What is INBio?

The National Biodiversity Institute (INBio) of Costa Rica is a private research and biodiversity management center, established in 1989 to support efforts to gather knowledge on the country’s biological diversity and promote its sustainable use. The institute works under the premise that the best way to conserve biodiversity is to utilize the opportunities it offers to improve the quality of life of human beings.

INBio is a non-governmental, non-profit, public interest organization of civil society that works in close collaboration with different government institutions, universities, the private sector and other public and private organizations, both within and outside Costa Rica.

What to do ?

Guided Tours: Tuesday through Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with prior reservation.

Our two-hour tour, in the company of one of our guides, begins with an introductory video describing the formation of the Central American isthmus and the importance of the biodiversity that exists today in this region. It is followed by a visit to one of our exhibition halls where we illustrate the concept of biodiversity and its importance, comparing Costa Rica’s biodiversity with that of the rest of the world and explaining INBio’s work and its motto: save, know and use; next, you will visit the geology room. The tour then continues along the trails, though different groupings of plants, trees and vegetation from the Rainforest, the Central Valley and the Dry forest, as well as the Wetlands.

You will visit four of the wildlife stations (poisonous frogs, tarantulas, bullet ants, butterfly garden, caimans, iguanas, turtles, boas, aquarium, bromeliads, orchids and heliconias) and the Farm (ten plots or parcels planted with medicinal plants, traditional crops, bees, flowers and foliage, fruit trees, timber trees, grasses and forage crops) the Market Garden, the Sugar Mill and the Livestock Farm). This interesting tour ends with a Sound and Light Show on Costa Rica’s Protected Wildlife Areas, which tells you where some of the most beautiful places in our country are located and describes their characteristics.

Once the tour has ended, visitors may explore the other wildlife stations not included in the tour.

Self-guided Tours:

Tuesday through Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., prior reservation. With our general map, you will be able to enjoy all our attractions at your own pace.

Wildlife Stations

Boas

This new exhibit will give you a very close insight into the fascinating world of reptiles. The myths and legends about them will surprise you

Bromeliads

These beautiful, colorful plants with modified leaves (called flowers) inhabit Costa Rica’s humid and dry forests. The water stored in these plants is used by frogs to raise their tadpoles and they also provide a home for creatures such as insects, spiders and lizards. You’ll be fascinated

Frogs

Discover some of the diurnal and nocturnal frogs from our country’s Atlantic and Pacific regions. In certain cases, their showy colors warn other animals that they are poisonous. Be careful!

Tarantulas

These spiders live on the forest ground and their poison is highly toxic to their prey, though not to humans. Discover why.

 Ants

This species is the largest in Central America and has one of the best examples of social organization. Its survival depends on the conservation of our forests. Observe them here, in one of the world’s few terrariums, and learn why they are called bullet ants.

Orchids

These terrestrial or epiphytic plants are admired all over the world for their beauty. The shapes and colors of the flowers are adapted to attract specific pollinators. We have a wide range of these beautiful plants, waiting to be admired by you.

Turtles

These vertebrates have a hard outer shell or carapace with openings through which their feet, head and tail can move in and out. Discover the six species that live here and feel like one of them.

Heliconias

These easily cultivated plants with their eye-catching colors and shapes have made them famous in gardens around the world. We have a beautiful selection for you to enjoy.

Caimans

These fascinating reptiles have a pointed, flattened, elongated snout, four legs and a tail. Find out how they differ from crocodiles.

Iguanas

These creatures reproduce by laying eggs and they feed on plants. They use their long tails to defend themselves from predators. Their conservation depends on us.

Attractions

The Butterfly Garden

 More than 15 butterfly species native to Costa Rica will allow you to experience a unique sensation. The sight of thousands of colorful butterflies will amaze you and afterwards, in the exhibition halls, you’ll have an opportunity to learn about their life cycle and about the plants they use to lay their eggs on and feed.

The lagoon

This is a representation of one of Nature’s most important ecosystems: Wetlands. These areas are home to a large variety of freshwater flora and fauna species of Costa Rica. The lagoon’s slow-moving waters allow for the growth of microscopic floating plants that give it a very particular color. We invite you to find out why.

The Aquarium

 Located below the water level of the lagoon, this aquarium is one of our country’s unique attractions where you can observe different fish species through an underwater glass viewer. The fish tanks also contain some species that are found only in Costa Rica. Don’t miss an opportunity to see them!

The Farm

This new facility includes 12 plots planted with vegetables, medicinal plants, aromatic plants, flowers and foliage, timber trees and fruit trees. There is also a livestock farm - “La Granja”, with its sheep, goats, hens and rabbits and “El Trapiche”, the sugar mill where you will learn about the traditional process to make cane juice and “tapa dulce” (raw sugar loaf). In these areas you will find information about the different domestic uses that humans have given to biodiversity.