What to bring: hiking shoes, or boots or gym shoes, rain gear, binoculars, camera.
Age limit: No age limit.
Entrance fee: USD 7.50 adults, USD 5 students; children under 6 years free
Rate: organized from Guayabo Lodge with guide/driver & transport: USD 70 per person (min 2 persons), entrance fee not included.

If you are an orchid lover, you will enjoy a visit to the Lankester Botanical Gardens, that primarily house a world class collection of orchids. Many of the species are native to Costa Rica and form a scientific collection managed by the university of Costa Rica. The gardens were established in the 1950’s by the British naturalist Charles H. Lankester, and acquired in 1973 by the American Orchid Society and the foundation Stanley Smith who years later donated it to the University of Costa Rica.

The majority of the orchids are epiphytic, growing in the canopy, on trunks, branches or in crotches out of sight. You will always come across blooming flowers, although the peak blooming time is in the Spring. There are several other important collections in the Garden, amongst which bromeliads, bamboos and cacti.

The Lankester Botanical Garden’s mission is to promote conservation of the tropical epiphytic flora of Costa Rica, especially the orchids through research, educational and horticultural programs.