La Selva Biological Station, Biological research station and nature reserve in Sarapiquí Canton, Costa Rica

La Selva Biological Station is a 1,536-hectare lowland tropical rain forest reserve in Sarapiquí Canton, Heredia, northeastern Costa Rica. It lies at the confluence of the Puerto Viejo and Sarapiquí rivers, with elevations from about 35 meters in the north to 137 meters in the southwest. A 4–6 km wide protected corridor links it to Braulio Carrillo National Park.

The Organization for Tropical Studies purchased the former farmland from Dr. Leslie Holdridge in 1968 and converted it into a research center for forest studies. The center has since expanded its facilities and collaborates with institutions across several countries.

Researchers from universities across Central America and North America work side by side here, studying rainforest ecology and species interactions. The facility also draws students who take tropical field courses and learn directly in the forest.

The facility offers lodging for up to 180 visitors, several laboratories, meeting spaces, and wireless internet access for field work. A network of 50 kilometers (31 miles) of marked forest paths leads through different habitats and allows observation at different times of day.

The center has documented changes in forest growth and species composition for more than four decades. This long-term dataset is among the most complete for tropical lowland forests anywhere in the world.