Habitat loss is a major threat to this endangered species. Deforestation has reduced the habitats to just a few areas suitable for the Scarlet Macaws. Adding to the decline in population is the illegal pet trade. The birds are highly prized internationally, sometimes being sold for up to $2,500. Rescue efforts are challenged not only in protecting habitat, but finding ways to dissuade local communities to engage in poaching.

Nestled next to a river and a series of five magnificent waterfalls, this idyllic garden spot offers trails, orchids, butterflies, and hummingbirds for up close observation of Costa Rican natural beauty.

For example, the Butterfly Observatory is one of the largest in the world. Butterflies flit freely about while guests walk through the specially constructed habitat. An on-site laboratory is a breeding ground for the countless species where you may observe the stages of development.

Continuously active since 1968, Arenal is young as volcanoes go – only about 4,000 years old - and relatively small at 5,358 feet. The volcano’s eruptions can be an awe-inspiring sight especially at night. The nearly constant activity ranges from quiet eruptions marked by large mushroom-shaped clouds of ash, to explosions that send volcanic matter nearly a kilometer into the air, to booming episodes characterized by lava flow and hot, red rocks that crash down the steep gray slopes of the volcanic cone.