The Butterfly Conservatory is a great business opportunity for nature lovers. Where else would a person get a potential tax write off in USA, or create a 501c Foundation, based on an income producing company in Costa Rica; and at the same time help heal and regenerate Mother Earth, all while having the chance to embark on an invigorating venture in foreign lands.

The Conservatory is situated near the Arenal Lake and Volcano, where the climate ranges from upper 70’s during the day, down to the upper 60’s at night. Plus there’s usually a light breeze of pure air blowing down from the surrounding rain forest reserves, where fresh spring water is captured for use in the village.

Situated on the shore of the largest lake in Costa Rica, and near the Arenal Volcano National Park and Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserves, just 3 hours driving time from San Jose airport.

This Project is located in a small village called El Castillo-Arenal, situated along the banks of the Aguas Gatas River, a spring fed river coming from the Monteverde Reserve, directly adjacent and above the village.

This is a pristine mountain town with incredible views of the lake and natural surroundings from the Reception Center of the Butterfly Conservatory, El Castillo-Arenal. The village is flourishing on eco-tourism, and this area of Costa Rica is now designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve due its unique attributes.

The project is situated on 33,620 m2 (a little over 8 acres) of previously cut rainforest that has been in regeneration and development since 2002. The majority of the area is now fully planted and developed.

The property also has two spring fed creeks running through it, the smaller one (Frog Creek) has its source right on our property, the other (Butterfly Creek) stems from the rain forest reserves up above our property, and continues on another kilometer below our property to flow into Lake Arenal, the largest lake in Costa Rica.

Take a look the photos in our Gallery on our ButterflyConservatory.org website here. The majority of the volcano photos were taken right from our Reception Center parking area and almost all of the other photos in the gallery were taken on our property.

The Reception Center building is a cement, steel, and glass structure, (about 1,050 ft2 construction) with incredible views of volcano Arenal and Lake. This building also houses our butterfly laboratory and public restrooms, (there is also a private bathroom in the office of this building; 2 telephone lines and broadband internet are connected).

Additionally, there are 9 different large steel and screen atrium/greenhouse structures (approx. 12,000 ft2 under cover) that house our exhibition habitats; (there are also 5 other atriums (approx. 4,500 ft2 under cover) for further expansion of the project that aren’t fully finished yet).

The project contains the largest exhibition area for butterflies in Costa Rica, a unique Frog Habitat, and numerous trails, that meander through our botanical gardens passing by Iguana Pond going to the Rainforest River walk, and then on to Host Plant Gardens and Volcano View Gazebo where one can relax after the tour and take in the spectacular views of the forest, volcano, lake, etc.

The gazebo not only offers great views of the area, but also attracts many hummingbirds which come to feed on the surrounding flowers.

The Conservatory is wholly owned by a corporation, (El Castillo de los Insectos, S.A.), of which I effectively own 100% of the shares. The corporate status not only facilitates functionality, but also provides a simple method of ownership transfer via purchase of shares.

A simple breakdown of corporate assets indicates a basic intrinsic value for the project of: $1,103,195 as broken down below. (Real Value is probably even higher, because how do you value fourteen years of nature re-growth and Habitat development)

• Land: $1.87/ft2 x 336201 ft2 = $628,695
• Building and Structure: Reception/Laboratory, 15 atriums, etc. = $275,000
• Infrastructure: Trails, Plants, Gardens, etc. = $147,000
• Equipment: Tools, Lab Equipment, Computer, etc. = $5,500
• Transportation: Kia Mohave SUV, 2015 = $47,000
• Total intrinsic value: = $1,103,195

The company balance sheet has shown a profit since 2010, and our income is up substantially year over year, while we are breaking all previous records again this year. The project has also won the TripAdvisor Excellence award for 4 years running; this award is given to projects that are in the top 10% of all activities within its category.

Now that the project is developed and operating successfully, Glenn is being called to pursue other endeavors… and the Conservatory is searching for a new Owner/Director. This person (or persons) would naturally have the desire to continue expansion and further development of the project, while exploring potential improvements to enhance this “little lung” on Mother Earth.

This project is an ideal way to for nature loving adventurists, to be Sponsors, Owners, or Directors over a Nature Center focused on forest regeneration and butterflies.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.