Since 2004 · Licensed by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT)

Collared Redstart (Myioborus torquatus)Collared RedstartPhoto: Robert Ulph

Highlands

Trogon Lodge, a family farm on the Savegre river in San Gerardo de Dota

Trogon Lodge is wooden cabins on a family farm with the Savegre river running past them, and it is the lodge we put birders in more than any other in the valley. Nine of our trip drafts sleep here.

The quetzal walk leaves at first light, from the lodge itself or from a spot nearby depending on where the birds are feeding, and comes back in time for breakfast. The guides follow the aguacatillo, the wild avocado the quetzal eats.

Its two trails are named after birds, which tells you who the owners had in mind: Sendero Reinita, a kilometre, and Sendero Candelita, three. Candelita is the local name for the Collared Redstart.

For a birder who has done the valley, the lodge also runs guided days up to the páramo on Cerro de la Muerte, at 3,300 metres, and down Cerro Buena Vista through the edge of the oak woodland.

At a glance

Habitat
river valley, family farm and gardens, cloud forest and high oak forest
Nearest hotspot page
San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre valley · 2.1 km

Birding on the property

The lodge's two trails, Sendero Reinita (1 km) and Sendero Candelita (3 km), are open to guests without a guide. With a local guide it runs the quetzal tour (about two hours, back for breakfast), a birdwatching walk in the morning or afternoon, the páramo tour to Cerro de la Muerte at 3,300 metres, and a longer walk on Cerro Buena Vista, which the lodge calls the third highest mountain in the country. The lodge counts more than 170 species identified in the area so far.

Photo: Trogon Lodge

San Gerardo de Dota

Trogon Lodge

Enjoy the Cozy Cabins at this Charming Family Lodge in the Cloud Forest

★★★

Wooden cabins on a family farm about 2½ hours from San José, with a clear river running through the property and the quetzal walks starting from the gate at first light. The lodge our birding reviews name more than any other, 29 times.

Plan a trip with this lodge

The birds to look for

The Resplendent Quetzal first, which the lodge says lives in San Gerardo year round. With a guide, all year.

The lodge's own birdwatching walk names the Black Guan, the Northern Emerald-Toucanet (your field guide may still call it Emerald Toucanet), tanagers, trogons and hummingbirds. In the valley the hummingbirds include the Fiery-throated Hummingbird and Volcano Hummingbird, and the trail namesakes are here too: the Collared Redstart and the Flame-throated Warbler, a reinita. With them Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher, Sulphur-winged Parakeet and Swallow-tailed Kite over the river.

On the páramo day, the guides go for the Timberline Wren in the bamboo.

EnglishScientificSpanishStatus
Resplendent QuetzalPharomachrus mocinnoQuetzal
Black GuanChamaepetes unicolorPava NegraRegional endemic
Northern Emerald-ToucanetAulacorhynchus prasinusTucancillo Verde
Fiery-throated HummingbirdPanterpe insignisColibrí Garganta de FuegoRegional endemic
Volcano HummingbirdSelasphorus flammulaColibrí Chispita VolcaneraRegional endemic
Collared RedstartMyioborus torquatusCandelita CollarejaRegional endemic
Flame-throated WarblerOreothlypis gutturalisReinita Garganta de FuegoRegional endemic
Long-tailed Silky-flycatcherPtiliogonys caudatusCapulinero ColilargoRegional endemic
Sulphur-winged ParakeetPyrrhura hoffmanniPerico AliazufradoRegional endemic
Swallow-tailed KiteElanoides forficatusElanio Tijereta
Timberline WrenThryorchilus browniSoterré del BambúRegional endemic

Staying at Trogon Lodge

The rooms are in wooden cabins, two rooms to a cabin, spread across a steep garden of roses and lilies with a shared porch and rocking chairs outside each pair. Everything faces down toward the river, which you hear from the restaurant terrace at every meal. Nights are cold up here, so staff switch on a gas heater in your room each afternoon and turn it off in the morning. The rooms have no TV, phone or wifi, which keeps evenings around the lobby fireplace, where the wifi is. Days start early with a guided walk from the lodge, a midday rest by the river, and an early night. One room stands apart: the Superior, up a flight of steps, with its own balcony over the valley.

Rooms

  • Standard Queen: 2 guests, 1 queen (some add a single bed), garden and valley view, gas heater lit each afternoon.
  • Standard Family: 2 adults and 2 children, 2 queens, garden view, the same shared cabin porch.
  • Superior: 2 adults, no children, 1 king, private balcony over the valley and the lodge, shower plus separate jacuzzi, the only room with a TV. Not bookable online; checked with the office.

Meals. Restaurant El Quetzal, rustic tables and a terrace over the river. Breakfast is included with both room categories (site).

Good to know

  • The grounds are steep. Guests who walk with difficulty should ask for a room near the main building; the Superior is reached by steps and is not suited to limited mobility.
  • No wifi, TV or phone in the Standard rooms; wifi is in the public areas.
  • Cold nights: each room has a gas heater, run by staff from afternoon to morning.
  • Guided tours need a minimum of 2 people.

Perfect for: a birding couple or a family who want the mountains, a river and an early night without fuss.

Hotspot pages near the lodge

Trips that stay here

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.

Which of these fit your list?

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.

Plan my birding trip

Or call us: 1 (800) 996-1139 from the US and Canada, +506 4052-2140 in Costa Rica.