2 days/1 night at Pacuare Lodge: an unforgettable experience!

Do you love adventure, nature and luxury? Then this is for you! Pacuare Lodge offers an unforgettable experience, more than just a hotel to stay at in Costa Rica!

Departure at 7:00 from downtown San José (capital of Costa Rica) by minibus. A Spanish-English-speaking guide accompanies you.
Typical breakfast (gallo pinto, eggs, cheese…) at Bocaditos del Cielo, a mirador restaurant on the road to Turrialba. You absolutely must try the “tortilla de queso”, a speciality of the mirador restaurant known to all Ticos.

After a 30-minute break, you’re back on the road again, this time to your final destination.

How do you get to this unforgettable experience?

You’ll arrive mid-morning on the banks of the Pacuare, where you’ll leave your luggage with a guide who will pack it into waterproof bags, as your luggage will be travelling the same route as you, but on a specially adapted boat.

Remember not to bring your entire wardrobe, but enough clothes to change into after rafting and other activities. For environmental reasons, Pacuare Lodge does not have on-site laundry facilities. But don’t worry: it’s not these few amenities of modern life that will leave you feeling lacking in this unforgettable experience.

Depending on the water level of the Pacuare, the rafting trip back to the hotel can take between 1 and 1.5 hours, with level 2 and 3 rapids. When the water level is low and the current not very strong, rafting involves very little risk and the trip is very pleasant. Along the way, the guide will share his knowledge of the flora and fauna, the history of the region and the Cabécar Indians who live near the Rio Pacuare (Pacuare Lodge also offers a visit to the Cabécar community).

Once you’ve arrived at Pacuare Lodge, the change of scenery is total. You’re surrounded by calm. You’re in the heart of the rainforest.

The focal point is the restaurant on the banks of the Río Pacuare, where you’ll have to leave your shoes on to avoid damaging the wooden floor, but it’s so pleasant to walk barefoot! You can dine on the restaurant’s terrace, overlooking the Pacuare and the natural surroundings.

The cuisine is excellent, worthy of the best restaurants. The contrast between the wild, natural setting and the excellent cuisine is striking. No famous chefs are at the helm of the restaurant, but rather local residents. In fact, the Pacuare Lodge, in its concern to respect the environment and promote integration, employs a majority of local people.

At lunchtime, the staff will help you choose your evening meal. They will pass by with a small piece of paper and note down your choices. No menus are printed, as meals change daily, and it would definitely not be environmentally friendly to print new menus every day!

The Pacuare Lodge is an atypical, very ecological place. There’s no electricity except in the restaurant kitchen, so be prepared to live by candlelight and flashlights.

The place, so calm and natural, will allow you to relax and forget your daily worries.

Accommodation

The various bungalows are scattered all over the place. They don’t have air-conditioning, but the mosquito nets that are actually the walls of your bungalow allow the air to circulate, giving you a pleasant temperature.

You won’t get a key here… But don’t worry! There’s no problem at all! And don’t worry if you come home from dinner to find your bungalow lit up by candles… For an enchanting stay and an unforgettable experience, someone from the Pacuare Lodge team will visit your room while you’re away, so that when you return, you don’t have to do it yourself. It’s so nice to be pampered!

In the afternoon, you can take part in an activity proposed by the hotel (only the visit to the Cabécar community is not possible for a 2-day/1-night stay, as this activity lasts 5 hours and therefore cannot be done in an afternoon). After an excellent, well-deserved meal, you can return to your bungalow and fall asleep to the sound of the Rio Pacuare.

Activities

The next morning, wake up to the sound of birdsong and enjoy a tasty breakfast. Build up your strength for the 4-hour rafting trip that awaits you, with rapids of levels 3 and 4. You’ll have lunch on the course. In the interests of customer support, you’ll have the same guide as the day before, allowing you to continue your adventure in its entirety.

In the early afternoon, you’ll touch down. You’ll be able to shower and change before departing by minibus for San José. This time you’ll take the road via Braulio Carrillo National Park, a less winding route than on the outward journey.

Return to San José at around 6pm.

I recommend a good night’s sleep after this adventure, which will leave you with some wonderful memories. Once back in the capital, you’ll want to go back as soon as possible!