A nature reserve for tapirs
Tapir Valley Nature Reserve is the easiest place to see tapirs in northern Costa Rica. Just an hour and a half from the airport in Liberia, you can get off your plane, check-in to your hotel, and see tapirs and other incredible wildlife all within a few hours.
Twenty years ago, tapirs were rare and elusive in the community of Bijagua. Today, after hard work restoring the wetlands and forest of this private nature reserve, we have a healthy population of tapirs that we see nearly daily on the reserve.
A rainforest for the Baird's Tapir
While tapirs are present in many mountain areas in Costa Rica, these shy creatures are difficult to see in most areas. They avoid noisy, busy areas with people and require quiet, pristine forest habitat to thrive. Tapir Valley is a unique spot because of its isolation and perfect habitat, while being just 15 minutes from your hotel in the town of Bijagua.
The tapirs here at Tapir Valley are all wild and have made their home here because of the habitat restoration work done at the reserve. Because they are wild, there's no guarantee that you'll see a tapir during your visit.
Tapir Research and Science
We limit the number of visitors to Tapir Valley, as our primary objective is conservation and research on the Baird's Tapir and other species that depend on healthy rainforests.
This is Mamita, the matriarch tapir in the reserve. Her collar allows our researchers to track her position in the region and we use that to collect data about the wild movement of tapirs in their native habitat.
Our Night Tours
While we see tapirs during the day occasionally here, tapirs are mostly nocturnal so our jungle night tours are the best chance of seeing these amazing creatures.
Our night tours start at 5:30 pm and last three hours. During that time, we'll walk around the reserve to known tapir feeding areas and look for tapirs as we also look at the other incredible species of nocturnal animals that make Tapir Valley home.
We have over 30 species of amphibians, 10 species of reptile, and mammals like anteaters, armadillos, possums, and kinkajous that our expert guides can show you.
