Testimonials

Atlanta   Feb 26, 2008 | Trip type: Couples

As advertised, the lodge is set in a patch of secondary forest on a plateau above Bahia Drake. Accommodations are simple and rustic, perfectly suited to the location and contributing nicely to the sense of being at the edge of a deep wilderness. Countless butterflies and birds, including tanagers, cuckoos, green parrots, toucans, and macaws, visit the grounds or live in the forest around the rancho cabins. These are private rooms (with bath & warm shower) nestled in the trees below the lodge house, reached on elevated walkways. My wife and I spent five nights in one of the ranchos and enjoyed both the sense of relative isolation (though we were only a stone's throw from the dining patio) and the sounds of birds and howler monkeys in the woods all around.
We squeezed through the fence just across the road and stepped directly into primary rain forest, watching troops of spider monkeys swing through the canopy. A pleasant walk down the road and into the forest brought us to a river's bank where poison dart frogs turned up seemingly under every every other leaf, and where a side creek led up to a fine little swimming hole at the base of a high waterfall.
The food was appetizing and plentiful, with lots of fruit, excellent dinners, snacks created on request, and interesting company at the table.
Our hostess was so flexible and accommodating that we didn't have to plan anything more than 24 hours in advance. Co-proprietor Carlos took us on a full-day tour to Sirena, in Corcovado National Park, and the lodge also arranged a canopy zip-line tour nearby and an all-day tour up the Sierpe River and into the mangroves. Transportation to and from the beach was no problem -- except once, when our ride to the airfield on our last day blew its transmission right in the middle of the 100 foot wide river ford below the lodge, but that was easily resolved by cell phone while we watched a sloth doing nothing high in the canopy high overhead.
We went to Osa hoping to enjoy a sense of wildness in the rain forests, and found the ambiance at Corcovado Jungle Eco Lodge fitting beautifully into an outstanding week that easily exceeded our expectations.  

Kimmie Kirk  O ntario Jan 26, 2009 

We took a family trip to the Corcovado Jungle Eco Lodge for two weeks last Feburary. This was an amazing experience to stay right in the middle of the rainforest. We arrived in San Jose and then took a small airplane to Drake Bay, It was different because we landed on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. We then drove about fifteen minutes in a local off road vehicle to the resort through a river and up and down cliffs right on the edge, it was great. When we arrived at the lodge we were greated by the owners Marna and Carlos, very nice people. We stayed in one of the ranches, they had everything you need. Bathroom with a shower and hot water, one bed and bunkbeds, fridge stocked with water and beer every day, coffee maker if you wanted coffee in the morning and they were cleaned everyday. We woke up every morning to the sounds of birds and monkeys, the night you had to get a little used to the noises, because they had screens for windows, you could hear everything. There were four ranches and also rooms up in the main lodge. There was a sitting area just down a set of stairs from the cabins where you could sit and read and just enjoy nature if you wanted. There offered a wide range of things to keep you entertained. We went Zip Cording one day, horse back riding, deep sea fishing where we caught a few Tuna and a Wahoo. Carlos cooked the tuna that night for us to eat. We went to the beach where we saw Macaws and monkeys, we went on a big hike to see an amazing waterfall where we could swim in the water pool at the bottom of the falls. The food there was great, and they had fresh fruit everyday. One morning I went down to Drake Bay to the little market with Marna to buy fresh fruit. We took my Nephew down the road to the local school so he could see how different things were there and to meet some of the kids, that was a great experience for him to have. We also saw a wide range of other animal like Tucans, Humpback Whales Manarays White faced Monkeys, a Sloth etc. We also took a boat ride through the Mongrove swamps to Sirepe and then drove to the town Pal Mar Sur. I recomend this resort to anyone who wants to experience nature, animals, hiking, living in the middle of the jungle and right where the locals live. To see something new and not where all you see is other tourists. If thats what you like then this would be a great place for you to visit. 

Rumi  Chico, CA  Mar 16, 2008 | Trip type: Family  

We visited Corcovado Jungle Eco Lodge right after Christmas (2007) The adventure really began as we arrived at the Sansa Terminal at the San Jose Airport. I had never flown on a small aircraft before and was quite apprehensive but my family kept reminding me of our “ADVENTURE”! After we were in the air and my nerves were a bit more stable I began to appreciate the beginning of our adventure. The scenery below was breathtaking, the lush green, the clouds covering the volcanoes, and the bluest ocean I had ever seen. We landed at the Palamar Sur airport to be greeted by a very friendly taxi driver that took us through the palm and banana plantations to Sierpe, a small town on the Sierpe river. We waited at a small market/bar/restaurant/gift store where we met our boat captain Raffa. We, along with about 15 other passengers loaded into his boat and proceeded down river. The boat ride was amazing, with all the mangrove swamps, giant floating water hyacinths and the wildlife. We traveled to the mouth of the river, where it met the ocean, donned life jackets and proceeded south along the coast to Drake Bay.

When we arrived, Raffa expertly “backed” the boat into shore and each passenger disembarked on their individual adventures, each group to a different lodge, hotel or destination.

Again, we were met by a very friendly taxi driver that loaded our backpacks into the back of the Land Rover and drove us the 4km up the hill to the lodge. The road was a narrow dirt road similar to the 4 wheel drive roads we drive on at home when we go fishing or camping. As we came down and curved around the base of a hill our driver slowed down and drove through the bridgeless water without incident and then proceeded up the hill to the lodge. When we entered the lodge we were greeted by Marna, the lodge owner. She showed us to our cabin, The Treehouse Cabina on the third floor over the main lodge. The cabina was perfect for us. 2 bedrooms, one with a full bed and one with 2 twin beds for our grown children. The entire cabina had native hardwood walls halfway up and framed in screens to the ceiling. The floors were beautiful rustic hardwood and the bathroom had a commode and shower enclosed for privacy with a sink and mirror in the common area. And then there was the deck. The deck extended out from the front of our cabina, had a table and four chairs, with an umbrella for afternoon shade. We could see the bay in the distance, look down on a meadow just past the lodge, and the trees that surrounded us were full of wonderful birds. We could sit in the early mornings and watch the macaws, and parrots and in the evening imagine what could be lurking in and around, like the kinkajou that climbed through the trees one night.

Marna and Carlos were excellent hosts. They arranged all of our excursions including our transportation. We enjoyed a half day of fishing, caught a feast of Tuna and Wahoo, which we took back to the lodge and the kitchen staff expertly prepared for us and the rest of the guests. Carlos took us on a day trip to Sanjosecito beach and Rio Claro where we snorkeled, had an excellent lunch, hiked through the jungle overlooking the coastline, met some of the locals including a family of Cappuccian monkeys. We took a canoe up the river and explored some waterfalls. We did a scuba/snorkel day at Cano island and a day of whale and dolphin watching and the kids went with Carlos on a night hike where they crossed paths with a Puma! How exciting!

After each day’s outing it was great to join the other guests in the dinning area for a satisfying meal and to compare adventures. It was very difficult to leave this beautiful escape from reality. We will definitely be returning to the tree house cabina for more adventure and relaxation!  

Southwestern Ontario Oct 1, 2009 | Trip type: Couples

Just got back from the Corcovado Jungle Eco Lodge in the southern part of Costa Rica. What an amazing experience!

We stayed at The Corcovado Jungle Eco Lodge - a warm and welcoming place that provided a comfy bed and a hot shower. Why mention a hot shower? Because it's the only resort with one in the jungle - it was a HUGE luxury! We were greeted by Marna and her two sons. (Carlos, her husband, was out catching the evening meal on his fishing boat.) Marna's a Southern Ontario girl who has built this wonderfully rustic resort with her husband over the last 20 years. She speaks fluent English and Spanish, and helped us immensely. Whatever we wanted to do, Marna had it arranged.

My most exciting experience was the zip lining trip - we walked there - it's a leisurely walk down a dirt road where children are playing and moms are cooking their fresh fish in open kitchens. The zip lining had 13 stops, and at one point you could see the South Pacific while you're gliding over the top of the jungle. It was awesome!

I said my most amazing experience was the zip lining, but as I'm remembering all of the things we did, it's really hard to place one experience above the rest. The horseback riding, for example, was incredible. We blazed a trail through the jungle right down to the ocean, went swimming on a beautiful beach, and had a great picnic. We got to go snorkelling around rock formations sticking out of the ocean, and I saw the biggest lobster, schools of fish, sting rays, the list goes on and on, and I looked back at the beach and saw our horses under the shade - I felt like we were in a Hollywood movie. And this is an area of Costa Rica where there are virtually no bugs!

My favourite story to tell is my fishing story. Marna and Carlos arranged for us to take a Panga boat for a half day private charter deep sea fishing experience in the South Pacific. Within two hours, we caught six Yellow Fin Tuna's, the smallest being 14 pounds, and a 35 pound Dorado, or Mahi Mahi. I guess they're called different names in different oceans. The Dorado took 1/2 an hour to land - I couldn't brush my hair the next day because I couldn't lift my arms above my head! But it was worth every exhausting minute bringing that fish in. The way it jumped 40, 50 feet out of the sea was just incredible. Oh, and all this time, there was a Humpback whale and her baby about half a mile away from us putting on a show.

We fed all of the guests that night with the fish we caught, and the cooks prepared fresh tuna sandwiches for the next day. We're really into deep sea fishing, having chartered many a Hatteras off the coast of Key Largo, but I've never had a fishing experience like the one we had on the South Pacific. It's true, the boat didn't have a galley, or a sun tanning deck, and the first mate and captain only spoke Spanish, but this only added to the memories, as it truly was all about the fishing.

All of these experiences could only be made possible because of Marna and Carlos. They've got connections! When we were back at the airport sharing stories with other tourists, ours was the best experience, and I could tell there was some envy going on from those tourists who spent a LOT of money for a deep sea fishing adventure, or a whale watching tour, and never caught or saw anything!

The Corcovado Lodge is a place I will return to every year. The food is fresh every day, and is good for you! A local farmer comes by with fresh watermelon and fruits with names I can't produce. I never felt healthier. They do some international dishes but mostly local dishes and you'll have the best fish, rice, beans, and fruit you've ever had. And the coffee is exceptional! There's a lookout deck on top of the main house that looks over the Corcovado Jungle on one side, and the South Pacific Ocean on the other - it's breathtaking. The cabins are all different, and built along the edge of the jungle. There's a private bathroom in every cabin, along with a coffee maker, and a mini bar fridge. Oh, and did I mention a hot shower? What an unexpected treat in the middle of the jungle. But I liked heading down the planked walkway to get to the outdoor restaurant for coffee in the morning. Sitting there listening to the Spanish ladies preparing the day's meals with the jungle coming alive in the background is a time I will never forget. I've never written a review on a trip before, and I've been to Bermuda, Australia, Italy, the Florida Keys, and all of the Caribbean. But the Corcovado Jungle Eco Lodge was such a special experience, I feel I had to share it.