Pura Vida Gardens & Waterfalls
Quick Facts
- Location : 3 miles from Carara National Park
- Area : 60 acres
- Hours : 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
- Telephone : 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
- Entrance Fee : $20 adults; $10 children over 12
Bright yellow, red and purple flowers dance in the breeze high in the mountains of Pura Vida Gardens. Nearly 400 species of endemic and exotic plants line the walkways leading guests over ridges and in shallow valleys along the mountain top 2,000 feet above Jaco.
read more closeEach viewpoint within the 60-acre-garden features scenes of the Pacific coastline, while one in particular looks over the Bijagual waterfall and the surrounding rainforest. For a unique dining experience, make reservations at the on-site restaurant and enjoy a spectacular sunset view.
David Stannard, Pura Vida Gardens' owner, started back in 2001 with his own backyard garden. Originally, a small personal garden for his home, it flourished when Stannard met a fellow gardener looking to sell his entire stock. Stannard took him up on the offer using more than 130 trucks to transfer all of the plants, flowers and trees to his garden in the hills above Jaco.