Pacuare Lodge travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

Pacuare Lodge is a peaceful jungle destination, hidden in the depths of the rainforest and reachable only by raft. There is no time to panic because your guide is commanding you to “Paddle forward!”Exotic birds dart all around you. Pacuare Lodge sits on a bend in the river amid gorgeous gardens filled with tropical flowers. Each of its beautifully designed cabins has luxurious bathrooms, beds draped with mosquito nets, and is lit only by candles at night.

The lodge includes 8 garden view rooms, spread out through the lovely grounds. Each feels private and has pretty views from its small verandah. Inside, the thatched wooden constructions have a double bed, draped with a mosquito net, and a separate couch for lounging on (or as an extra bed). The bathroom is reached along a little corridor. There are also 4 river view suites, which offer far more room as well as a higher standard of design. Both types of room are equipped with good towels, plentiful organic, biodegradable toiletries, and lots of candles. You’ll be given a torch too, to make wandering the paths through the garden easier at night.

The food in the lodge is all organic. Meals are eaten in the main building: a tall, open-sided wooden palenque, right by the river’s edge, with tables on the terrace outside or inside where you can watch the chefs at work in the open kitchen. Each table is given a big jug of juice and this is a lovely time of day to linger. Lunch offers 2 choices for each course: our filo pastry parcels filled with goats cheese, pork tenderloin, and roasted vegetables are delicious. Dinner is a real occasion and very romantic in the depths of the jungle.

Rafting is the means by which you arrive and leave. It’s great fun, even if you’ve never done it before. The guides are professional and take good care of you. Many bird species are visible in this part of the rainforest and you will see lots of them as you sit having breakfast on the terrace. Visit the Cabecar indigenous community, an unforgettable experience. It’s a stiff 2-hour hike through beautiful forest to reach the small remote group of traditionally built houses, and once there you’ll be greeted by the medicine man.

Location: Pacuare Lodge is set deep in the rainforest jungle alongside the Pacuare River in eastern Costa Rica. When to go: Open all year round. It rains more from May to September, and heavily in October. Nevertheless, rafting is possible all year round. The river might be slightly colder. On a sunny morning, Pacuare is paradise, and it would be a shame to see it only in cloud. However, this is the rainforest, so you have to be prepared for rain!