Blue Banyan Inn

The guide was friendly and informative, and I enjoyed the tour with my mom today. It was cool to see animals in care. I do wish there had been a video of the nursery animals or their care, since we weren't allowed to see them. The pool, which the ad mentioned, wasn't offered at the end either. The access road was very rocky and steep, and leaving was difficult. Our car almost got stuck. It felt a little pricey for what you get.

The morning tour was quite good and informative. We learned about the histories of the animals at the sanctuary. My daughter and I paid $100 US each for the full-day experience, which included the tour and volunteering in the afternoon. The volunteer part felt extremely disorganized. In the heat, my daughter and the other kids were asked to dig holes for a new goat and chicken enclosure, intended to help feed the animals. At lunch, the volunteers and staff mostly kept to themselves. Afterward, the kids were sent to prepare food in the kitchen, but other people were already doing that, so they sat around watching or went back to digging. They eventually got to hand food to the person feeding the animals and wash dishes. I was assigned to paint plastic jugs for the animals to play with, and I think someone else was asked to rake leaves. It wasn't a very satisfying experience. Swimming was supposed to be offered at the end, but it wasn't really offered. We had no swimsuits, and everyone left early.

There’s plenty of wildlife among the colorful gardens, and the place feels in harmony with nature. The owners are very friendly. It's far from town, but if you have a rental car the road is in perfect condition. They also run a rescue center, which you can visit through donations without staying at the hotel. A sloth is one of the main attractions, along with a friendly red macaw who has found a place to recover from all the harm she went through before.

We stayed here while volunteering at Kids saving the rainforest. The rooms were spacious and beautiful, with everything we needed, and there was lots of delicious food during our stay. We also saw plenty of wildlife around, including iguanas and capuchin monkeys.