Tapirus Lodge, Braulio Carrillo NP - Retired in Costa Rica

This very small lodge was a surprise treat for me and the only place where I’ve seen a wild Tapir (“Danta” in español) and the best place I’ve found to see and photograph the great Sunbittern bird! There are only 12 rooms because the place is mainly a day-trip adventure park from other lodges with not only zipline and rafting but the only gondola or tram ride up a mountain through a rainforest tree tops that I’ve found here yet (I understand that they have one other somewhere in CR) and you can photograph birds from it! See their Tapirus Lodge Website for more info on the many things to do there though the website was confusing the last time I tried to navigate it. 🙂 And when I made my reservation I just called them because their website was too confusing to do online.

Would I Go There Again?

Yes!

Me on the Treetops Tram Making Many Photos including Birds!

Likes

Cabins and dining room immersed in the forest.
Trails on property with not only birds but a Tapir family that sometimes came up to the buildings.
Easy access to the Braulio Carrillo National Park and their many trails.
Outdoor nature museums.
The gondola/tram ride.

Congo Gift Shop next to Restaurant. “Congo” is CR Spanish for the Howler Monkey.

Dislikes

Daytime influx of adventure tourists for ziplines and other activities.
The poor functionality of their website.

BIRDS Slideshow . . .

White-tipped Sicklebill
Collared Aracari
Broad-winged Hawk
Lattice-tailed Trogon
Yellow-throated Toucans
Sunbittern
Buff-rumped Warbler

Nature & Other Activities

For nature, lots of trails and wildlife on lodge property plus adjacent to the national park for much more!
It is also an adventure park, so lots of additional activities available like ziplining, the tram, guided hikes and an off-campus white-water rafting available. The guided Night Hike was especially good! I recommend!

NATURE Slideshow . . .

Glass Frog Centrolene
Common Rain Frog
Hog-nosed Pit Viper
Eyelash Viper
Rainforest Walks
Wild Orchids
Common Morpho (Blue Morpho)
Tapir
Rusty-tipped Page

Rooms & Food

Breakfast and lunch have day visitors and more fast food kinds of choices, while dinner is quieter, slower with a happy hour, fewer people and better food choices. Not gourmet, but very good food choices!
Room was very nice and modern and like individual cabins side by side. When I was there, only 12 of them.
And quiet at night.

Getting There

Walter took me and picked me up at the end of my Christmas week trip. Many other tour companies & shuttle vans can probably take you.
If you drive, it is 85 km from Atenas and using Ruta 27 & 32 it is about a 2 hour+ drive depending on traffic in and around San Jose which you have to drive through.
On Hwy 32, after you go over the mountain and exit the park, Tapirus Lodge & Rainforest Adventures Park is on your right, just outside of the park and barely in Limón Province. Their sign is about the Adventure Park, not the lodge! 🙂 The closest big town is Guapiles.
Public Bus does not go to the lodge but you could take the bus to Guapiles and hope he might stop and let you off at the hotel exit of Hwy 32 (call the lodge & they will pick you up there), though non-stop buses are not suppose to stop. 🙂 If not, it will be a 30 min taxi ride back from Guapiles or the lodge will probably pick you up in Guapiles for a fee. I cannot find definite information otherwise. For bus schedules to Guapiles see https://thebusschedule.com/cr/