This splendid zoo, located at Dulce Nombre, on Hwy. 3, about 3.5 km east of the Pan-American Highway, is a must see. It covers 59 hectares of landscaped grounds and is a wildlife rescue center for injured and confiscated wildlife. The fantastic bird collection (the largest in Central America) includes dozens of toucans, cranes, curassows, and parrots, and a veritable Pantone chart of more than 100 other Costa Rican bird species. Zoo Ave is one of only two zoos in the world to display resplendent quetzals. Macaws fly free. You’ll also see crocodile, deer, turtles, ostrich, tapirs, peccaries, pumas, and all four species of indigenous monkeys in large enclosures. Noah would be proud: most creatures are in pairs or groups.