volcanogirl

Hi, everyone - has anyone stayed at the Toucan Rescue Ranch? I've seen a few references to it and think my husband would love it. If you've stayed there, did you enjoy it? How long did you stay? What did you do for meals? Any other tours or good things to see close by? We probably won't have a car there. Thanks for any guidance you can give me!

volcanogirl

Sparklegem, were you the one that stayed here? I remember reading a nice review recently but can't locate it now.

florclover

We stayed there last summer. Just from one night since it's close to the airport. We loved it and will go back next summer. The bungalows are nice, the owners are sweet and hospitable. The breakfast is great. You really do get close up with the animals. The owner feeds the baby sloths in her lap while chatting with you at breakfast. We didn't do yours but they can set you up. There are coffee tours, Poas, other things nearby.

florclover

And for meals, they include a complete breakfast. You will be out for lunch. There was a little restaurant down the street, but it was closed when we were there (sadly), so we ordered from a restaurant that delivered-- we were exhausted from the flight and had 3 kids with us.

volcanogirl

Thank you, clover. It's nice that you can have food delivered. I think this would be great for a last night's stay for us. How much interaction is there with the animals? The breakfast sounds amazing. Other than that, is there a scheduled tour that you do, or can you interact with the animals during the day not at a scheduled time?

I was also curious - are the rooms where you stay in the owner's house or in a separate little house? I had read some comments about it being hard to sleep due to noise, but then I read other people that said they had their own little place.

florclover

There are two little bungalows on the property. We rented both since we were a family of 6. The only noise were the animals, but at times they have construction going on (recently built some vetrinarian buildings and enclosures). A tour of the premises is included. During that they take some animals out for you to pet or take pictures with. During the rest of the day you are free to wander, peek in the cages, talk to the volunteers. The owners are an American raised in CR and a Tico. The animals seem very well cared for and are released into the wild when rehabilitated. The government brings the animals to them, so it's more than just a touristy spot. It's about half an hour from the airport so I think it's a perfect first or last stop. We loved their driver (additional fee) and actually hired him twice more after we left the ranch. It was one of the highlights of the trip for the kids.

volcanogirl

That's good to know. I like the idea of having our own little place. It sounds kind of similar to Proyecto Asis, a rescue center that we visited when we were in the La Fortuna area but with the added bonus that you can stay overnight.

florclover

I will check that out. I think we are going there next time.

volcanogirl

It's nice - we got to help feed the monkeys and the sloth. It's mostly smaller animals, but they also had a peccary - fun to see up close.

volcanogirl

Just back from the ranch and really enjoyed it. We had dinner delivered, and it was really good - grilled chicken with potatoes and veggies. Breakfast was at 8:00 with a 2 hour tour following. They do amazing work there, and wow, there was a huge variety of animals, everything from owls to otters to monkeys and sloths and toucans. Very cool that they have their own clinic on site. Thanks for the help!