Exploring La Selva Biological Station: Adorable White Bats and Colorful Frogs

We visited La Selva Biological Station on the advice of our guide in Tirimbina Biological Reserve, who suggested La Selva as a possible place to see the adorable Honduran white bats. It was these bats that brought us to Tirimbina in the first place as part of our 2-week wildlife-watching itinerary in Costa Rica, but the recent floods had destroyed the bat’s habitat in Tirimbina, and no one knew where the bats relocated to. Luckily, our guide pointed us towards La Selva, where the bats are also often seen.

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La Selva Biological Station

La Selva Biological Station is located on 1,600 hectares of well-preserved old-growth and recovering wet tropical forest adjacent to the Braulio Carrillo National Park. The station is operated by the Organization for Tropical Studies and offers accommodation to researchers, students, and visitors.

The diversity of wildlife species at La Selva is downright spectacular. More than half of Costa Rica’s 886 bird species have been recorded in the reserve. Mammal diversity is equally impressive, including five of Costa Rica’s wild cats and the Honduran white bats.

Honduran White Bats at La Selva

We drove to La Selva after lunch, and once we were assigned a guide, we promptly told him about our wish to see the bats. He seemed to know exactly where to go. We followed him along a well-maintained path into the forest and almost straight away spotted a young Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine concealed on a leafy branch arching above the trail.

La Selva biological station - Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine — Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine

Further along the trail, we came across a very photogenic Broad-billed Motmot – one of the most adorable birds in Costa Rica. Visiting in the middle of the day, we did not expect to see many birds but we did spot a Keel-billed toucan and a pair of Crested guans.

Broad-billed motmot at La Selva biological station — Broad-billed motmot

Once we reached a particular spot on the trail, our guide led us off the trail toward a Heliconia plant. He pointed at the underside of one of the plant’s large leaves, and ducking under the leaf, we discovered eight tiny white fluff balls roosting there.

Honduran white bats in La Selva biological station — Honduran white bats

With an average length of 3.7 – 4.7 cm, Honduran white bats are one of the smallest fruit-eating bat species in the world. They are not that much bigger than Thailand’s Bumblebee bats, which are the world’s smallest bats.

True to their name, Honduran white bats have a fluffy white coat. Their ears, face, nose and parts of their wings are bright yellow. All in all, they are the most unexpected-looking little bats.

Also known as Caribbean tent-making bats, these bats roost in “tents” that they create by biting the ribs of Heliconia leaves, folding them into tent-like structures that provide daytime shelter for the bats.

Costa Rica's animals: Honduran white bats — This stock image offers a better look at the bats – it was taken with a flash

Honduran white bats are found only in Central America, ranging from Honduras through parts of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and western Panama. And even within their range, these bats can be difficult to find, as we learned in Tirimbina.

We didn’t stay long, not wanting to disturb the bats, but seeing them felt like a privilege. They are by far the most intriguing and adorable members of the microbat family.

Black and green poison dart frog at La Selva biological station — Black and green poison dart frog

Another pleasant surprise at La Selva was the Black and green poison frog. We’ve been admiring Strawberry poison frogs at Tirimbina and were keen to see another species. The black and green frogs are just as tiny as their Strawberry cousins, slightly bigger than my thumbnail and almost just as striking in their colouration.

Night Walk at La Selva

We returned to La Selva for a night walk, this time with our guide from Tirimbina. The night walk was all about frogs and odd-looking insects. In the clearing near the Visitor Center we saw Smoky jungle frogs, Common Mexican tree frogs, Common rain frogs, a Narrow-headed tree frog, and a few species of insects.

Smoky jungle frog at La Selva Biological Station — Smoky jungle frog

We walked the same trail at night, though, of course, it looked completely different. What I wanted to see the most was the Red-eyed tree frog. This species is usually quite common at La Selva, but it’s been avoiding us all night. Eventually, I picked up an eye-shine halfway up a tree that turned out to belong to the critter we were looking for.

Red-eye tree frog at La Selva Biological Station — Red-eye tree frog

Given it was the only representative of its species, we spent a bit of time adoring the striking markings on its sides and thighs and the bright orange webbing on its feet. Eventually, he hopped to a lower branch, and we snapped a couple of photos.

We only spotted one mammal on the night walk at La Selva, but it was a species we hadn’t seen before – a Common opossum, so we were chuffed to see it climbing up a tall bush by the creek.

Common opossum at La Selva Biological Station — Common opossum

Some of the most interesting insects we saw on the walk were a Fulgorid planthopper, similar to lantern flies in Thailand, a tarantula, and a Leaf-mimic katydid, which looked like a walking bright green leaf.

sleeping butterfly at La Selva Biological station

Fulgorid-planthopper at La Selva Biological Station — Fulgorid planthopper

La Selva Biological Station turned out to be a fascinating spot for watching wildlife in Costa Rica. Had we known about it, we would’ve planned to spend a couple of nights here. There is plenty of accommodation available at the station, from cabins to dorm rooms, mostly aimed at housing research teams and students. The early morning birdwatching walks at La Selva must be spectacular.

How to Get to La Selva

La Selva Biological Station is about a 2-hour drive from San José airport. The closest town to La Selva is Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui – 3 km away.

Puerto Viejo can also be reached by bus from San Jose, just don’t confuse the bus with the one going to Puerto Viejo in Limón province. You need Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui.

Exploring La Selva

Most people visit La Selva for a Jungle Walk or a Night Walk. These can be booked on the spot at the station’s visitor centre.

Accommodation at La Selva

Alternatively, you can stay at the station overnight and take as many walks as you like. It has the ambience of a busy research station with researchers collecting data and measurements in the jungle. Yet once you walk away from the accommodation area, it’s quiet and tranquil.

The rooms can be booked on Booking.com for single, double or triple occupancy. If you are on a budget and want to stay in the dorms, contact the station directly to make the booking.