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Plan your trip to Costa Rica and come meet rescued sloths here at the Sanctuary!

The Buttercup Tour: Your intro to the real sloth life



Meet our sloth ambassadors in their protective enclosures

See the sloths’ rainforest habitat in a canoe gliding quietly along the Estrella River shallows. Your local boatman can help you spot a wild sloth, butterflies, tropical birds, lizards, caimans …

Total tour time: About 2 hours

Appreciate the sloths, but no touching! Conservation regulations limit handling only to Sanctuary staff, no exceptions.

US$30 Adult/Teen age 13+

US$15 Child age 5–12

n/c Young child up to age 4

Children 12 and under must be accompanied by adult.

Book your tour

ButtercupTours@SlothSanctuary. com

+506 2750-0775

If you have a Costa Rican cedula, please call 2750-0775.

Please contact us at least two days prior to when you plan to visit. The reservation line is open Tuesday–Sunday from 8AM–3PM.

Tours begin on the hour: 8:00AM / 9:00AM / 10:00AM / 11:00AM / 12:00PM / 1:00PM / 2:00PM

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.

Dogs/pets strictly prohibited on site, in your car and outside the gate. Service animals excepted, but email us to learn the regulations.

The Insider’s Tour: Enjoy quality time with baby sloths



Morning Tour // 8:45 AM arrival & registration / Tour begins at 9:00AM

// AM arrival & registration / Tour begins at 9:00AM Afternoon Tour // 12:45PM arrival & registration / Tour begins at 1:00PM

Everything in the Buttercup Tour, plus go “behind the scenes” to the Slothpital clinic and visit baby sloths in the NICU/Nursery.

Guests limited to 6 total

Total tour time: About 3 hours

Appreciate the sloths, but no touching! Conservation regulations limit handling only to Sanctuary staff, no 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 12 and under must be accompanied by adult.

If you have a Costa Rican cedula, please call 2750-0775.

How to 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

Insider's Morning Tour: Registration/arrival time at 8:45AM Insider's Afternoon Tour: Registration/arrival time at 12:45PM How many guests, please?:

$150 Adult 19–64

$75 Youth 6–18

$85 Senior 65+ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

n/c Child 5 and younger 0 1 2 3 4 5 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 promptly with a PayPal invoice that you may pay by credit card. Once paid, we will email a Gift Certificate for the lucky recipient. Valid for two years from issue date.

BUTTERCUP 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

BUS/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 Shuttle

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 a photo holding a sloth. They will tear a baby away from its mother to exploit it for money. After they take your photo is taken, they discard the baby inhumanely, leaving it to die from malnutrition or dehydration. If you see someone trying this, please take a photo of them, then call 911 to report them to the police. top of page



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

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.

For other Costa Rican wildlife volunteer opportunities check here.

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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?

See our About sloths entries, newsletters or Facebook page. top of page



Media inquiries

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

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Phone +506 2750 0775 • ContactUs@SlothSanctuary.com

Urgent sloth rescue: +506 2750 0775

If you find an injured, orphaned or abandoned sloth, tell us the exact location where you found the sloth. Use your mobile phone to take a screen capture of the GPS coordinates.

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.

