White macramé hammock in the garden among red heliconias and hanging red flower spikes

Wildlife at Conga

Wildlife at Conga: A Field Guide to Our Garden

Our garden is part of the forest, and the forest comes to visit. Guests have spotted sloths, toucans, poison-dart frogs, agoutis and iguanas without leaving the hotel. Here’s how to find them, and how to watch without disturbing them.

“We saw more wildlife here than in the National park.”

Anne, United Kingdom · Booking.com

Field guide

Who you might meet

These are animals guests have seen in our garden, with a few facts from the field guides. Sightings are never guaranteed.

Sloths · perezosos
Two species live on this coast. The brown-throated three-toed sloth is active by day and night, about 8 to 10 hours a day; Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth is mostly nocturnal and comes down to the ground only about once a week. When to look: any time; scan the crowns of tall trees.
Toucans · tucanes
The keel-billed toucan measures about 52 cm, with a bill up to a third of its body length. The yellow-throated toucan’s call is often rendered as “Dios te dé”, “God give you”. When to look: mornings and late afternoon, in fruiting trees.
Poison-dart frogs · ranas venenosas
Guests have spotted green-and-black poison-dart frogs here; the male carries the tadpoles on his back to water. The strawberry poison-dart frog, usually red with blue legs, also lives around Puerto Viejo. When to look: by day on damp ground, especially after rain.
Red-eyed tree frog · rana calzonuda
A creature of the night. Eggs are laid on leaves above water; after 4 to 6 days they hatch, and the tadpoles drop into the water below. When to look: after dark, near water, often in the rainy season.
Agoutis · guatusas
The Central American agouti forages by day and buries seeds as food caches, which helps spread many forest trees. When to look: by day, on the ground; move slowly and quietly.
Iguanas · iguanas verdes
Green iguanas bask in the branches on sunny mornings. Nearby in Këköldi, the Wak Ka Köneke association runs an iguana breeding project. When to look: sunny mornings, up in the trees.

Tips

When and where to look

Slow down and look up. Sloths spend their lives in the treetops and move slowly; algae can even give the three-toed sloth’s fur a green tint. Toucans are easiest to find in the morning and late afternoon, when they visit fruiting trees.

Frogs are ground-level, after-rain animals: scan damp leaf litter by day for poison-dart frogs, and bring a small flashlight after dark for tree frogs. Agoutis forage on the ground in daylight, and iguanas bask on sunny mornings.

Sightings are never guaranteed. Ask at reception whether anyone has spotted something today.

Ground-floor terrace at night with a yellow armchair, tropical flowers and palms lit from below

Watch without harm

Don’t touch or feed wild animals. In Costa Rica it’s against the law.
Never pick up a frog. Watch and photograph from a distance, and keep children’s hands off.
Keep your flash off and your voice low, especially at night.
Don’t use food, calls or recordings to attract animals.
Stay on the paths after dark and watch where you step.
If you find an injured animal, don’t handle it. Tell our reception team.

Where else can you see wildlife?

The Jaguar Rescue Center, about 3.4 km away near Playa Chiquita (roughly 5 minutes by car or 15 by bike), cares for injured, orphaned and confiscated wild animals native to Costa Rica. Guided public tours run daily at 9:30 and 11:30 am and last about 1.5 hours; children under 10 enter free. Check current prices and tickets on the center’s website.

Cahuita National Park, about 20 minutes’ drive north, lists howler monkeys, white-faced capuchins, sloths, coatis and toucans among its wildlife. To the south, the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge has recorded 377 bird species.

For frogs and other animals of the night, join a guided rainforest night walk.

Go further

“Surrounded by nature, you can hear only birdsong… you can also observe the toucans.”

Izabella K. · Tripadvisor, April 2026

Wildlife questions

When is the best time to see sloths at Conga?

There’s no fixed hour. Brown-throated three-toed sloths are active by day and by night, while Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths are mostly nocturnal, so any time can work. Look slowly through the crowns of the tallest trees, and ask at reception whether one has been seen that day. Sightings are never guaranteed.

Are the poison-dart frogs dangerous?

Not if you leave them alone. Their bright colors advertise toxins in their skin: about 90 alkaloids have been identified from the green-and-black poison-dart frog. Watch and photograph them from a distance, never pick one up, and keep children’s hands off. Touching wild animals is also against Costa Rican law.

Sources

Wake up in the garden

Breakfast in the garden is included with every stay. Bring binoculars.

Wildlife at Conga: A Field Guide to Our Garden

Who you might meet

Sloths · perezosos

Toucans · tucanes

Poison-dart frogs · ranas venenosas

Red-eyed tree frog · rana calzonuda

Agoutis · guatusas

Iguanas · iguanas verdes