Rara Avis

a Costa Rican rainforest experience

At the Rara Avis Rainforest Reserve, you can wander deep inside the jungles of Costa Rica. Here you can experience the the primeval forest in all its glory - thousands of species of plants and animals, living in the balance and harmony they've enjoyed for millions of years.

Welcome to Rara Avis! Bordering Braulio Carrillo National Park and the Zona Protectora La Selva, Rara Avis is a fascinating project in commercial rainforest conservation - using ecotourism to make the rainforest profitable without destroying it, and using publicity to teach others to do the same.

The Costa Rican rainforest is a wonderland for nature lovers, biologists, photographers and birders. The towering forest is laced with vines and lianas, the trees covered with epiphytes, bromeliads and orchids. If you walk silently through the forest with an observant eye, you might just chance upon an anteater or coati, or a troop of monkeys, or spot the tracks of a tapir, peccary, or jungle cat. Parrots and toucans can be seen plucking fruit from the trees in an environment with more species of plants, birds, and butterflies than in all of Europe.

Welcome to the rainforest!

Here you'll find the Canadian mirror of the original Rara Avis website in Costa Rica, plus a photo gallery of the wildlife of the rainforest. You'll also learn about Costa Rica itself, and a little about conservation and ecotourism -- places (like Rara Avis) that generate revenue without damaging or endangering their natural environments. We'll introduce you to the excellent birdwatching in Costa Rica -- feel free to print out and use our Costa Rican bird checklist -- over 800 birds which have frequented the tiny Central American country, including the 360 which have been spotted at the Rara Avis property!

* Rara Avis -- the Canadian mirror of the Costa Rican website
* Photo Gallery of Costa Rican wildlife.
* The Birds -- Birding basics and the Costa Rica/Rara Avis checklist
* Costa Rica Fact sheets -- climate, map, travel info and more
* Conservation The ultimate goal of Rara Avis is the conservation of the rainforest. Information on conservation in general. We will be adding to this section and welcome contributions.
* Links to other web places you might enjoy if you're into this kind of stuff!


Visitor number since December 15, 1995.

This website Copyright 1995 by Rara Avis and BXI Inc. All rights reserved.
Photography on this website is for viewing on the web (or downloading for personal on-screen viewing) only. Please e-mail to discuss other uses. Thank you. 
                                                Created by    bxi inc