Mawamba Lodge
Mawamba Lodge
Enjoy the peace, tranquility, and nature of Tortuguero National Park from Mawamba Lodge. Set on a narrow strip of land between the Tortuguero Canals and the Caribbean Sea, this rustic ecolodge offers an exotic and unique location for ecotourists to enjoy one of the most remote regions in Costa Rica. Lodge amenities include a swimming pool and whirlpool, restaurant and bar, coffee room with a put and take library, tropical gardens and trails, and WiFi in some public areas.
Tortuguero is one of the most remote and least accessible regions in Costa Rica. You can only get there by boat or plane. Once there, the canals are the roads and boats are the only method of transportation. Many exotic and rare animals live in Tortuguero. Animals such as green macaws, toucans, sloths, monkeys, and even jaguars live and thrive in the jungle. Endangered sea turtles lay eggs on the beach in front of the village and nesting tours can be reserved (additional fee and subject to availability) from the end of July through the beginning of August.
Mawamba Lodge offers several packages to choose from; 3-days, 2-nights, 4-days, 3-nights, or 2-days, 1-night. Most visitors select the 3-days, 2-nights package. These packages include roundtrip transportation from select San Jose hotels, lodging in selected room style, meals at the lodge, and the standard tours.
Getting to the lodge requires a sense of adventure. The drive from San Jose to the dock takes around 4 - 5 hours including a stop for breakfast (only if taking the lodge's provided transportation - not available in any other circumstance). Then the boat ride (25-pound weight restriction) will take another 1 - 1.5 hours. When you arrive at the lodge, a buffet lunch will be provided. You will visit the village of Tortuguero in the afternoon. Then, you will walk back along the beach trail the hotel (weather permitting).
1-Night Package: On your second day, coffee will be available at 5:30 am. Then, at 5:45 am, a guided boat tour will be provided through the Tortuguero Canals and national park. While there, you will be required to pay the Tortuguero National Park entrance fee which is $15 for adults, $5 for kids 5 - 11, and free for younger children (entrance fees are not included with hotel stay). After a couple of hours, you will return to the lodge, where breakfast will be served at 8:00 am. Those on the 1-night package will leave at 9:00 am.
2-Night Package: On your second day, breakfast will be served from 7:30 - 9:00 am. Then around mid-morning, a guided tour will be provided to the Mawamba Park to see the butterfly garden, river turtle area, and the bio-digestor. After lunch, you will go on the Tortuguero Canals and national park tour. The entrance fee is $15 for adults, $5 for kids 5 - 11, and free for younger children (entrance fees are not included with hotel stay). You will be returned after a couple of hours and have the afternoon to relax before dinner is served in the evening.
The 3-Night Package runs similarly to the 2-Night Package. The third day is a free day without organized activities.
On the final day of the 2 or 3-night packages, breakfast will be served, and then a boat ride will be provided to the docks. Then, you will either continue to San Jose with the hotel's transfer or meet another transfer at a designated location to continue to other destinations.
Mawamba Lodge offers 58 rustic rooms, 54 Standard Rooms, and 4 Superior Rooms. All rooms have a fan, in-room safe deposit box, screened windows, private bathroom, and a porch. The Superior Rooms are larger than the Standard Rooms. These rooms are casita-style with one king bed and a large bathroom with a hot tub in addition to the previously mentioned amenities.
NOTES:
Due to the location, you must make transportation arrangements well in advance.
Tortuguero is humid, hot, and rugged. This is a remote ecolodge.
Swimming is not permitted at the beach due to riptides and generally unsafe conditions. This is not a beach destination.
You must select the correct package based on the number of nights of your stay.
Latitude: N 10° 32' 22.96"
Longitude: W 83° 30' 9.61"
