Pachira Lodge

Best bits: Wildlife is all around you. So much to hear and see. Loved the spider monkeys. Excursion on the river and canals: so much wild life including basilisks, caimans, iguanas and an immense array of bird life Excursion to the volcanic look out : more wild life including howler monkeys and bats plus a great view of Tortugeuro. Guides are knowledgeable and engaging and with eagle eyes to spot wildlife. Pool area Less good: The rooms are not very private since the walls of your room don’t reach the ceiling so the other three adjoining rooms share the same roof space so you can hear your neighbours!

5 stars for location and wildlife but for me, accommodation would be 3 stars. We had fabulous walks with Daniel, he showed us Toucans, Cayman, monkeys, many birds and even poison dart frogs. The extra walk up the local hill was well worth the cost ($38), the view was amazing. A trip to Tortugueiro was interesting. The resort is a bit regimented but this is necessary to allow for so many people to check in and depart on the various trips. Dining was canteenish but food was ok, serving staff appear quite unhappy. The pool and bar are pleasant. The cabins are a bit primitive but everything works and the WiFi is OK unless you're in a distant room. We thought that overall this was a fabulous place to visit and tremendous value.

Upon check in, lots of information about tour, meeting times and meal times. Would have been helpful if this information was provided in writing (or post meal times in the lobby) but understandable with the sustainability focus of the lodge. Rooms were clean, loved the provided soap and shampoo in the shower, although a bit watered down. Rooms lacked privacy due to shared walls not going all the way to the ceiling (better for air flow). Only screens on the windows. It was oppressively hot and humid during our visit so sleeping was uncomfortable without AC. Tour groups were much too large-hard to hear and slow pace. Meals were repetitive but fine. Pool was nice and lots of places to sit and enjoy the view. Overall it was a good visit, guides were knowledgeable.

My journey started from San Jose, so it was quite long. We stopped at El Ceibo restaurant for a break and breakfast. Along the way, we passed Chiquita banana plantation and many more. Then to La Pavona dock to join the Pachira lodge boat. Off to Pachira Lodge. As soon as we docked and off the boat, we were briefed and given a delicious welcome drink. Once the rooms were allocated, our luggages were taken off by the dock. You are responsible for your luggage to the room. So we were advised to pack light. There are many lodges, some of them can be more than 5mins walk from the dock. There are 3 steps or there is ramp, depends which side you take to your lodge. The room fairly spacious. There is a ceiling fan, vents above the beds and three windows for air. Four lodges in each group. So two side by side and two backing each other. The bathroom had the necessary toiletries. They provided filter drinking water at the main eating area. They are huge trees and plants around the lodges so it is cooler in the night. You have to walk few mins to the main dining area, pool and bar. They are lights along the path way. Note, it get dark by 530pm. The wifi reception was okay closer to the main dinning area. At times, you cannot get it in your room. I had good wifi reception by the docks and the hammock area. The main reception area is closer to the dock. You have to walk around to get familiar and follow the signs. The food was delicious and tasty. I enjoyed the way they prepared the food and they added few local dishes too. Staff were around to take your alcohol order. The area was very quiet in the night. Unless other guests passing and shouting. In the morning, the place came alive with the howler monkeys, birds and insects sounds. Lucky to see howler and spider monkeys, mud crabs, armadillo and birds. They have a trail where you can see the resident sloth. They are bugs and mosquitos, especially in the night. The staff was very helpful and pleasant. The boat drivers were amazing. The Tortuguero town is few mins boat ride across the lodge. I visited once. Around the lodges, they are many areas for a peaceful relaxation. They have a smoking area and few hammocks. Overall it is peaceful with the sound of the water, birds and monkeys. I can say, I did not see any snake nor anyone in my group. I felt safe.

We stayed for 2 nights in September. This was our first time here and have no lodging experience at Tortuguero to compare to. We enjoyed our time exploring the jungle and spotting wildlife. It was definitely not the most luxurious lodge we have stayed at, but the Pachira Lodge - not unlike Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge - definitely puts you in the midst of the natural wonders that Tortuguero has to offer. With regards to staying at Pachira Lodge: Highlights: - Tropical rainforest experience starts right at your doorstep (actually even on the way there once on the water taxi) - Surrounded by jungle within the lodge grounds - Amazing wildlife, especially for birders, on lodge grounds as well as out in the national park - Depending on the timing, an opportunity to witness sea turtles laying eggs and even hatchlings emerge Know that: - expect to spend at least 1/2 day traveling to/from Tortuguero by road and river; recommend spending at least 2 nights - tropical rainforest experience starts right at your doorstep; heat, humidity, noise of the surrounding tropical forest - no air-conditioning on the property; this is an understandable and ecologically sensible approach given the relatively isolated location - food is adequate but definitely not a highlight of the stay - wifi strongest next to the reception and dining areas, spotty at best elsewhere on property Unless you fly in from San Jose you will find it takes half a day to make it to Tortuguero. You start with a bus ride out of the capital city, take a lunch break en route, then transfer at La Pavona (Embarcadero a Tortuguero) onto a variety of water taxis that take you downstream along the Suerte River through the tropical rainforest. You eventually make through to the national park and the namesake town. It is not an easy trip but it definitely worth the effort. Even so, on just the ride down the Suerte River we spotted egrets, a large American crocodile basking on the bank of the river, an Anhinga drying out its wings, hanging nests of the Montezuma orependola. On the way back we spotted a white-tailed deer in the water; it did not look distressed and eventually jumped out and disappeared into the jungle. Pachira Lodge lies on a ***** of land between the Suerte River to its west and faces onto the wide Tortuguero Lagoon across to another ***** of land that separates the lagoon from the Caribbean Sea. One crossed the lagoon to reach beach where the sea turtles lay their eggs as well as the small town of Tortuguero. We were greeted with glasses of chilled fruit juice which was much appreciated. We had arrived with a tour group from Spain and The were quickly divided into Spanish-speaking and English-speaking groups for orientation, one naturalist/ guide was assigned to our group but he would often exchange roles and even join him at times (see below for more details). The intro took place at the bar by the pool and lagoon. There was a larger building on the other side or the l