Located in the Sarapiquí rainforest, Selva Verde is a perfect location to immerse yourself totally in tropical nature, surrounded by mantled howler monkeys and keel-billed toucans.
The combination of comfortable accommodation and rich biodiversity makes this an ideal spot for bird and wildlife enthusiasts. The riverside lodge is built on a series of elevated wooden platforms, which are connected by covered wooden walkways that blend in with the rainforest surroundings. This ensures you can move around and stay dry even while it is raining – which happens frequently. Of the two restaurants, one serves predominantly Italian food, the other Costa Rican.
Well-appointed rooms are grouped in various blocks spread out over the rainforest site. Each room has a private bathroom with solar-heated water and double sink, desk, clothing rack, ceiling fan and insect-screened windows. Each block of rooms is surrounded by a wide verandah where you can relax in a chair or hammock while watching birdlife in the surrounding forest. Superior air-conditioned bungalows are discreetly tucked away in the forest above the botanical garden on the other side of the road from the main part of the lodge and the public areas, but only a short walk away. Back on the main site, a two-roomed house is available for families or small groups. Although the main entrance to the lodge is on a road, the rooms are far enough away to be quiet.
Various guided excursions are offered in the lodge’s own private reserve which lies on the other side of the river and is accessed by a gated suspension bridge; these include a dawn birding walk, a rainforest hike, a night hike – all led by the lodge’s wildlife guides and done in a small group, although private options are available. You can also arrange trips to other places such as nearby La Selva Research Station, Tirimbina Reserve and Frog Heaven or even further afield as you can hire a lodge vehicle and driver.
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