Selva Verde (tel. 506/2766-6800, www.selvaverde.com [1], 7 a.m.–3 p.m. daily, $5, free to hotel guests), on the banks of the Río Sarapiquí, about one kilometer east of Chilamate and eight kilometers west of Puerto Viejo [2], is a private reserve protecting some 192 hectares of primary rainforest adjacent to Braulio Carrillo National Park [3].
At its heart is an internationally acclaimed nature lodge and the Sarapiquí Conservation Learning Center (Centro de Enseñanza), with a lecture room and library. The reserve is renowned for its birdlife, and it has a small butterfly garden. Poison-dart frogs are also easily spotted.
Trails lead through the forests, and the lodge has naturalist guides. Guided hiking is available ($15 two hours, $35 four hours), plus the reserve offers a wildlife boat ride ($15), white-water rafting ($53), and horseback trips ($25).
Links:
[1] http://www.selvaverde.com
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-northern-zone/puerto-viejo-de-sarapiqui-and-vicinity/puerto-viejo-de-sarapiqui
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-highlands/northeast-san-jose/braulio-carrillo-national-park