Back to Nature Rainforest Retreat

5 days/4 nights with Rara Avis and Laguna del Lagarto

About the Trip

Begin your adventure with 2 nights in an isolated rainforest in Costa Rica. Rara Avis is Costa Rica’s oldest and purest Rainforest Lodge, in operation since 1983. Whether you are learning to understand the rainforest with naturalist guides (included), swimming in crystalline jungle waterfalls, or simply relaxing and watching birds from the hammock on your balcony, Rara Avis is completely isolated from modern civilization. Riding in a covered tractor cart through the forest to get to the Waterfall Lodge draws you back in time from modern civilization of cleared cattle lands to an adventure deep in the forest.

But even as you move away from civilization, you can expect abundant, delicious Costa Rican meals, served family style in a dining room open to the forest. The rustic 8-room Waterfall Lodge offers private bathrooms with hot water and bathtubs, comfortable double beds, and private wraparound balconies.

Continue your Costan Rican journey as you arrive at Laguna del Lagarto for a final 2 night stay. This is a true, unspoiled, and virtually unvisited tropical rainforest, where you can explore the eco-system at your own pace while staying at a cozy jungle hideaway, you found it! The Laguna del Lagarto Eco-Lodge in Northern Costa Rica offers you 1250 Acres of virgin tropical rainforest with an incredible variety of fauna and flora. 350 different species of birds have been counted, among them the Great Green Macaw.

The Lodge is operated in harmony with nature, under ecological guidelines. A perfect place for passionate bird-watchers and rain forest lovers. More than 10 km of well marked rainforest trails make birding and exploring nature easy, no matter whether you prefer to explore nature and wildlife on your own or with a naturalist or birding guide.

Includes: Accommodations, meals at both lodges, guided tours at both lodges, free canoing on jungle lakes at Laguna del Lagarto, local taxes

Certification for Rara Avis:

- Certification of Sustainable Tourism (CST) Rainforest Alliance’s EcoIndex, Level 3

Certification for Laguna del Lagarto:

- Certification of Sustainable Tourism (CST) Rainforest Alliance’s EcoIndex, Level 4

About Rara Avis

Rara Avis is Costa Rica’s oldest and purest Rainforest Lodge. Whether you are learning to understand the rainforest with naturalist guides, swimming in crystalline jungle waterfalls, or simply relaxing and watching birds from the hammock on your balcony, Rara Avis is completely isolated from modern civilization. Riding in a covered tractor cart through the forest to get to the Waterfall Lodge draws you back in time from modern civilization of cleared cattle lands to an adventure deep in the forest.

Rara Avis was developed in 1983 to show that we can make rainforest economically productive and so save it from destruction. In Rara Avis, you will be in a remote pristine jungle – true wilderness – bordering Braulio Carrillo National Park and the Zona Protectora La Selva. At 700 meters (2000 ft) above sea level, the climate stays cool and comfortable year-round (77 degrees F or 25 degrees C). There is a lot of rain (it’s a rainforest!), but mosquitoes are not a problem.

Green Practices:

Since our inception in late 1983, Rara Avis has set out to prove that tropical forests can create substantial market benefits if the appropriate resources are managed properly. Through tourism and the protection and development of forest products on a sustained-yield basis, we are indeed demonstrating the feasibility of these ideas.

Specifically, Rara Avis has purchased 1010 acres of primary rainforest adjacent to Braulio Carrillo National Park and has found conservation buyers for an additional 1379 acres. Our primary business is tourism, which, in turn, allows us the financial flexibility to support our other programs. We operate two lodges on the properties; the Waterfall Lodge with 10 rooms with private baths and El Plastico Lodge and Biological Station with 29 beds in 7 rooms. All of our visitors are educated about the rainforest and the surrounding social, economic and political issues. The hotel has produced a small operating profit since end of 1990, and demand greatly exceeds capacity in the high season.

The second area of our business, and perhaps the most vital on an international level, is the research and development of programs pertaining to selective farming. One endeavor already underway at El Plastico is our sponsorship of a butterfly project. With no disturbance to the local ecosystem, we are producing live butterflies for export to North America and Europe for greenhouses and zoos. We are at a break-even point in this program and are delighted that the idea has subsequently been put into action by local farmers in our area.

For more information, visit Rara Avis

About Laguna del Lagarto:

The Laguna del Lagarto rainforest lodge in Northern Costa Rica offers you 1250 Acres of virgin tropical rainforest with an incredible variety of fauna and flora. 350 different species of birds have been counted, amongst them the Great Green Macaw. The Lodge is operated in harmony with nature, under ecological guidelines. A perfect place for passionate bird-watchers and rainforest lovers. More than 10 km of well marked rainforest trails make birding and exploring nature easy, no matter whether you prefer to explore nature and wildlife on your own or with a naturalist or birding guide.

For more information, visit Laguna del Lagarto