Reviews of Pacuare River Lodge

The remote location and the views! The escapism with no WiFi and no electricity. Basic but stunning. Hummingbirds in front of us ans other birds. Incredible night skies of stars!

You have to be prepared to like going back to basics with limited creature comforts but we loved it!

Rafting into and out of the lodge was an exciting way to travel and really feel immersed in the spectacular beauty of the mountain jungle surroundings. I appreciate the opportunity for adventure and exercise (paddling, swimming, exploring waterfalls). The lodge bungalows are simple, with beds and screened walls to enjoy the sounds and scenery without feeling too much of a human footprint on the local nature. Everything was absolutely beautiful and tranquil. Fernando, our everything-guide, was amazing - Safe rafting, talented chef (delicious meals!), waterfall hike tour guide, and entertainment coordinator. We played Uno by candlelight in the rain. I'll have unforgettable memories of this magical River Lodge. Thank you Johanna, Fernando, and Andre!!

No Concerns

Rafting

Nothing

Increíble location, really nice set up. We had two rooms with private bathrooms that worked very well. Great food and nice to have communal meals. Great walks around the property and we loved to go in and out by rafting. Staff were all super friendly and helpful. An absolutely lovely place even without wifi, not much electricity and rainy days.

We didn’t mind (even our teenage children were fine with it) but there is no wifi or hot water. There was limited electricity because they have solar panels and we had rainy and cloudy days.

Immersion in nature

I loved this property and the total experience. I live in CR and felt this was one of my best adventures. I will return with friends.

Amazing stay. Beautiful view from the room as well as from the common area. Organization of the rafting was perfectly managed and a lot of fun. Vegegtarian diet was taken care of and overall super friendly staff. Food and Drinks are taken care of. Alcoholic drinks you need to bring yourself or buy when you are tranferred to the lodge.

We had no phone reception which we actually liked very much. Some had, so probably depends on your provider. Just bring a Book or a game.

Positioning of the lodges on the hills above the river was beautiful. It was secluded, peaceful and surrounded by nature. So many birds and butterflies around the property.

Loved the location and being able to sit on our balcony watching the birds and river

Nothing

Clean and fresh with a good view of the river. Our river guide prepared good and healthy meals for us. Lovely short trail through deep water to a swimming spot with a waterfall.

The room did need a little service, like a leaky sink.

Loved being out in the middle of nowhere to take in the wonderful scenery and beauty of the wildlife. I enjoyed the food cooked at the property. Moses was the best host we had at the property. Tony the driver was also very friendly and helpful. The volunteers at the property were also great.

Would like to be have told that the electricity wouldn’t last all night - just to charge phone and watch. A couple of different activities would have been nice for the afternoon of a stay. Lack of communication about certain things at the property. We had our own toilet and shower but they were very primitive.

Pacuare River Lodge is a beautiful place. Very special to raft to the lodge. Great place to relax, sit, watch, read and take pictures. Take an extra day there, it is worth it. Johanna and Kirk do a really good job. They helped me as well with my bike. Thanks also to the stuff at the lodge who did a really good job. Muchas gracias! And, DON'T try to drive there, the road is REALLY bad!!

Great lodge in the rainforest with wonderful staff. Food was excellent. Perfect getaway to relax and enjoy the nature. Our host Joanna had been great to organize the drive to the lodge and to the bus station.

The rafting and stay at Pacuare Lodge is 100 per cent top-class and can be recommended to those willing to enjoy an adventure and stay in the rainforest. The rafting for us (a group of 8 friends, rafting for the first time in our life) was one of the highlights of our 20 days trip in Costa Rica. The guides navigated the rafts so easily that it did not really matter if we paddled as instructed or confused commands – were were safe in their hands and could trust the guides completely. The guides Moses and Walter were very professional, entertaining and great communicators; as well as very attentive and sensitive at the same time. Everybody should give a try to this experience! Much has been said about the Lodge and its surroundings in other reviews – the praise is well deserved. This place is unforgettable and the Lodge should be added to everybody‘s itinerary as the atmosphere and the feeling you get there is beyond words.

Simple but beautiful setting, off grid (no WIFI or cell phone signal) made it easy to properly relax. The guided walks (no additional charge) were fun. Staff extremely friendly, freshly prepared proper food was really tasty. Excellent value for money.

There’s no hot water in the showers but the climate is so warm it didn’t really matter. If you opt for the pickup option to arrive or leave rather than rafting in/out be prepared for quite a white knuckle 4x4 experience.

If you want to combine an amazing pacuare river rafting experience with a stay in a wonderful cabin set in the middle of nature. You want AC and cocktails go somewhere else. If you want views to die for (our cabin was No.2 and had a lovely little outside porch and two chairs and we couldn’t budge from it. This is a little paradise but I want to stress that above that Joanne (who runs it with her husband Kirk) seems to have a magic touch with her staff and guides. Moises (spelling?) cooked with a lovely light touch friendliness and was a star on the raft, made it fun and safe. But everyone there was perfect. I foolishly lost my phone and cards (nightmare holiday scenario) and Joanne went beyond to track them down and arrange for us to pick them up. I can’t thank her enough. And I can’t recommend this highlight of our holiday highly enough!

Nothing

Nestled in the rainforest, the Pacuare Lodge had simple, affordable accomodations. The staff, Moises, Fernando and the others are amazing. We felt so cared for. Sleeping in our Glamping Room, while it was raining, watching the clouds move into and out of the mountains, the birds, it was perfect! We enjoyed the river rafting so much. The staff cooked family meals that were eaten with the others staying at the lodge, it was such a beautiful community. Joanna was a wonderful hostess, with great communication. She even got on the phone with me several times to help us choose how many nights we needed and details about the rafting trip. Highly recommend and look forward to returning.

Amazing unique place in the middle of the jungle. Breakfast, lunch, dinner are nice and tasty additions - though necessary as well. Well isolated from everything else, hence good to experince the forest (pretty loud, especially at night), many animals are around and good for those, who is looking for adventure. There is a nice pond on the creek approachable with few mins hike, where you can swim. Overall it is a great experience with likeminded young people.

There is only one free option to enter the lodge, at a given time (11am). Shall you want to enter another time, you need to pay (50$) - which they only inform you about after the booking. The road there is quite bumpy, hence they try to convince you to sign up for the rafting approach which is pricy (90$) - bit pushy on this. Local hikes are also not free, though there is not too much else to do, you would also need swimshoes, as the major hike to the waterfall takes you to the river belly deep. Other hikes are really weather and mood driven by the local staff. The bungalows are basically a bed (with really old super uncomfy spring mats), surrounded by net walls, which does not support a good night sleep, but helps to experience the night noise of the forest. Toilets and showers are quite outdoorsy, hence not the cleanest, can be 1-2 mins afar from the bungalow, hence flash light at night is essential. Not approachable by anyone with mobility issues. Bugs are around everywhere, though local frogs did a great job taking care of them.

The remote location was fabulous with river view and access for a swim and a waterfall visit . Lots of bird life to watch and very relaxing. Good rafting with experienced helm. We were well fed but suggest fruit for pudding would be a welcome addition.

Taking into account how reasonable the cost of inclusive accommodation, however the cabins could only be described as basic. One room had no curtain for privacy over the door. Could do with new towels as mine had holes in it. It would be appreciated by guests to understand that some of the bathrooms are detached from the room and not en-suite. The description of the single room said it had a patio which it did not.

Fabulous location overlooking the river. The view was amazing and bungalows set in lovely grounds with well-prepared meals.

The bungalow was quite basic for a superior room

The lodge is located on a beautiful property overlooking the Pacuare River. The owners Kirk and Joanna and all the staff were excellent. The facilities were very clean and well maintained. The rafting was superb with the best guide Bluche. Highly recommended by me.

Great property and awesome stay as long as you know what you’re getting. Staff (Moses) is awesome and cook’s for you, is your hiking guide and rafting guide. Linens are clean but basic. Beds are comfortable. This is glamping at its finest. Tons of food, great hiking (difficult), birds everywhere, great views. Definitely a bird watching experience. Biting insects are few but bug spray is a must. Cabins are basic but functional and mostly keep the jungle out. We had a blast! No internet or phone, electricity in the cabins and at the eating area. Beer and wine available to be brought in but otherwise not offered.

Although there is no hot water the showers mostly felt good because it was so warm out.