Fodor's Expert Review Casa Orquideas
Editor's Note: This location is no longer in operation.
A Garden of Eden with mass plantings of ornamental palms, bromeliads, heliconias, cycads, orchids, flowering gingers, and spice trees, Casa Orquideas has been tended with care for more than 30 years by American owners Ron and Trudy MacAllister. Self-guided visits any day cost $10; just be sure to call ahead. The garden is accessible only by boat; a water taxi to the garden (about $100 round-trip for four or more people) is a tour in itself; most lodges include the garden in their tours.