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A fully equipped research station, ESTACION BIOLOGICA LA SELVA , 93km northeast of San Jose and 4km southwest of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui (tel 766-6565; in San Jose tel 240-6696, laselva@ns.ots.ac.cr ; US$20) is probably the best place to visit in the Sarapiqui region if you are a botany student or have a special interest in the scientific life of a rainforest and, like Rara Avis, it is a superb birder's spot, with more than 400 species of indigenous and migratory birds. Though tourists are secondary to research at La Selva, visitors are welcome, providing there is space - it's impossible to overstate La Selva's popularity, and in the high season it is sometimes booked months in advance, even for day-trips. Be sure to reserve way in advance by fax (710-1414) if you are coming between November and April. Visiting in the low season (roughly May-Oct) is a safer bet, but even then you should call first. La Selva's ground cover extends from primary forest through abandoned plantations to pastureland and brush, crossed by an extensive network of about 25 trails varying in length from short to more than 5km long. Most are in very good condition, clearly and frequently marked, though some are pretty rough, and many can get very muddy indeed. Tourists tend to stick to the main trails within the part of La Selva designated as the Ecological Reserve , next to the Rio Puerto Viejo. These trails , the Camino Circular Cercano, the Camino Cantarrana and the Sendero Oriental, radiate from the river research station and take you through dense primary growth, the close, tightly knotted kind of tropical forest for which the Sarapiqui area is famous.
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