Dantica sits higher than the lodges on the valley floor, at 2,600 metres on the hillside above San Gerardo de Dota, and its own forest runs straight into Los Quetzales National Park. Only a mountain stream, the Ojo de Agua, separates the two.
The private reserve is 20 hectares, more than 90 per cent primary forest, almost all of it oak. Nearly 5 km of trails drop from the bungalows through it to a small river, and the forest is for guests only, which keeps the trails quiet in the morning.
The lodge counts close to 120 species seen in the reserve itself. Among the trees it lists 14 kinds of laurel, the aguacatillo among them, and that is the fruit the quetzal comes for.
It also has an art gallery, which on a wet afternoon in the cloud forest is no small thing.
Almost 5 km of trails leave from the lit path between reception and the bungalows, through primary forest, past a source of clear water and down to a river, with wooden posts that match the guest map. The lodge leaves fallen trees where they lie and keeps the trail lights on only a few hours at night, both for the wildlife. Guided tours are offered, and the lodge publishes a bird and mammal checklist for the reserve.
Photo: Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge
San Gerardo de Dota
Cozy Bungalows with Fireplaces and Stunning Cloud Forest Views
★★★
Bungalows with fireplaces on a hillside above San Gerardo de Dota, close to Los Quetzales National Park, with trails through the lodge's own forest. Eleven of our birding reviews name it, one for "a hillside surrounded by serene forests and lots of birds".
The Resplendent Quetzal is the bird the lodge builds its reserve page around. With a guide, all year.
In the oaks, the lodge's own list names Black Guan, Northern Emerald-Toucanet (your field guide may still call it Emerald Toucanet), Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher and the Black-faced Solitaire, three of the four regional endemics, with Red-tailed Hawk over the hillside.
Next door in Los Quetzales National Park the guides look for the Peg-billed Finch and the Coppery-headed Emerald, and down in the valley the hummingbirds at the feeders are Fiery-throated Hummingbird and Volcano Hummingbird.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resplendent Quetzal | Pharomachrus mocinno | Quetzal | |
| Black Guan | Chamaepetes unicolor | Pava Negra | Regional endemic |
| Northern Emerald-Toucanet | Aulacorhynchus prasinus | Tucancillo Verde | |
| Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher | Ptiliogonys caudatus | Capulinero Colilargo | Regional endemic |
| Black-faced Solitaire | Myadestes melanops | Solitario Carinegro | Regional endemic |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | Gavilán Colirrojo | |
| Peg-billed Finch | Acanthidops bairdi | Fringilo Piquiagudo | Regional endemic |
| Coppery-headed Emerald | Microchera cupreiceps | Esmeralda de Coronilla Cobriza | Regional endemic |
| Fiery-throated Hummingbird | Panterpe insignis | Colibrí Garganta de Fuego | Regional endemic |
| Volcano Hummingbird | Selasphorus flammula | Colibrí Chispita Volcanera | Regional endemic |
Dantica is spread out: the bungalows sit across the reserve between 15 and 500 meters from reception, some on the open slope facing the valley, others tucked into the trees. Inside, the style is modern, with picture windows, an ethanol fireplace and inverter heating, which matters because nights at this altitude are cold. Nearly every unit has a jacuzzi, so a hot soak after a dawn walk is part of the routine. Meals are at Restaurante Le Tapir, which serves organic food and doubles as a gallery with sofas and a fire. Days follow the light: trails at first light, a slow lunch, the gallery or a nap when the afternoon mist rolls in, and dinner by the fire.
Meals. Restaurante Le Tapir, organic cooking, in a dining room that is also a gallery with a fireplace. The rooms page does not say whether breakfast is included.
Perfect for: a couple who want a hot tub and a fire after a cold, early morning on the trails.
The Savegre valley at about 2,200 metres, where we send birders for the Resplendent Quetzal: the birds, the lodges in the valley and how to get there.
See the placeThe oak forest on the ridge above San Gerardo de Dota: 12,355 acres of park, the quetzal with a guide, the six lodges at its edge and the trips nearby.
See the placeThe highest road in Costa Rica, over the ridge above the quetzal valley: the birds of the ridge at km 70, two family lodges on top and how to get there.
See the placeWant to add a luxury stay to your trip? See every hotel we represent on CostaRica.Org (opens in a new window). We plan birding lodges and beach resorts in one trip.
Tell us the birds you want, your dates and how you like to travel, and we will come back with a first itinerary: the lodges in the right order and how many nights each one really needs. That first version is just a place to start.
Or call us: 1 (800) 996-1139 from the US and Canada, +506 4052-2140 in Costa Rica.
Keep going: add more birds, lodges or tours, then turn your Wishlist into a trip.
