If you're staying in Santa Elena, Monteverde, it's worth paying a visit to the butterfly garden- especially if you have kids with you.

Included in the price (about $10) is a great tour of the insect room (most are alive!). This is fascinating and will help you come to appreciate the magical worlds of creepy crawlies (don't worry you don't have to touch them!). They even have a full leafcutter ant colony with micro cameras so you can see what's going on in the heart of the colony!

The butterflies in the gardens include the magnificent morphos, transparent glasswings, red postmans, and the glorious owl. You also get too see crysallis and if you're lucky butterflies hatching from them!

This is a great place for kids and adults to really learn about the smaller species of Costa Rican wildlife... and the staff/volunteers seem very passionate about it all.

Just ask someone in Santa Elena where it is, they should know- you can easily walk there - it's just down one of the smaller roads but quite difficut to explain here (takes 20 mins from central S.E). The best time to visit is when the sun is shining cause the butterflies will be basking in the sun in their full glory!There are good views of the valley too. They also run a volunteer programme with free board and meals. www.monteverdeinfo.com/butterfly-garden/butterfly-garden.html

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This is a great little traveller retreat in a beautiful setting by the river. It is located very near Semuc Champey (falls and swimming pools) and there are caves to explore for the adventurous.

Accommodation is in simple wooden huts on stilts with hammocks, the grounds are very lush and green. There is a great little restaurant near the river complete with swinging bar stools.

If you're there on the right night, expect a party atmosphere, this is a great place to meet other intrepid travellers. It's not an easy place to get to so it tends to attract only people who can be bothered to make the effort!

The facilities are what you'd call eco- long drop toilets (v.clean) simple showers. We didn't want to leave.

Get here from Coban (which itself is five hrs from Guat.city). It takes about two hours in a collectivo to get to Lanquin from Coban. Or try the great tour from dona victoria hostel in coban of semuc champey/ caves and they'll drop you off at El retiro on request! El retiro arrange a direct shuttle to Antigua (this took us 7 hours and was well worth the $15-20) and I think maybe they offer shuttles to Tikal.

www.retiro-guatemala.com/

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