- Day visits run 7:00–16:00. Only cabin guests may stay after 16:00, as of 30 Oct 2026.
- Day entry for foreign visitors is US$18 per adult and US$10 per child 3–11, as of 30 Oct 2026.
- Pay by Visa or Mastercard, online or at the gate. Cash is not accepted, as of 30 Oct 2026.
- Playa Quesera needs a reservation by WhatsApp, +506 6210 1724, as of 30 Oct 2026.
Curú Wildlife Refuge
Costa Rica
Costa Rica's first private wildlife refuge, on a quiet bay near Paquera. Forest trails, mangroves and monkeys.
Check before you go
Facts
Run by: The Schutt Valle family (Refugio Curú).
Refuge since: 1983, the first private national wildlife refuge in Costa Rica.
Size: 1,496 ha: 1,100 ha of protected forest, 312 ha of grazing and farmland, 84 ha of refuge core.
Hours: Day visits 7:00–16:00.
Fee: Foreign visitors: US$18 adult, US$10 child 3–11. Nationals: US$7 adult, US$4 child. Card only.
Wildlife: 232 bird, 78 mammal and 87 reptile species recorded.
Contact
WhatsApp: +506 6210 1724
Groups of more than 10: +506 6209 3846
Email: info@curuwildliferefuge.com
Reservations: Day entry and cabins
Official page: Curú Refuge site
Checked with the refuge, as of 30 Oct 2026.
Map
- Sendero Quesera: 5.1 km, about 1.5 hours each way, strenuous, to Playa Quesera. Reservation needed.
- Sendero Finca de Los Monos: 2.08 km, about 1.5 hours, easy. One of the best trails for birds and small mammals.
- Sendero Ceiba: 2.64 km, about 1.5 hours, easy, through the forest.
- Sendero Cangrejal: 1.1 km, 45 minutes there and back, easy, beside the estuary.
- Estuary hanging bridge: 450 m, 20 minutes there and back.
- Horseback ride to Playa Quesera: About 3 hours. Give 30 minutes' notice.
White-faced, spider and howler monkeys, white-tailed deer, coatis and peccaries, plus scarlet macaws, parrots, trogons and motmots. Dry forest, mangroves and beaches on a protected bay.
On the southern Nicoya Peninsula, near Paquera. The refuge's site links to directions on Google Maps and Waze.
Day entry is US$18 per foreign adult and US$10 per child 3–11. Nationals pay US$7 and US$4. Pay by card online or at the gate. Cash is not accepted.
Not for a day visit, since you can pay by card at the entrance. Playa Quesera needs a reservation by WhatsApp, +506 6210 1724. Groups of more than 10 call +506 6209 3846.
Yes, in one of 6 simple cabins that sleep 6 to 14. Cabin rates include entry but not meals. Day visitors must leave by 16:00. No pets.
Sendero Killer and Sendero Avispero are closed after landslides, and the link from Sendero Mirador to Poza Colorada is shut. Ask at the office for the latest.
Parks near
San Lucas Island
The old prison island off Puntarenas. A boat, a guided walk through the cells, and back.
Carara
Macaws and a flat accessible trail, 20 minutes before Jacó. Book the ticket online.
La Cangreja
A quiet river park south of Puriscal. Twelve kilometers there and back, with swimming holes.
Barra Honda
Caves under the dry hills near Nicoya. You go down on a rope with a guide, in the morning.
Palo Verde
Wetlands on the Tempisque, full of birds from September to March. Gravel from Bagaces.
Arenal Volcano
The cone is the view, not the climb. Lava-flow trails and lake views west of La Fortuna.