In June 2020, Isabel and I traveled with a couple of friends into the mountains of Costa Rica. We stayed at Hotel Savegre and Natural Reserve (formerly Savegre Mountain Lodge) which sits within a private reserve located in the central cordillera or central mountain range of Costa Rica. The reserve is criss-crossed by several trails.
Specifically, the lodge is located close to San Gerardo de Dota at over 7,000 feet (2200 meters). The higher trails exceed 8,000 feet. At the time we visited, Dota was the only cantón (county) in Costa Rica with no COVID cases.
I highly recommend the area and the hotel as it is only a short drive from San José. The drive is beautiful and, once you leave the main highway, is full of curves with steep climbs and drops, but is completely safe. The entire area around the lodge and preserve is spectacular.
The rooms at the hotel are outstanding and have heaters as it gets very cool at night at this altitude. The restaurant was very good and the hotel, in general, was following very strict safety protocols. A garden full of hummingbirds and other bird species is set close to the main hotel headquarters and restaurant.
Isabel and I hiked into the preserve and after about an hour heavy rains hit. We were about halfway through the trail and decided to keep going to complete the loop. Unfortunately, we lost the trail and spent 2-3 hours working our way through flooded terrain and crossing a rapid-flowing stream before making it back to the lodge. It was an adventure, no doubt, but we loved it. Any birder or nature-lover visiting Costa Rica should find a way to visit the area.
Photos from the neighborhood and the area close to the hotel:
Photos from the upper trail - before the deluge. Actually the final photo if from a trail near the hotel which butts up against Quetzales National Park.
The aftermath of the deluge
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