.
- Carara National ParkTrail · about $11A transition forest where Costa Rica's dry north meets the humid south, famous for wild scarlet macaws plus trogons, monkeys and agoutis.
- Crocodile Statue, TárcolesLandmark · FreeA crocodile sculpture by the coastal highway at the fishing village of Tárcoles — a fun photo stop that goes with the real crocs under the Tárcoles bridge a few minutes north.
- Playa PógeresBeach · Free · hidden gemA low-key beach between Tárcoles and Punta Leona, popular with Costa Rican families but rarely crowded, with local seafood spots nearby.
- Playa TárcolesBeach · Free · hidden gemThe beach of Tárcoles village, a short drive from the crocodile bridge and the river mouth.