Rainmaker

Rainmaker Review

This private nature reserve is spread over Fila Chota, a lower ridge of the Talamanca Range 22 km (13 miles) northeast of Quepos, and protects more than 1,500 acres of lush and precipitous forest. The lower part of the reserve can be visited on guided tours from Manuel Antonio, or as a stop on your way to or from Quepos. If you get here on your own, the guided river-walk and canopy-bridge tour runs $25 ($15 for self-guided tour). The park also offers an early-morning bird-watching tour ($25) and a night reptiles and amphibians hike ($35). An onsite restaurant serves lunch for $8. The reserve is home to many of Costa Rica's endangered species, and you may spot birds here that you won't find in Manuel Antonio. It isn't as good a place to see animals as the national park, but Rainmaker's forest is different from the park's—lusher and more precipitous—and the view from its bridges is impressive. It's best to visit Rainmaker in the morning, since—true to its name—it often pours in the afternoon.