Pacuare Lodge

Overview

Description

Staying at the Pacuare Lodge is to experience the essence of Costa Rica, immersing yourself in lush tropical nature, enjoying the genuine hospitality of its people, and living adventures that will stay in your memory forever. The ecolodge is on a private reserve with 840 acres (340 hectares) of rainforest, located on the banks of the stunning Pacuare River in the heart of the country and home to jaguars, ocelots, monkeys, and sloths.

Our visitors come for the adventure and stay for romance. To get to the ecolodge you must cross the rapids of the river in a raft, although you can also take the overland route that includes transportation in a 4WD vehicle, crossing the river by gondola and taking a short walk. Upon reaching Pacuare Lodge you will start to live a different experience that includes dinners by candlelight accompanied by fine wines that are made by Costa Ricans who are food lovers themselves. In the rooms, expect a large canopy bed where you can relax to the murmurs of nature’s music.

Venture into this unique experience that only Pacuare Lodge offers!

Rooms

19 suites

Making a Difference

Number of employees: 65

Percentage of local employees: 100%

Pacuare Lodge was designed to maximize contact with the surrounding tropical environment while minimizing environmental impact. Thanks to our many efforts, the lodge has been recognized by the World Tourism Organization as a global example of sustainability. We've also earned the Ecological Blue Flag Certification for watersheds and the highest rating from the Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (CST) program.

Our work on sustainability includes the following:

Community

We are the largest employer in the tourism sector in the area, which includes the town of Bajo del Tigre, Santa Marta, and the Cabecar Nairi Awari Indigenous Reserve.

Education

We launched an environmental education program for more than eight schools in the communities closest to the lodge and the Pacuare River. We are training a group of tour guides and collaborators for giving presentations and talks in these schools. We also coordinate donations from guests for the purchase of equipment and supplies for the Bajo del Tigre school in the nearest community. We also support the maintenance of local roads.

Conservation

Some of the funds raised at Pacuare Lodge are used to acquire lands for the protection of the rainforest in the Pacuare Protected Area. We started the project with 30 acres (12 hectares) in 1993, and today we protect 840 acres (340 hectares) of forest.

Aventuras Naturales and Pacuare Lodge led a pioneering project to include the Pacuare River in the Ecological Blue Flag Program. By working with local communities and the Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers, the Pacuare River became the first river in Costa Rica to receive the Ecological Blue Flag award in 2009.

Jaguar monitoring program

In October 2008, as part of their commitment to conservation, Pacuare Lodge and Aventuras Naturales began a jaguar monitoring program in conjunction with the wildlife management program of the University of Costa Rica. Since then, we have obtained a significant number of images and videos of jaguars, even in the gestational stage. This has motivated several researchers to continue with the project for five more years and double coverage of the cameras to 15 square miles (20 to 40 square kilometers).

Rates

$150 and up

Our package rates start from $377 per person and include all meals, transportation, river rapid adventures, equipment, a professional guide, lodging, and taxes.

For more information about rates, please visit:

• www.pacuarelodge.com/php/rates_double13.php (available in English).
• www.pacuarelodge.com/espanol/php/rates_single.php (available in Spanish).

Getting There

Nearest international airport: San Jose (SJO)

Travel time to nearest airport: 5 hours combining raft and overland transport; 30 minutes in a small airplane; 25 minutes in helicopter with a landing at Pacuare lodge.

Due to our remote location, our packages include land transportation as well as the adventure on the Pacuare River rapids. For those who do not wish to run the rapids we offer transportation in a 4WD vehicle on a tethered ferry to reach the other side of the river.

We operate year-round.

Additional Information

Awards or Recognitions

• In June 2013, the prestigious National Geographic Traveler magazine named Pacuare Lodge as one of the 25 best lodges in the world.

Additional Web sites

• www.adventurecostarica.com/ (available in English). Aventuras Naturales is the company that owns and manages Pacuare Lodge. It also specializes in organizing rapids, mountain biking, and trekking tours.
• www.tourcostarica.com/ (available in English). Tour Costa Rica is a division of Aventuras Naturales.

Date This Information Was Provided

July 2013.

Photos courtesy of Pacuare Lodge, Costa Rica, for SustainableTrip.org.