My Personal Experience on Visiting the Jaguar Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo.
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is located on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, just a few kilometers from the border with Panama. Locals usually just call it Puerto Viejo, which can quickly lead to confusion, as there are actually three places in Costa Rica with that name. It’s best to be especially careful when booking accommodation.
At first glance, this coastal town feels very relaxed and easy to navigate. There are some lovely shops, cafés, and restaurants, as well as small street stalls where you can buy fruit or souvenirs.
Aside from various beaches, there’s actually not much to see and do here, except for one thing I came across in various blog articles while planning my 3-week trip to Costa Rica: visiting the Jaguar Rescue Center – an animal rescue facility home to different species of Costa Rican wildlife. So, I quickly decided to pay this rescue center a visit.
Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links. Without costing you anything extra, the small commission will help me produce more free content for you. For more information, please refer to my privacy policy.
About the Jaguar Rescue Center
First, it’s important to know that although the rescue center is called the Jaguar Rescue Center, an actual jaguar has never lived there. The name dates back to the center’s founding, when villagers brought an injured cat to two European biologists, believing it to be a jaguar. In reality, the animal was an ocelot. However, the belief that it was a jaguar persisted for some time, ultimately inspiring the name of the center, which was founded in 2008 by the biologist couple.
With a large team of veterinarians, nature lovers, and animal enthusiasts, the center is dedicated to the rehabilitation of injured or mistreated wild animals. The goal of everyone working at the rescue center is to nurse the animals back to health so they can be released into the wild as soon as possible. This is successful for most animals, and they return to their natural habitat.
Animals that are no longer able to survive on their own in the wild, such as flightless birds or monkeys that have been kept by humans for too long, spend the rest of their lives at the center. However, they enjoy a much better life there than they did before.
Visiting the Jaguar Rescue Center – At a Glance
- Location: In front of Villas del Caribe, Limón, Punta Cocles. Google Maps Location
- Tour times: Public tours every day, 9:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. Private tours every day at 2:00 p.m.
- Tour Duration: 1.5 -2 hours
- Entrance Fee Public Tour: $26.13 per person (including tax). Kids under 10 are free.
- Entrance Fee Private Tour: $26.13 per person (including tax). Minimum 2 people.
- More information and Tickets: Jaguar Rescue Center Website
How to Visit the Jaguar Rescue Center
You can’t visit the animal rescue center on your own — tours can only be booked on-site as part of a guided visit. Group tours take place twice a day, at 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM. For a more personal and exclusive experience, there’s also the option to book a private VIP tour (for a minimum of two people).
The easiest way to get to the Jaguar Rescue Center from Puerto Viejo is by TukTuk. You’ll spot the bright red mini-taxis easily if you keep an eye out along the roadside — there’s always one nearby. The ride only takes a few minutes. Another option is to rent a bicycle and ride the roughly 4 kilometers yourself.
Once you arrive at the center, you’ll need to queue at the ticket booth to book your spot on the next available tour. Since it often gets busy, it’s worth coming a little early to make sure you get a place on the tour you want.
At first, I found the entrance fee of $26 quite expensive. But after the guided tour, my opinion changed, because the Jaguar Rescue Center runs entirely on the support of volunteers, donations, and the revenue from these tours.
The tours are mostly offered in Spanish, English, or French. Depending on the availability of volunteers, there are sometimes tours in German as well.
Meeting the Animals and the People Who Care for Them
I chose the 9:30 AM tour and was assigned to a group led by Marco, a volunteer guide who had moved to Costa Rica some time ago. After a quick round of introductions within the group, we walked through the facility with Marco, stopping frequently to learn more about the animals.
We saw many young volunteers preparing food, cleaning enclosures, or carrying sloths in boxes from one place to another.
The animals have arrived at the rescue center for many different reasons: birds that had fallen from nests, monkeys burned by power lines, or a caiman that got lost and was found in a hotel’s outdoor shower. Whenever someone in the area finds an injured animal, they call the center, which responds as quickly as possible. It was incredibly interesting to learn about the individual stories of the animals and the work the center does, including its efforts to help preserve the rainforest.
For me, the sloths were an absolute highlight — they pulled themselves along a rope right in front of us on their way to the next platform, happily munching on leaves. Others especially loved the ocelot, a species of wildcat native to Central America and South America. The spider monkeys playing on their “playground” and the colorful macaws were also amazing to watch. We also saw water turtles, a crocodile, a caiman, wild pigs, deer, toucans, and an iguana.
Even though the Costa Rican government unfortunately doesn’t provide financial support to the Jaguar Rescue Center, we learned that the country has already established some strict regulations to protect its precious wildlife. For example, there’s a law that forbids taking photos showing both humans and wild animals together. It’s also strictly illegal to keep birds or turtles as pets, and hunting animals can result in several years of imprisonment.
Is Visiting the Jaguar Rescue Center Worth it?
For me, the trip to the Jaguar Rescue Center was absolutely worth it! Costa Rica is a country that people mostly visit for its stunning nature and rich biodiversity. And for exactly that reason, I believe travelers should take the opportunity to learn more about conservation and the country’s wildlife during their stay.
The guided tours at the Jaguar Rescue Center offer an excellent chance to understand what the local people are working to protect and how important it is to help preserve the many animal species found here. I took away so much from my visit and can truly recommend it to anyone spending a few days in Puerto Viejo.
Planning your trip to Costa Rica? Have a look at my Costa Rica packing list—it’ll save you time and stress! 🎒
More Things to do in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
If you have a few days in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, there’s more to see and explore beyond the Jaguar Rescue Center. Although you can find some of the best beaches and surfing spots in Costa Rica on the Pacific Coast, like in Santa Teresa, the Caribbean side of Costa Rica offers many beautiful beaches as well. I would recommend spending a day at Playa Cocles or Playa Chiquita, both perfect for sunbathing and surfing. Playa Negra Playa with its black sand, is also worth visiting!
Another thing to do in Puerto Viejo is to rent a bike and follow the pretty coastal road to Manzanillo. If you’re looking for more nature and wildlife experiences, don’t miss a visit to the Cahuita National Park, one of the best national parks in Costa Rica. And you can even take a trip to Bocas del Toro in Panama for a night or two. The paradisiacal island archipelago is perfect for snorkeling, diving, and swimming.
Are you planning on visiting the Jaguar Rescue Center and Puerto Viejo as well? Let me know in the comments below! 🙂
And don’t forget to save this guide on visiting the Jaguar Rescue Center in Costa Rica!
