El Cora Crocodile Sanctuary

Thank you so much to our guide Marisol and the whole El Cora Team for a great and educational experience. We took a guided tour in English, which took us through the different species (reptile and not) which are in rehab at the facility. It was extremely interesting to get to know more about the species and the surrounding ecosystem.

The road in is horrific and will make it difficult to get an Uber back. If the Uber drivers have been there they probably won't come in to pick you up. The staff will call a taxi for you if you have trouble. The refuge itself is small but very cool. Our guide Jesus was great and it was cool to see all the creatures up close. Would recommend!

We appreciated that this is a very ethical sanctuary. We booked an English-guided tour, which was interesting and educational. Our guide was a vet who cares a lot about the animals and conservation, and he answered all of our questions thoroughly. They rehabilitate rescued animals with the goal of releasing them back into the wild, or provide lifelong care for the ones that can’t survive on their own. We saw crocodiles, turtles, coatis, a raccoon, macaws, and learned about their stories. Very enjoyable experience!

It was worth taking the tour to know more about each of the animals in the sanctuary, their age, size and names, etc. They are all rescues, mainly former pets, not just crocodiles. It takes about 45 minutes. It’s a great opportunity to support a small, local operation.

It is very off the beaten path. We had a Chevy Suburban and that was a good thing. It's pretty costly for a very small place. They don't let you bring water bottles in and the day my family and I went it was 30 Celsius.. even the poor crocodiles looked like they were overheated.

I learned so much! Alfredo was a super knowledgeable English speaking tour guide (and veterinarian!) and is passionate about conservation. If you like animals or are looking for something to do with kids, this is a great hour and a half. Note to tourists: - yes, they take credit cards, not cash only - the road up there is insanely bumpy and u developed so some uber drivers don’t want to do it. If you request your return ride halfway through the tour, that’s a smart idea. It takes time and sometimes they cancel, but it’ll happen. Bring water. Enjoy your time!

Wonderful experience right here in Bucerías. I’ve been visiting the area for years and just learned of this wonderful sanctuary. What a great way to learn about the crocodiles and other local wildlife. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining. We learned a lot and had a lot of fun!

Tucked away in a mangrove, El Cora is definitely one of the coolest places I’ve been so far in Mexico. All the animals are being rehabilitated, none kept for the theatrics/appeal, which I appreciate. Our tour guide was amazing, very knowledgeable and fluent in English, if that was a worry. Make sure to really spray down with bug spray and have an exit plan as some Ubers will not come pick you up.

If you're on the fence about visiting El Cora, please do it! Initially, I was not sure about visiting since it is a little bit of a drive from PV, but the terrible reviews of the zoo further encouraged me to trek out to the crocodiles. While the crocodiles are certainly the main attraction, there is a variety of other creatures here: iguanas (wild), birds, squirrels, pigs, raccoons, etc. You certainly can walk around without a tour, but I'd think you'd be missing out on a lot of good context, information, and stories that only a tour can provide (additionally, signage is limited and only in Spanish). Plus, the sanctuary is not a zoo and this all the more reason to support via a tour; Our guide Ana was enthusiastic, kind, flexible, and friendly. She spoke great English, too! A few things that are good to know: -the last 13 ish minutes of driving go off the highway and into the swampy terrain. You'll feel like you're embarking on a true "off the beaten path" adventure -$35 USD approximately for a guided tour of 2 adults -bathrooms are on site -you can book a tour ahead of time online -the animals are all rescued, and some are blind and thus unable to be rehabilitated -we didn't touch let alone see any baby crocodiles, but that was totally fine (and I think it's better for animal welfare that we don't pretend to be like the guys from "Tiger King" and pass around wild baby animals like they are toys) -bring insect repellent and water

I found this place online and decided to go on this adventure with my three small kids while in Nuevo Vallarta. It was relatively close to our hotel, but it is a dirt road to actually get there after getting off the highway. We opted to do the guided tour. Our tour guide, Ana was an amazing guide! (Don't forget to ring the bell when you get there). Ana did such a good job keeping my kids engaged in the tour and also provided some very cool information about the animals. This place is a sanctuary and the work they are doing here is incredible. It seems like the staff is very passionate about helping animals. The tour lasted about 1 hour. My kids loved it! Some tips: put on mosquito spray before arriving. Wear a hat because it does get pretty sunny. Also, we had a tough time getting an uber to pick us up after the tour. It took about 30-45 min to finally get an Uber to pick us up, so I recommend trying to find an uber 20 min into the tour. If not, they will assist with calling you a taxi. Also, highly recommend taking cash.

Went here during our trip in PV. The whole sanctuary felt very natural and most of the animals were doing ok. It was a pleasant surprise that there were other animals there such as military macaws and a hog. I would recommend this place, however there are a few cons such as the only access road being unpaved and covered in rocks. There were a few bridges that felt quite unsafe and sketchy with no railings on the side too. Overall a fun place to go to while in Puerto Vallarta, but you should be aware of a few minor issues involving safety and accessibility.

Book an appointment through facebook. Tours run approx hourly and runs for about an hour. Requested 'donation' for the tour $300 pesos per adult and $200 pesos per child. The road here is a little bumpy, unpaved and basically a single lane dirt road with some wider sections for passing. Have space right on the entrance for people to park their cars. A few animals in the sanctuary, some turtles, coatis, parakeets, and different species of crocodiles. Also a brief walk to the lagoon where the crocs get released to to show you the habitat. Lastly is a section with some bones and fossils for you to touch. And lastly a baby croc is shown, the one we saw was blind. The guide allowed us to touch it but not hold it like others have mentioned, so a pretty big letdown for the kids.

Cool little zoo in the middle of forest/jungle. Exotic birds and mango trees lead you into a kind of muddy road into zoo. We spent about 25 minutes there. Bring mosquito repellant!!

We were staying nearby at a resort and I wanted to get my tween kids out into the local community a little bit. El Cora Crocodile Sanctuary was a bit hit with them. We arrived about 1.5 hours before their closing time and I ended up wishing that we'd left ourselves more time to be there. We had such a good experience, seeing and learning about all of the rescued native animals, in addition to the crocodiles. It was good for the kids to see the wild land at the back of the santuary (and we saw some wild crocodiles on the sand banks), and understand how the animals are being affected by development. We travel to PVR a couple of times a year and I expect that my kids will be asking me to go back to the sanctuary again. Excellent experience and I highly recommend it to anyone, even if you don't have kids.

such a cool experience!!! we did a tour with the Vet Anna, it was amazing! definitely recommend to anyone! we will be back!!!

I visited last week and loved it! I signed up for a tour through Facebook messenger. The tour guide was very knowledgeable as he is one of the people taking care of the animals. They have more than just crocodiles. They also had a coati and even some birds! All the animals had names and we learned why each of them had come to the sanctuary. Some have to spend their lives there, but others get to leave. We even got to take a photo with the baby crocodile they had. The one thing I will say is it will be difficult to go if you don't have your own car. I took an uber, and he got us in, but we were unable to get one to pick us up from there.

Highly recommend a tour at this place. Amazing scenery. Cesar our tour guide was wonderful!

We always love visiting here. They love the animals and it shows. They're open all year around, and need the support to keep helping animals.

El santuario de cocodrilos es excelente. The sanctuary focuses on rescuing, rehabilitation, and releasing crocodiles and other species back into the wild. Caesar, a biologist, led our tour - he was very knowledgeable and did an exceptional job. A new must see for us each time we visit PV.

A bumpy road to get there but the guys that run the joint are great! You get to hold a baby croc, the kids that were in our group were over the moon with joy at this.

Highly highly recommend this place!! I loved learning about all the animals being rehabbed. Cesar was a fantastic tour guide with so much information about the mangroves and animals.

This was a great way to spend about 1-2 hours. It was very informative and thought-provoking. Our guide was a marine biologist who spoke great English and interacted really well with everyone. He engaged the kids on the tour with questions and funny info. He allowed us to get up close with an adult croc and a baby. There were other animals to view and pet. We learned a lot about crocodiles and mangroves and gained an appreciation for what this sanctuary is all about. The guided tour was about $10 usd per person. The ride in via the dirt road added to the adventure.

We visited a few weeks ago, as a backup activity, because we were rained out of an another tour we had planned. There were 7 of us in our party, and our 2 Uber drivers couldn't drive us the 3kms from the main road due to flooding. We hitched a ride from someone with a truck who lived past the sanctuary, and one of the sanctuary workers gave us a ride back to the road after our tour. While visiting here was a backup plan, it turned out to be one of the favorite things we did on our trip. It was such a wonderful experience to go on the guided tour and learn about what this sanctuary actually does. It's not a huge place, and is very rustic, but they care deeply about all of the animals and strive to rehabilitate and release them back into wild. I highly recommend taking the guided tour. The self-guided tour, while cheaper, wouldn't have been as interesting. And remember, all of the money goes into the sanctuary, so you can think of taking the guided tour as donating to this worthy cause.

My husband and I just visited here on our honeymoon and it was well worth the trip! The sanctuary does amazing and important work to protect the local fauna and the endangered mangrove trees. They help facilitate breeding of the crocodiles and rescue other animals that can no longer be in the wild. Our guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. He kept the tour very interesting. The highlights for me were being able to pet a peccary and seeing a crocodile up close! They also rescued a hilarious, dirty mouthed parrot. I would highly recommend visiting here if you have the time. A lot of their funding comes from the tours they do so, if you're able, I would suggest leaving a donation on top of the very affordable ticket price. It is well worth the extra pesos to help preserve a very beautiful and vital part of nature.

This was an incredible and educational adventure for the entire family. You learn about these amazing endangered creatures.....the crocodiles.....and have hands on experience with them. Our guide, Caesar, is a trained marine biologist and gives you a thorough exploration of their sanctuary and dispels many myths people may have about these animals. Not only is it sanctuary for crocodiles but they also take in injured or otherwise abandoned animals and give them special care and rehabilitation. We thoroughly enjoyed this"off the beaten trail" experience and recommend it highly to everyone. Thank you El Cora for a wonderful learning and fun experience!!!!

This was such a great experience. Learned all about crocodiles and got to see some from babies to adults. Also got to learn and see other unusual animals The guides are either biologist or veterinarians, experienced with crocodiles. Loved it.

This not your typical Vallarta tour but worth the time and expense if you want to see more than your resort and the tourist zone. We actually had a bit of a problem getting there. No one seemed to know where it was even though adjoins the Flamingos golf course. Don't expect drinks and a meal. The restaurant is no longer in operation except for special events. Do expect a walking tour from one of the care taker/biologists who manage the location. El Cora's mission is preservation of the mangrove habitat and education not coaxing the tourist dollar out of you. Our guide spoke limited english but was able to lead an informative and interesting tour. We had a great time and we're able to see several large crocodiles in their natural setting. El Cora survives on grants and donations so it looks a little run down. It is an ongoing work of love in progress. Be generous.

This was an amazing experience! It's a crocodile sanctuary that's a little outside of the "resort-y" area next to the Flamingo Golf Course off the 200. You will turn onto a dirt road with a darling hand painted sign that says "cocodrilario" and then will travel about 3km from there. It feels like you are going deep into the swamp!... Then you arrive at a small shack and the nicest guy calls out to you "hola!" That guy is Jose, (or at least that's who we met) he is one of the caretakers there and he lives on grounds, you can tell he genuinely cares for the animals and what they do here. This is where you wanna make sure that someone in your party speaks Spanish or you may be fumbling through it. Our entire visit we spoke only Spanish. The purpose of this area is a preserve and rehabilitation center for local wildlife- mainly crocodiles. Jose explained that animals are injured or taken in due to special circumstances and spend 40 days at the preserve. Here they are checked by the onsite veterinarian, medical care is administered and they are well fed. They have a few enclosed pens where this rehab occurs. When their extended stay is up, they are released into the canal behind the preserve. It opens into the local canals and waterways so they are able to disperse back into the wild. We walked the grounds with Jose and also saw some of the other animals on grounds, a coatimundi, some military macaws, a javelina and some crocs that were permanent residents. At the end we opted to hold a baby croc for a photo op which was 80 pesos/pp. for safety he had a mouth bind placed when they pulled him out of the pool, he was obviously used to being handled and not stressed at all. All in all this place does wonderful things for the locals and the native wildlife. It's run by people who actually care about what they are doing and want to do it well. AND they do it on a shoestring budget- relying on small donations and charity of visitors. There's a donation bin at the front to deposit your admission of 20 pesos/pp and any further donation. It's well worth the visit if you are nearby and you are directly helping support local wildlife- which I think is an all around WIN!

Wonderful experience! This was educational as well as entertaining! Absolutely worth the travel time! A special thanks to our tour guide Caesar, who was fantastic!