Rancho Humo is the Palo Verde wetland seen from the inside. One family has turned a cattle ranch on the Tempisque back into wetland, mangrove and dry forest, and the reserve now covers more than 1,069 hectares, by the ranch's own figure.
The birding is done from the dikes. There are more than 25 km of them round the wetlands, and the ranch's guided tours stop wherever something is standing in the water. The bird the ranch leads with is the Jabiru, the biggest water bird in the country.
Then the boat on the Tempisque through the mangroves, and Palo Verde National Park itself, about 6 km away on our map. The ranch is a stopover for migrating birds too.
The ranch runs four guided outings, each with a bilingual guide: a wetlands safari for birdwatching along the dikes, a guided walk on the ranch for hawks, jacanas, trogons and cormorants, a boat on the Tempisque through the mangroves, and a guided walk in Palo Verde National Park with a boat ride either side. Meals can be served outdoors on the property. Its flora and fauna page shows the birds of the reserve by photograph, and links a biodiversity inventory we have not yet read.
Photo: Rancho Humo Estancia
Palo Verde
A very special natural area located in Guanacaste
★★★
A private reserve on the Tempisque at Palo Verde, a cattle ranch one family has turned back into wetland, mangrove and dry forest. Migrating birds stop here, and so do we, for the water birds of the dry side.
On the wetland, the big birds first: Jabiru, Wood Stork and Roseate Spoonbill, with Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Anhinga and Neotropic Cormorant on the open water, and Northern Jacana walking the floating plants.
Along the channels and the mangrove edge, Snowy Egret, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron and Ringed Kingfisher, and the Common Black Hawk hunting crabs. In the dry forest strips, the Black-headed Trogon and the Cinnamon Hummingbird.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jabiru | Jabiru mycteria | Jabirú | |
| Wood Stork | Mycteria americana | Cigüeñón | |
| Roseate Spoonbill | Platalea ajaja | Espátula Rosada | |
| Black-bellied Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna autumnalis | Pijije Común | |
| Anhinga | Anhinga anhinga | Aninga | |
| Neotropic Cormorant | Nannopterum brasilianum | Cormorán Neotropical | |
| Northern Jacana | Jacana spinosa | Jacana Centroamericana | |
| Snowy Egret | Egretta thula | Garceta Nivosa | |
| Yellow-crowned Night Heron | Nyctanassa violacea | Martinete Cabecipinto | |
| Bare-throated Tiger-Heron | Tigrisoma mexicanum | Garza-Tigre Cuellinuda | |
| Ringed Kingfisher | Megaceryle torquata | Martín Pescador Collarejo | |
| Common Black Hawk | Buteogallus anthracinus | Gavilán Cangrejero | |
| Black-headed Trogon | Trogon melanocephalus | Trogón Cabecinegro | |
| Cinnamon Hummingbird | Amazilia rutila | Colibrí Canelo |
Rancho Humo works like a private estate rather than a hotel. The villa has five bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, around a living room, a terrace, a bar and a dining room that looks across the gardens to the wetlands; more rooms can be added for a larger group. The Junior Suites have balconies over the open grass plains, so the first coffee of the day comes with the wetlands in view. Continental breakfast is part of the stay, and the ranch caters other meals from set menus, or a group can use the fully equipped kitchen. Days are spent on the dikes and the river with a guide, afternoons by the pool, evenings on the terrace as the heat goes out of the day.
Meals. continental breakfast included for up to 10 people (site); lunch, dinner and canapés catered in or outside the villa from set menus. Guests may also use the villa kitchen.
Perfect for: a birding family or small group who want a private base on the wetlands with a pool and a bar to themselves.
Dry forest, mangrove and wetland on the Tempisque River: Jabiru, storks and spoonbills from the boat, the Mangrove Hummingbird with luck, and our lodge.
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.
