La Laguna del Lagarto Eco-Lodge

great place to see many different birds and other wildlife

getting there is a little rough! also, there is no a/c or hot water so no place to cool off when it’s hot.

Meals were great. The Staff very helpful and courteous. birding was great!

Had an enjoyable 2 night stay there. Went specifically to see the king vulture and had one visit the feeding blind after an almost 3 hr wait. Thought a shower would discourage the visit but one came. In the meantime the antics of the numerous black vultures kept us entertained. Plus, mealy parrots and other interesting birds added to the scene. Appreciated the varied birdlife on the grounds of the lodge seeing pied puffbirds, becards, barbthroats, and flycatchers not to mention toucans, parrots and others at the main feeder. A not-so-shy coati enjoyed the fruit. Spotlighting the lagoons near the driveway resulted in seeing two caimans with one about 4 ft in length. The last 20 kilometers or so to the lodge is quite bumpy but made for enjoyable birding including our first striped cuckoo! Our accommodations were fine. The ceiling fan made for good sleeping. Food was tasty. The staff quickly prepared an excellent chicken dish for my wife once our guide realized she did not eat seafood. The beer was cold. Yes, be prepared for rain. It was interesting that staff changed the horizontal limb at the main feeder so that moss and leaves made for a more naturally setting for photographing birds before they ventured to the center of the feeder where fruit was attached. Brown-hooded parrots were a main attractions at one time being a few feet from the porch and undoubtedly resulted in 100's of pics being taken by one group. Laguna del Lagarto is a wonderful place to bird. Staff could not have been more pleasing. The rough road is more than worth the trip.

Lodge Laguna de Lagarta-wild birds everywhere! Our room at this lodge was cramped with one queen bed and one single bed. If they'd taken out the single it would have been better. The windows were screened. An oscillating fan provided air movement but was quite noisy. The beds had just a thin blanket but that was all that was needed. There was only one electrical outlet for charging your phone or camera battery. The bed was comfortable, but the pillows were hard and lumpy. The bathroom was oddly designed in that a head high wall separated the shower from the toilet and sink. The top of it was where you are advised to store your toiletries, because the only real shelf was directly above the toilet and I didn't want to think about the possibility of my toothbrush falling into it. The shower head was of a design I've never seen before, with three dots allowing for temperature change. The one to the left was too hot, the one to the right was too cold, and the one in the middle was cold. The shower drained very slowly, forcing one to stand in the water if one didn't have flipflops. The room and bathroom were (with the exception of the slow shower drain) spotlessly clean. I never saw an insect in the room or the bathroom. Outside our room was a covered deck with very comfortable rocking chairs, a decent table and a hammock for a midday siesta. The lodge provides a very large open deck for dining as well as photographing birds. There were MANY species coming to the feeding station, and the star of the entire lodge was Rudy. Rudy is a wild, completely untamed keel billed toucan. He would fly to the feeding pole, where fresh bananas had been hung, and gauge the size of his audience on the deck. He then would begin to 'dance'. He would call 'grick grick' and strike poses, looking for all the world like a fashion model or a Hollywood movie star. He made sure you got great shots of his gorgeous, multicolored bill in just the perfect stance for photography. He would pose for many minutes, knowing how beautiful he was, and I am convinced he liked the applause we gave him! The eponymous lagoon is said to have caimans, but we didn't see any. The staff at Laguna de Lagarta was efficient and friendly without being obsequious. The cooks, especially, took great pains to make sure that I, with some dietary restrictions I had, was fully fed. They even offered to cook something not on offer for me. Meals were buffet, which I appreciated. The lodge provides rubber boots if you want to go hiking on their jungle trail, and you do-because you might see manakins! The lodge has free wifi but is only available on the deck. The lodge, being fairly large, had several groups from places other than the US. There was a group of photographers from India and a smaller group of birders from Germany. A couple of Brits added to the international flavor of the lodge. One can come to bird or photograph for the day and have lunch for a fee, the price of which I have no idea. Overall, the service, the food and the surroundings were excellent. I would definitely recommend Laguna de Lagarta to my friends.

As all of us are mentioning, the last 15 km are a nightmare BUT once there it is a very nice place. This lodge as far from “he normal world”. Everything happens around the lodge. There are several activities like visiting the hide for the king vulture, visit the hummingbirds, several walks into the forest , …. And there is a dedicated deck for the birder where there is space for the photographer. There are plenty , plenty of birds passing by. They are changing daily the branches and food for the birds. The rooms are in blocks of 4 and are spacious . We had two big beds, few items for the cloths and space for the luggage. And of course a big bathroom with shower, was table and toilet. Out side the room you also have a hammock. Food is delicious and always on a fix hour / time. Dinner is in buffet. And always fresh fruit (breakfast, lunch and dinner). During the day there is free water and coffee. It is heaven on earth for the birders and photographers.

We came for the bird photography which was excellent. As others have said the photo platform can be booked out by groups - not the case when we were there so we had access to the platform. The King vulture hide was great too. Getting there is a bit of an adventure - you must have 4wheel drive - the last 20Km take 1 hour via a very bumpy potholed road. The down side is the flies /sandflies. Lots of very small flies that bite a lot and can produce bad skin reactions. Wear long sleeves/trousers and use repellant. There are no nets for beds - although the flies are so small nets probably wouldn't work. Food was ok - no choice - buffet style. There are several activities available - each at a cost which isn't always made clear. My husband (the photographer) thought the snake/frogs activity was worth while but not the humming birds.

We spent 4 nights at this wonderful bird watching/wildlife retreat and were treated to fabulous hospitality particularly by the lovely manager Adolfo, who provided humming bird, tree frog and bats experiences in his eco garden near to the lodge for very modest costs (even a birthday cake and cocktail on my 60th birthday!). We saw fantastic birds at the feeders and just sitting on our relaxing deck outside our room they came to the nearby trees & shrubs. Be prepared for a lot of rain and wellington boots are required to walk in the forest as very muddy (provided by the lodge). A good torch is recommended. Thoroughly recommend this lodge if birds and nature are your thing. Also stop at the waterfall cafe en-route from San Jose "Soda Y Mirador". Good cheap food & coffee and a different collection of fantastic birds feed right next to your table.

This lodge was quite a bumpy ride in but it was wonderful when you got there. The rooms are equipped with a fan only. The bathroom has a shower that you have to turn it only a little to get warm water. I was in a room that had a deck with chairs and a hammock off the back. They do need to change their pillows! The photography is terrific here because of the influx of birds. The food was incredible and the staff friendly. My favourite was Kevin who attended to our every need. Adolfo is the manager and extremely happy and caring. We did a photoshoot with him of some hummingbirds, frogs and snakes too in his garden which is fifteen minutes away. Then there is Henry who talks to the caimans and alligators in German and they come to him. You should definitely go do that.