Inbio Park

Wanting to do something different with the kids? Take them to InBio Park (www.inbio.ac.cr). It is located in Santo Domingo de Heredia, a few minutes away from San Jose. It is very well planned and really instructive for children as well as for adults. The park explains how fragile the ecosystem is and how it is our duty to care for it and to protect it.

Easy to understand exhibits demonstrate how some effort and organization combined with love and care can make a difference. It also explains how the National Parks and protected areas can really help to protect the environment.

There, you can experience the tropical humid forest, the tropical dry forest, and the central valley native forest and how urbanization has changed it. Alexa is only 3 years old, yet she enjoyed the time we spent there, over 3 hours of it, and could have stayed even longer.

The first thing we did was to watch an audiovisual presentation about the biodiversity of Central America as seen from a satellite. We flew over the Isthmus and gently landed on Costa Rican soil, after exploring the variety of ecosystems. After that, we explored the various trails and exhibitions; we saw tiny poison dart frogs, snakes, dears, crocodiles, turtles, and all different kinds of birds.

There is a small native horse there and Alexa enjoyed her first ride ever, the highlight of the day for her! After the ride, we went to the butterfly farm. There I spotted a Blue Morpho almost immediately, but it persisted in leaving its wings closed; Alexa soon got tired of waiting, not so sure that this was one of the most beautiful butterflies of the world anymore! In any case, there were many other butterflies to look at!

After a pause at the little cafeteria for coffee, cakes and fruit juice, we went to the little park, where Alexa spent some time playing on the swings and the slides. Next, we went to the Maze. Alexa did not know what it was, but there is a wooden platform in the middle, and from there, we could explain what it was about to her by showing her the alleys and from there, spot the way out!

Then we went to the organic farm, with a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Finally we saw the animal farm, with the tiny baby rabbits; Alexa was given a 2 week old rabbit to hold, it was about the size of her hand! We saw a calf, lambs and some baby goats... also called kids! It is possible to purchase a little food for them and Alexa could feed the animals herself. Finally on our way out, we visited the souvenir shop where it is possible to buy photos, toys of the animals we had just seen, books, decorations and more. We all felt that we’d had an excellent time there, and the feeling of duty in regard to mother earth persisted long after we had gone. It is still here today!