nicaragua butterfly reserve

You may have to get out of your taxi so it can can clear the primitive road, but worth the trip. Several species fluttering in a large net room. Bring your camera.

A lovely morning stroll won't reveal all the activity that abounds in the reserve. We witnessed a rainbow of colors floating though the air. While staff "harvested" pupae for collection to put in containers to protect from predators. It was a joy to see.

Its not hard to get out there by taxi so worth the effort.The butterfly area is pretty small though and the walk through the park is not that great. Maybe if you spoke Spanish it would be better

Lots of butterflies, beautiful location, and so much information. The Butterfly Reserve is a short drive from the Granada Cemetery and provides both entertainment and education. Julio Moncada took time to tell us about the butterflies, their habitats, their life cycles, and so much more. We toured the laboratory and learned how they care for the larvae and pupa. Never before have we have had such ready access to all aspects of a Butterfly Reserve and we have visited many. Beautiful photo ops although active butterflies are hard to capture. We ended our time with a short walk through the woods. A great way to spend an hour or two away from the bustle of the city.

If you are a nature junkie...I would recommend going here.I had never had the opportunity to see the walking trees and they are abundant here.

A lot of butterflies to view and many more in cocoons, different stages of life. The keeper was very knowledgeable about butterflies and animals in general. For little nature lovers, it's the perfect place. A little Spanish will be very helpful in this case. Call them for a pedicab to meet you at the cemetery. It's much cheaper to take the pedicab in and out of the reserve than having a regular cab. Also, the two floored restaurant facing the cemetery is a good place for a meal afterwards.

We got a taxi (recommended) up to the butterfly reserve and arranged for him to come and collect us an hour later. The drive itself took about 15 minutes down a very rural, diet track and was interesting in itself. The lady who met us at the butterfly reserve spoke no English and we speak little Spanish but she was friendly and gave us a laminated sheet which correlates with numbers in the reserve giving us information on the butterfly's and plants. We arrived at 8am as it opened and the butterfly's were at their most active. There are tons. We were just left to it, surrounded by butterfly's and the sound of crickets. Afterwards we had a short walk around one of the trails and bought a water. This is very rustic, don't expect anything grand, but well worth spending an hour doing.

The Butterfly Garden is a 15 minute taxi ride from the Central Park of Granada. A round trip taxi ride with a 30 minute wait cost $12. The entrance to the park cost an additional $5. This was money very well spent. The Butterfly Garden does not get many tourists so the manger Julio Moncada gave me a terrific tour. I learned a lot about the life of butterflies and caterpillars. (I understand Spanish and asked Julio to conduct the tour in Spanish consequently I am not sure how fluent his english is.) There are also English brochures explaining all the types of plants and the different butterfly species. Best of all the netted butterfly garden contained hundreds of beautiful butterflys flying around. What a beautiful and relaxing spot. I was then taken to the lab and observed the process of how the butterfly eggs were colleccted and how the catterpillars hatch and form cacoons.. Thank you Julio and the butterfly Garden for your important work.If you are interested in butterflies in particular or nature in general I highly recommend a vist to the Butterfly Garden.

We learned about this place from the book Adventure Guide Nicaragua. It suggested taking a bus to the police station then walking. Don't do that. We only found the place because I am fluent in Spanish and saw a local woman working on her meager farm who showed us the way. She told us that we were walking on the private road of an American who sells plots of land for other ex-pats to build homes. Better, legal access is from the other direction: go to the cemetery then call the reserve to send a moto-taxi. The guy who runs the reserve is a self-taught butterfly expert. His job is to cultivate the right plants that each species of butterfly needs in each part of its life cycle. We saw tons of butterflies and he interacted really well with our kids. It was a memorable experience. I am not sure if he speaks English but he gave a very detailed tour in Spanish. Your entry fee supports his important work preserving endangered butterfly species.

Viisiting the Mariposario is an adventure comparatively few visitors take, but if you persist you may be delighted. First you have to get to Granada's great cemetery where you might find a `tuk-tuk' to take you two miles up an unprepossessing track through a string of shanties to the reserve. You then may be the only person there, but if you are lucky you might bump into Gino, a volunteer who feeds the gorgeous butterflies with rotting bananas if he is visiting from Costa Rica ,which seems a tad eccentric.The butterflies are most active during the morning In the large netted area. They are large and gloriously coloured and patterned, and you can get really close to them.Around the reserve are a number of short, circular trails well worth taking before you hope to find a a Tuk-tuk to take youback down the trail. Give it a go.The butterflies are

Went to the reserve with my 6 year old. To date it is his favorite place in Nicaragua. There were plenty of butterflies. The owner taught him how to catch and hold live butterflies The walking trails behind the reserve are well groomed and well worth walking. I did have to pay $4 for a taxi out there. If you get to the cemetery and call the reserve they will send a 3 wheel scooter that only cost about $1.25

Check it out online: http://nicaraguabutterflyreserve.wordpress.comA privately funded conservation project to protect endangered butterflies. You find it by looking for a blue butterfly sign on a pole near the Granada Cemetery (which is an impressive site itself). Unless you speak English, take a cab. The cab driver can ask locals along the way for directions (in Spanish) if you make a wrong turn. You travel a dirt road that weaves around a bit. It's an adventure in itself, as you see many people on the sides of roads in front of their homes. It is important to go early in the day. In late afternoon, which is when we went, the butterfies are less active; they start to fold up and go to sleep. The gentleman who showed us around offered to us to come back early the next day at no additional charge, because he wanted us to see more...very knowledgeable man and very nice.We had a 2 1/2 year old with us and he loved, loved, loved it. It is a great experience. Plan on spending about 1 hour there and don't forget your camera! The entrance fee was $4 for adults and $2 for children.

We used mountain bikes to get to the site; a fun, sweaty adventure in itself. Two young American volunteers greeted us warmly and offered us water. They had a very thorough knowledge of the butterfly species and their habits. They offered guidance and information, then let us enjoy on our own. My partner got some excellent photos, including a couple of a butterfly who settled on my hat for a couple minutes!! The grounds include a short circular walking trail which allows for an extension of this peaceful experience. I really enjoyed this place. 1 hr. is probably good for most people. My photography enthusiast and I were there longer.

We found out about this place by accident and I'm so happy we did! It is a great escape from busy Granada. There is plenty of beautiful, colorful butterflies flying around. You can sit on a rocking chair, admire them and let them sit on your body... Doesn't that sound like a piece of heaven?The guy who works there is great. He told us all about his work and we could hear the passion for this job in his voice. He explained us the butterfly's life cycle, showed some cocoons and catterpilars, told us a lot about the wildlife in Nicaragua. It is definitely worth visiting, but it desperately needs more advertising and easier access.

We had a great time here. Many species of butterflies. The workers there are very friendly and informative. We were also able to see many species of birds.It was a fun adventure to get out there. You need to taxi out to the cemetery then take a tuk tuk out to the reserve.