Hidden Costa Rica eco-lodge is a rainforest treasure

[Shannon Farley]

One of the amazing things about Costa Rica is that there are still remote, wild, little-known places to discover and enjoy … places to experience new adventures, beautiful scenery, fascinating nature and wildlife.

 

Maquenque Eco-Lodge in northern Costa Rica is one of those hidden places. The five-year-old Costa Rica eco-lodge is located in Boca Tapada in the hinterlands of northern Costa Rica, only 15 kilometers from the Nicaraguan border and that country’s vast Indio Maiz Biological Reserve. To the east is the Barra Colorado National Wildlife Refuge on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast and a bit farther to the northwest is the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge. The San Carlos River runs right by the Costa Rica eco-lodge. In fact, to arrive at Maquenque, you park your car in a secured area at the river and then ride the lodge’s private ferry across to the far side where the lodge is situated.

 

The area is remote, wild, lowland tropical rainforest and wetlands. The recently formed Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge (2005) protects 150,000 acres (60,702 hectares) of virgin forest and pastureland in the process of being reforested. The refuge connects into the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor extending from southern Mexico to Panama.

 

If you love wild nature, Maquenque Eco-Lodge is your kind of place. Simple, comfortable accommodations in 14 bungalows are each equipped with solar-heated hot water, private bathrooms, and balconies overlooking a beautiful lagoon. Dining is in the lodge’s restaurant. Eight kilometers of trails wind through the Costa Rica rainforest lodge’s 68-acre property, through the forest past ponds and streams.

 

Maquenque is a place for bird-watching. Lodge information cites more than 410 identified species of birds in the area, including Great Green Macaws (Ara ambiguus) and Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao). With only a few thousand Great Green Macaws left in the world, it is incredible to see these spectacular green and turquoise parrots with their distinctive fiery red frontal bands. The endangered species is only found in the Atlantic wet lowlands of Central America, from Honduras south to northern Colombia, with small isolated populations on the Pacific in Ecuador.

 

In addition to bird-watching, you can canoe on the lagoon, hike in the rainforest, ride horses, go float river rafting on the Tres Amigos River, and boating on the San Carlos River. The climate is very rainy, so be prepared.

Maquenque Eco-Lodge supports sustainable tourism and reforestation. Every guest who stays has the chance to plant a tree in the reserve and visit the local school to see their environmental education program in action.

Article by Shannon Farley