Bat Jungle

Come and experience Monteverde´s latest, most fascinating and educational attraction, THE BAT JUNGLE, a world class exhibit of bats, created by internationally recognized bat scientist Dr. Richard La Val.

In our live bat exhibition we have as many as 11 species of free-flying tropical bats from the Monteverde region and the guided tour of 1 hour include information about the diversity of bats, the abundance of bats, where bats roost and what bats eat.

Reveal the unbelievable complexities of bat faces, designed to modify and reflect high frequency sound to aid them while hunting for and capturing fast flying prey while on the wing.

The modern auditorium allows the visitor to view some of the world´s most outstanding documentaries on bats, as well as the Hollywood version of Stellaluna, the famous children´s most outstanding documentaries.

Open daily from 9.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.

Entrance fee

• Adults: $10.00
• Students: $8.00
• No charge for children under age six

We are located in the heart of Monteverde, in front of the hotel El Bosque.

The Bat Jungle can be booked directly at your hotel!

Did you know that...

Source: Costa Rica Bats, by Richard K. LaVal and Bernal Rodríguez-H. Editorial INBio

Contrary to popular belief, not all bats are vampires, meaning that they feed on blood. In Costa Rica there are 109 species of bats and 106 of them feed mainly on insects, fruits, nectar or pollen.

This means that there are only 3 species of vampires in Costa Rica: Demodus rotundus (a common vampire) that feeds on blood primarily of large mammals such as cattle, and the Diaemus youngi and Diphylla ecaudata; both are adapted for feeding on blood of birds such as chickens.

The efforts to control vampire bats usually lead to the undesirable and unnecessary deaths of beneficial bats of species that are more likely to be encountered by people that true vampires, which have shy, retiring habits and are often hard to locate.

Bats are distinguished from other groups of mammals primarily by their ability to fly and the anatomical specializations that make flight possible. Bats have undergone a notable lengthening of bones of the forelimb, especially the hands. This is a critical adaptation in the evolution of flight because it provides the structural support for a double membrane of thin, flexible skin (wing membrane).

One of the most fascinating aspects of bat biology is their use of echolocation, often called sonar or radar, for orientation and location of food. By bouncing ultrasounds off their surrounding, including prey, fruits and flowers, they receive echoes that offer them almost as much information as an actual visual image, even in total darkness.

The importance of bats in tropical forests cannot be overstated. Many common plants depend of bats for dispersal of their seeds also many species of trees depend on bats for pollination. Bats are the major predators of night flying insects, many of which are responsible for disease transmission (for example, dengue, yellow fever and malaria), as well as crop damage.