Scarlet MacawPhoto: Martin Mecnarowski
Central and Southern Pacific Lowlands
Of the lodges we use around Carara, this is the one on the river. The hacienda, formerly Villa Lapas, sits on the riverbank at the threshold of the national park, under 3 km from the park on our map, and the Scarlet Macaw pairs that cross between Carara and the Tárcoles at dawn and dusk cross over the grounds.
The hotel has its own private reserve of 150 hectares, with trails into it, and runs its own birdwatching walk for the macaws. So the first hour of the day can be birded without getting into a van, and Carara and the mangrove boat are both close enough to fit into the same morning.
It reopened as an Autograph Collection hotel, with a spa and a kids and teens club, which helps when not everyone in the room is a birder.
The hotel's own FAQ puts the hacienda inside a 150-hectare private nature reserve with trails for watching the local flora and fauna, on the banks of a river it does not name. Its Marriott page lists a birdwatching tour run by the hotel on its own grounds, aimed at the Scarlet Macaws near Carara's trails, and a night walk in the park. Neither page names a resident bird guide, a feeder or a tower, so the guided mornings inside Carara and on the Tárcoles are the ones we plan into the trip.
Photo: Santa Lucía Jungle Hacienda, Autograph Collection
Carara
A hacienda and colonial village on the riverbanks at the edge of Carara National Park
★★★★★
The old Villa Lapas, reopened as Santa Lucía Jungle Hacienda, an Autograph Collection hotel, on the riverbank at the edge of Carara National Park near Tárcoles, where scarlet macaws cross over the grounds. The same birding ground we have used for years, with a five-star hotel on it now.
The Scarlet Macaw is the reason, and the hotel names it itself: pairs over the river and the grounds at the edges of the day. On the trails a short drive away in Carara, look for the Collared Aracari and, where the two forests meet, the Fiery-billed Aracari, a regional endemic, with Slaty-tailed Trogon, Graceful Black-throated Trogon and Bay-headed Tanager, and the King Vulture over the forest.
The Tárcoles boat, under 5 km away on our map, adds the Boat-billed Heron in the mangroves, the Great Egret along the banks, the Keel-billed Toucan crossing the river and the Great Tinamou calling from the forest edge.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Macaw | Ara macao | Guacamayo Rojo | |
| Collared Aracari | Pteroglossus torquatus | Tucancillo Collarejo | |
| Fiery-billed Aracari | Pteroglossus frantzii | Tucancillo Piquianaranjado | Regional endemic |
| Slaty-tailed Trogon | Trogon massena | Trogón Coliplomizo | |
| Graceful Black-throated Trogon | Trogon tenellus | Trogón Cabeciverde | |
| Bay-headed Tanager | Tangara gyrola | Tangara Cabecicastaña | |
| King Vulture | Sarcoramphus papa | Zopilote Rey | |
| Boat-billed Heron | Cochlearius cochlearius | Pico Cuchara | |
| Great Egret | Ardea alba | Garceta Grande | |
| Keel-billed Toucan | Ramphastos sulfuratus | Tucán Pico Iris | |
| Great Tinamou | Tinamus major | Tinamú Grande |
This is the most hotel-like stay in this group: 84 air-conditioned rooms along a river at the edge of Carara, with a Marriott brand behind them. Most guests take a Deluxe King or Deluxe Double, both with mountain views; the eight River Bliss rooms are set by the water. Between outings there is the pool, the Adventure Center, a club for children and teenagers, and Sukia, a spa with open-air treatment areas in the forest. Scarlet macaws and capuchin monkeys are often seen around the grounds, which is the reason most birders choose it. The coast and Tárcoles river mouth are a short drive, so a day can be Carara at dawn, the pool at noon and the river in the afternoon.
Meals. Restaurant names not found on the pages read. A restaurant and bar are listed by Booking.com (1 Nov research).
Perfect for: a birding family who want Carara on the doorstep and a kids' club and spa for the non-birders.
Where the dry Pacific forest meets the wet, and where we take birders for Scarlet Macaws: the birds, the lodges nearby and the trips that end here.
See the placeThe Tárcoles River and its mangroves by boat, below Carara: Boat-billed Heron, toucans and egrets, crocodiles under the bridge, our lodges and the trips.
See the placeNo 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.
Keep going: add more birds, lodges or tours, then turn your Wishlist into a trip.
