Great Green MacawPhoto: ondrejprosicky
Maquenque is at Boca Tapada on the San Carlos River, about 15 minutes from the Nicaraguan border. It is inside the Maquenque Mixed Wildlife Refuge, and the bird the refuge is about is the Great Green Macaw.
The lodge's evening boat goes out on the wetlands at golden hour, when the macaws cross overhead on their way to roost. That one moment is why a birder comes this far.
The mornings are quieter and closer. A guided nature walk at sunrise, lagoons on the property with canoes, and a kitchen that serves mostly what the land grows.
The lodge sits on the bank of the San Carlos River with lagoons and garden trails on its land, and a guided nature walk every sunrise. From the hotel pier, a boat tour at 8:30 runs the San Carlos River to the village of Boca San Carlos near the border, with herons and kingfishers on the banks; a kayak tour works the Tres Amigos River, and a horseback ride passes the lagoons, where the lodge names jacanas and herons. The lodge describes hundreds of resident and migratory species without giving a count.
Photo: Maquenque Eco Lodge
Boca Tapada
Magical, Modern Private Jungle Bungalows and Tree Houses on the Border of Nicaragua
★★★
Bungalows and tree houses on a 60-acre reserve at Boca Tapada, 15 minutes from the Nicaraguan border, with lagoons on the property and a guided nature walk at sunrise every morning. Most of what the kitchen serves is grown on the land.
The Great Green Macaw is the reason for the trip, the bigger and rarer of the two macaws, and Boca Tapada is inside the refuge set aside for it.
With it, the birds of the whole Caribbean lowlands: the Keel-billed Toucan, the Great Potoo on a dead snag at dusk, and the Sunbittern at the river edge.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Green Macaw | Ara ambiguus | Guacamayo Verde Mayor | |
| Keel-billed Toucan | Ramphastos sulfuratus | Tucán Pico Iris | |
| Great Potoo | Nyctibius grandis | Nictibio Grande | |
| Sunbittern | Eurypyga helias | Garza del Sol |
Arriving sets the tone: you leave the car in the lodge's parking by the road and staff take you across the river by boat. On the other side the rooms are spread through the forest, either bungalows at ground level or tree houses raised 6 to 8 metres on stairways, with a furnished balcony looking into the canopy. Tree house rooms have hot water, a ceiling fan and wifi, and breakfast comes with every tree house booking. The restaurant cooks for the whole day, much of it from the lodge's gardens. Between outings there are the lagoons to paddle, trails, an infinity pool and spa treatments. It is remote, close to the Nicaraguan border, and the quiet is the point.
Meals. The lodge restaurant serves all meals on site. Breakfast is included with tree house reservations (tree house page); other plans not stated.
Perfect for: a family with children over 5 who want to sleep in a tree house and paddle a lagoon at sunrise.
No fixed trip stays here yet; we build it into a custom trip.
Want 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.
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