Selva Verde is the river lodge of Sarapiquí. The Sarapiquí runs at the bottom of the garden, and the reserve the lodge has looked after since 1986, about 500 acres, rises from it.
That river edge is what sets it apart from La Selva up the road, which is a research station with a longer list. Here the Sunbittern works the banks, the Russet-naped Wood-Rail picks along the edges, and you are back at the lodge pool by lunch.
It is about two hours from San José, so it is often the first night of a trip, and a gentle first morning: a guided walk in the lodge's own reserve before you have learned the birds.
Naturalist guides lead bird walks in the Selva Verde Rainforest Reserve every morning and every afternoon, for beginners and experienced birders both. The reserve has 15 km of paths through 204 hectares of primary forest, and the lodge is one of the portal sites of the Costa Rica Bird Route, a chain of twelve reserves opened in April 2008. The lodge says its list of birds is "just a few" of what is there and gives no total.
Photo: Selva Verde Lodge
Sarapiquí
A Great Jungle Eco-Retreat with a Wide Variety of Activities Just 2 Hours from San Jose
★★★
About 500 acres of Sarapiquí rainforest the lodge has looked after since 1986, 15 km of paths, and the river at the bottom of the garden. Two hours from San José, so it is often the first night of the trip.
On the river and its banks, the Sunbittern, and the Russet-naped Wood-Rail (your field guide may still call it Gray-necked Wood-Rail). In the reserve, the lodge's own birds: Keel-billed Toucan, Great Green Macaw in the almendro trees, and the Wood Thrush, a northern migrant, on the forest floor in winter.
At the flowers and the forest edge, the Crowned Woodnymph (your field guide may still call it Violet-crowned Woodnymph), Crimson-collared Tanager, Red-legged Honeycreeper and Green Honeycreeper. In the tall trees, the hanging nests of the Montezuma Oropendola and the Great Jacamar, and at dusk the Great Potoo.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunbittern | Eurypyga helias | Garza del Sol | |
| Russet-naped Wood-Rail | Aramides albiventris | Rascón Pomponé | |
| Keel-billed Toucan | Ramphastos sulfuratus | Tucán Pico Iris | |
| Great Green Macaw | Ara ambiguus | Guacamayo Verde Mayor | |
| Wood Thrush | Hylocichla mustelina | Zorzal del Bosque | |
| Crowned Woodnymph | Thalurania colombica | Colibrí Ninfa Verde-Violeta | |
| Crimson-collared Tanager | Ramphocelus sanguinolentus | Tangara Capuchirroja | |
| Red-legged Honeycreeper | Cyanerpes cyaneus | Mielero Patirrojo | |
| Green Honeycreeper | Chlorophanes spiza | Mielero Verde | |
| Montezuma Oropendola | Psarocolius montezuma | Oropéndola de Moctezuma | |
| Great Jacamar | Jacamerops aureus | Jacamar Grande | |
| Great Potoo | Nyctibius grandis | Nictibio Grande |
Selva Verde is a lowland lodge in the true sense: warm, humid and green, with the forest right up to the rooms. The Sarapiquí Rooms are grouped four to a block, each block with chairs and hammocks looking out at the trees, so the wildlife comes to you between outings. The bungalows are a separate choice, uphill in the forest above the botanical garden, quieter but a 10 to 15 minute walk with steps. Meals and drinks are in the main dining room and bar, and the Chilamate pool is where most people spend the heat of midday. A typical day is an early walk, a long lunch, a swim, then a canoe trip or a night walk.
Meals. dining room and bar at the main lodge. The site offers stays with breakfast or with all meals (full board); which applies depends on the booking.
Perfect for: a birding family who want real rainforest with a pool to come back to.
Selva Verde on the Sarapiquí River, a lodge of ours: 204 hectares of primary forest, 15 km of paths, the river at the garden's edge, and the birds.
See the placeTirimbina in Sarapiquí: over 600 hectares of rainforest, a bridge across the river to an island, a canopy bridge 35 metres up, and 9 km of trails.
See the placeA working research station of the Organization for Tropical Studies in Sarapiquí, with a bird list over 450 long and 57 km of trails. Where we stay.
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.
