|Reserve on Line|

ALMONDS AND CORALS LODGE
General Information

Located in the heart of the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge is a delightful relaxing place with the magic touch of Nature; a unique idea for accommodation. This is a rare opportunity to get a feeling for the jungle, living in the wild while maintaining a level of luxury. Each tent lies under giant trees in a forest so dense that the sun rays hardly touch the ground. Each tent is placed over a platform lifted up on stilts and orchids hang from the branches and like in a fairy tale, as you walk through the enchanted forest, by passages on stilts, suddenly you are in front of the magnificent Caribbean with your feet on golden sand, coconuts and the bay of Manzanillo where you can almost hear the rhythm of Calypso.

ADDRESS: It is located 25 kilometers south from Cahuita National Park, southern part of the Limon Province at the Caribbean Coast, in the heart of the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge.

|Reserve on Line|

NATURA PARK

Of the estimated Indigenous people in Costa Rica, 65-75% live in Talamanca, the most rugged area of the country. This were always their domains, but they used to inhabit the lower lands also, although they were pushed to what today is their Indian Reserve. In Talamanca we have the Bribris, The Cabecar and the Guaymies indigenous groups. They all speak different languages and they do not mix to much in between.
Just 30 mts from Almonds & Corals a trail –like a secret passage- will take you into the forest, surrounded by the singing of the crested-mandible toucan or the mealy parrot and the bay wrens and many other sings of dozens of tropical birds, here the frog’s land await for you. Just in the middle of the forest, we have created special conditions so that you can see the poison frogs which live in this area. Surrounded by beautiful bromeliad and water as complement for their habitat, you will be able to see three different frog species, among them the green frog or Dendrobates auratus and the red frog or Dendrobates pumilio.

While immersed in the forest, suddenly you will find an Indigenous Village… a conic thatch big hut all the way to the floor, “the Usure” where the chief of the clan used to live, now it is used as a ceremonial place. The head of the family will give us an explanation of the meaning of the different constructions, and he will tell us about their traditions. A little bit further you will find the Resting House, This building does not have walls, just a palm roof and the hammocks hanging from the columns. This is an OROWE. Lay down and breath the humid air of the jungle. After this you will see “El Rancho de piso” that means the floored hut, where the family lives. Here you will be able to see the materials they use for their floors. They will show you beautiful pieces of handcrafts including furniture made of wood with animal forms, unique of this culture and finally, the House of Handcrafts where you can purchase these very original souvenirs.
To end this interesting tour, The Medicinal Botanical Garden. During our human life, Mother Nature has provided us with the necessary elements for dressing, food and medicines to cure our health difficulties. Indigenous people have inherited a lot of experience on medicinal plants and we have a botanical garden which will let you learn some of the plants used as medicine at the Talamanca high lands. The Afro Caribbean people also use this plants. You will find the lemon grass tea which is used as a stimulant. It has essential oil. Properties: appetite and digestion stimulant.
It will be an unforgettable experience for you, don’t loose this visit.

Pick up time at other hotel: 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Includes: Visit to the Indigenous Village, tour guide, trail explanation and medicinal plant garden. Snack served at Almonds & Corals’ dinning room.
Rack price: USD $20.00                           
Extra charge for picking up from other hotels: USD $10.00 per pax.
 

CRAZY MONKEY CANOPY RIDE

Come to Almonds & Corals and feel your adrenaline rising up in your body, come and get on “The Crazy Monkey Canopy Ride”. Experience watching the jungle from the top of the trees in our canopy cable system of ten platforms and ride amongst the forest till you get your feet on the golden sand beach!! Here is where the jungle meets the ocean.

Our guides will take care of you and they will keep you safe all the time. This is a great place for magnificent views from the tree tops while you are on the platforms and also walking in our bridges in some of the tracks. This is an opportunity to see the jungle from another perspective and surely you will have the chance to watch some wildlife from above where an aborigine family lives in a very traditional way with the typical thatch buildings. A snack at Almonds and Corals Lodge is included. Enjoy the surroundings of Almonds and Corals Lodge, its forests, its fauna, its beach. Back to your hotel at 1:00 p.m.

Rack Price: $40.00
Includes: Land transportation, guides and Canopy Tour.
Pick up time: 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
 

PUNTA MARENCO

Punta Marenco Lodge is located in a paradise, conserved for 20 years as a Biological Reserve by a family of Costaricans. This land was previously known as Marenco Biological Reserve, but now, by owner effort, has been declared by the government of Costa Rica as a new National Wild Life Refuge, the name of this place is now "Punta Rio Claro National Wild Life Refuge". It encompasses a 500 hectare Rain Forest with miles of pristine beaches.
Because of the lack of roads or airports, the access difficulty has allowed this corner of the world to maintain its natural beauty. You'll find that getting there is part of the Punta Rio Claro adventure.
With the intention of sharing with those interested in experiencing and discovering the secrets and beauty of the primary Rain Forest of Corcovado National Park and surroundings, the family decided several years ago to open a small lodge allowing people to have basic accommodations in this area.

The captivating beauty of forested hills, sparkling waterfalls and miles of uninhabited beaches is the setting for your superb wilderness adventure" and idyllic location for hiking, horseback riding, photography, nature study, scuba diving and swimming or snorkeling , along miles of pristine beach.
Punta Rio Claro also has knowledgeable guides of these areas who give tours to nearby Corcovado National Park, Caño Island or walks through the Rain Forest of the Punta Rio Claro National Wild Life Refuge.
Punta Rio Claro is your gateway to Corcovado National Park, one of the most important natural preserves in Mesoamerica. It is one of the last refuges for Jaguars, Giant Anteaters, Tapir, White lipped Peccaries and a host of other rare rain forest animals. High plateau forest, with trees towering over 140 feet and supporting hundreds of species ferns, bromeliads and orchids, combines with palma swamps and mangrove to make Corcovado a botanists dream.

Isla del Caño excursions present the diver with an ever changing underwater panorama along Costa Rica's richest pacific coral reef. It supports a rich marine life of tang, jack and needlefish, eels and huge porcupine fish and more.

Punta Rio Claro's hilltop lodgings accommodate a maximum of 25 guests in comfortable, rustic cabanas, each with private deck, offering a panoramic view of the Pacific and surrounding jungle. Family-style meals are served in our large, airy dining room. Each room has a private bathroom.

Attractions:
Corcovado National Park
Area: 108,022 acres

Created in 1975 due to scientists interest and realization that this area is one of the richest, most diverse tropical areas on earth, it's remote location, and variety of unique habitats (eight in total, ranging from mountain forest to swamp), made protection from development imperative. Fortunately scientists won the battle against lumbermen and other proponents of rainforest destruction, and the 108,022 acre national park was founded in 1975.

Since then, the park has been the site of much scientific research, and biologists have identified at least 500 species of trees, 285 birds, 139 mammals, 116 amphibians and reptiles, and 16 freshwater fishes. The rainforest canopy reaches higher than anywhere in the country.

CAÑO ISLAND
Area : 450

The Isla del Caño lies 17 kms due west of Punta Marenco. The island and its environs invite study from several points of view. It is Costa Rica's largest concentration of coral-building organisms along the Pacific. Schools of tangs, jacks and needle-fish, as well as moray eels, wrasses and huge trigger and porcupine-fish present an ever changing panorama to those who venture below the surface. Boring sponges, Diadema sea urchins, sea cucumbers, many crustaceans and calcareous alga mats and balls add to the variety of life found among the Parties and Pocillopora corals of these reefs. Marine life is abundant in the general vicinity of the island. Fishing boats take tuna, shrimp, shark, mackerel, snapper, and sardines in quantity. Manta rays are often seen breaching. Dolphins are encountered daily, and Olive Riley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) are commonly observed swimming and even mating as they travel to and from the sandy beaches of the peninsula where they lay their eggs. Humpback whales are seasonally present and often sighted from Punta Marenco.
 

Terraba-Sierpe National Reserve
Area: 30,654 ha

The site is located in the province of Puntarenas, Canton de Osa, approximately 30 km from Palmar. This reserve is an important habitat of many species of birds, fish, mammals and reptiles. The mangroves play an important direct and indirect role in maintaining the fish stock. Some species depend on these sites for their life cycle or for an important part of this cycle (reproduction, growth or feeding). The area includes the estuary of the Rivers Terraba and Sierpe, and adjacent lagoons (Laguna Sierpe, Laguna Porvenir), periodically inundated mangrove and "yolillo" palm Raphia taedigera swamp forest, sandy beaches and cliffs.

Biological / Ecological notes: The flora in the reserve is formed by hydrophytes whose growth cycle is in harmony with the aquatic environment.

Activities:
Bird Watching and Hiking.

The Punta Rio Claro Wildlife Refuge is the ideal place for bird watching and hiking our lodge is surrounded by a primary rain forest and we have private trails which can be use by our guests to walk alone our with one of our naturalist guides. A half hour walk from the lodge ends at Rio Claro, where a deep natural fresh water pool lies in front of a beautiful tropical rainforest beach.

Swimming and Snorkeling

Miles of pristine beaches are part of the attractions of this area, there are different places near the lodge where you can enjoy this activities.

Horse back riding

One of the local farmers offers this tour, is great for anyone with an interest in exploring primary rain forest outside of Corcovado. You can tour the area with a local guide and his string of native horses.

Whale and Dolphin encounters .

Costa Rica enjoys one of the most biologically diverse ocean ecosystems in the world. This is mainly because the heart of a vast habitat known as the Costa Rican Thermal Convection Dome (named for its proximity to this country), lies here. Shallow, warm waters lie on top of low-oxygen cold water, creating the perfect ecosystem for a vast variety of marine life. The dome off the coast of Costa Rica is the only one in the world that is constant. Whales, dolphins, tuna, marlin, manta rays, sea turtles, sailfish and more all congregate near the Costa Rican coasts, taking advantage of this year-round dome of ecologically rich waters.

Tortuguero withe Pachira Lodge

|Reserve on Line|
 

Description / Includes
ONE DAY TOUR (min:six pax) Ground transportation, two boat transfers. Breakfast and lunch.
Single	Double	Triple	Children
$ 99.00	$ 99.00	$ 99.00	$ 69.00
TWO DAYS / ONE NIGHT Ground transportation, two boat transfers. All meals, lodging and tours.
Single	Double	Triple	Children
$ 229.00	$ 188.00	$ 170.00	$ 88.00
TWO DAYS / ONE NIGHT Departure by plane, return by boat. All meals lodging and tours.
Single	Double	Triple	Children
$ 315.00	$ 259.00	$ 242.00	$ 152.00
TWO DAYS / ONE NIGHT Departure by boat, return by plane. All meals, lodging and tours.
Single	Double	Triple	Children
$ 315.00	$ 259.00	$ 242.00	$ 152.00
TWO DAYS / ONE NIGHT Round trip air transportation. All meals, lodging and tours.
Single	Double	Triple	Children
$ 399.00	$ 359.00	$ 302.00	$ 195.00
THREE DAYS / TWO NIGHTS Ground transportation, two boat transfer. All meals, lodging and tours.
Single	Double	Triple	Children
$ 313.00	$ 251.00	$ 204.00	$ 100.00
THREE DAYS / TWO NIGHTS Departure by boat, return by plane. All meals, lodging and tours.
Single	Double	Triple	Children
$ 459.00	$ 339.00	$ 335.00	$ 162.00
THREE DAYS / TWO NIGHTS Departure by plane, return by boat. All meals, lodging and tours
Single	Double	Triple	Children
$ 459.00	$ 339.00	$ 335.00	$ 162.00
THREE DAYS / TWO NIGHTS Round trip air transportation, All meals, lodging and tours.
Single	Double	Triple	Children
$ 549.00	$ 445.00	$ 425.00	$ 219.00

All rates are per person in US Dollars.
Children under 12 years of age. Max. 2 per room
Please contact us for further information.
 

The Hotel

The lodge is strategically located only 5 minutes away from the extraordinary Tortuguero National Park, and right across the main "canal" facing the town of Tortuguero. Surrounded by a network of very scenic canals, this is considered one of the most exotic regions of the world, characterized by its rich in flora and fauna.