the ara project

gdstuart

Never saw these birds outside of a cage. They are spectacular and NOISY.The project is reintroducing the macaws to their native habitat now that the government has finally outlawed poaching and selling the adults and chicks. You can see both red and green macaws at the ARA Project, and even volunteer if you so desire.

70chrisa

We visited ARA whilst staying at the nearby hotel - Punta Islita. Peter met us at the gate and gave a great introduction to the work being carried out at ARA. They have recently relocated so there were no chicks on site but the scarlet and green macaws are just stunning and you get to see them close up at a communal feeding. There is a voluntary contribution requested of $20 per person, but the thrill of seeing and hearing flocks of scarlet macaws flying free around the surrounding countryside makes the contribution seem money well spent. If only there were more successful projects of this type integrating wildlife, habitat and education.

Lorenzo763

We loved visiting the museum, the "new" Church and talking with the women involved with the project!

captsteve1319

This project is partly sponsored by the resort here. Do not expect to see some manicured g a rden with some tame birds in cages. This place is doing the down and dirty part of reestablishing a sustainable Macaw presence. When you get to the preserve you will see that all donations go straight to the good of the birds. It is not fancy but it is amazing to see all the birds f!y in from the jungle for a snack!

Tobyc

These birds are truly amazing. The tour during feeding gets you up close to dozens of them. Our guide was knowledgeable and passionate and very happy to answer our questions. Tours have to be arranged in advance - allow plenty of time to find it.

s964268

I visited this educational park yesterday.. They do wonderful job promoting and protecting scarlet macaws as well as some distressed great green macaw with little to no funding .. Best Wishes

Guatebuena

This macaw rescue is located in the middle of nowhere. (Not too far from a turtle rescue.) They are working on growing the macaw numbers in the wild and offer support to wild birds by providing them 'snacks' right around the time of the tour. This way visitors can see the most birds all at once. They are also helping green macaws, and have them in a separate area. They also take in unwanted, sick, or injured macaws ... wild or domesticated. The guide was quite helpful in answering all of the groups' questions.They do ask for a donation of $20 per person to help their cause. And an online reservation is required before arriving.And they also offer volunteer opportunities (min 1 month). No experience needed.TIP: wear close toed shoes when visiting. the birds can be curious about sandals/flip-flops.

AFVcliff

Having these parrots returned to nature is truly special. The project itself is an interesting visit. Great to see all the birds up close. Pretty funky if your expectation is a zoo or science lab. Real nature. Saw plenty of other life there including a small Blue Morpho butterfly.

rmaria

This was our second time visiting. The staff were great. Such a treat to see the macaws, what a wonderful contribution the ARA project is making. One day, we saw the entire flock fly through the valley from the restaurant deck at Punta Islita Hotel. Awesome!

88JulieB

This is a fascinating tour and well worth doing. Undoing the harm that humans do is so important. All credit to these people that are saving the lives of macaws and releasing them back into the wild. We loved the whole concept and friendliness of the operators.

BTay-Traveler

We stayed at the Hotel Punta Islita and the ARA Project is a definite must see. The hotel drives you there in a mini-van--only about a 10 minute drive. It's extremely fascinating to see and Juan Carlos, our guide at the ARA Project, is extremely knowledgeable about the Macaws and you can tell he's totally dedicated to the challenge of introducing Macaws back into the wild. There is no fee per se, but they do ask for a $20.00 donation which, in our opinion, is totally minimal for what they are working towards ad accomplishing here.

CarolE215

This project is on the property of the Hotel Punta Islita. They have over 100 Scarlet Macaws here. Some are flying around free and some are in cages. They give a tour at feeding time and it's fascinating to watch and hear them. The only cost is a donation to the project of $20.

birdsong13

If you are on the Caribbean coast please try to make arrangements to experience this, its really quite unique, sited on a high hill top you can be there at dinner time for the macaws, as they feed circling and swooping a few feet away fromyou . This is a wonderful thing that these people are doing.Local ph # is 8971-1436thearaproject.org

bharkison

We visited the ara project whilst staying at punta islita. It's certainly worth the trip! The project is doing some amazing work to preserve both the scarlet and green macaws in Costa Rica. This is also not designed as a formal tour, the people at ara project literally want to educate people about the plight of the macaws so only a donation is recommended. Good luck to the ara project and long may it continue its good work!

Perpetuallyjetlagged

Don't go expecting a zoo, this is very much a conservation project, but a nice detour if you're interested in how the macaws are being reintroduced to costa rica.