As a country known for its biodiversity, there are many eco-lodges in Costa Rica for tourists to enjoy a stay in nature.
One of those lodges, Maquenque Eco Lodge is one of the best places for birding and wildlife watching thanks to its location on the San Carlos River in the Maquenque Nature Reserve.
Here is our review of Maquenque Eco Lodge and we have a 5% promo code you can use on their website. Save 5% when using the promo code “mytanfeet”!
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Maquenque Eco Lodge Location
Maquenque Eco Lodge is located in the Alajuela province, in the small town of Boca Tapada.
It is 110 km (69 miles) from San Jose International Airport, about a 3 hour drive.
It is 228 kilometers (142 miles) from Guanacaste Airport, about a 4.5 hour drive.
How to Get to Maquenque Eco Lodge
The best way to get to Maquenque Eco Lodge is by renting a car and driving or booking a private shuttle. A 4×4 is not absolutely necessary, but we recommend a high clearance 2wd or 4wd SUV.
There are no public buses or shared shuttles that go to Maquenque Eco Lodge.
As the lodge is located across the San Carlos River, you will leave your rental car in their secure parking lot and take their boat to cross the river to get to the hotel. This is a 1 minute boat ride.
On Google Maps, set “Maquenque Eco Lodge Parking Lot” as your destination. You will see a huge sign for the turn into the parking lot.
You must park on the top and then go to the station next to the boat launch. There, you will use the radio to ask the lodge reception to call the boat for you.
Once you are on the other side of the river, it is about a 10 minute walk to the reception.
Get our Costa Rica car rental discount here!
Contact us if you would like to book a private shuttle.
Maquenque Eco Lodge Rooms
Maqueque Eco Lodge has with 16 treehouses and 15 bungalows spread throughout the rainforest and around the lake.
The bungalows all have a view of the lake and are located closer to the restaurant and reception, within a 5 minute walk.
The treehouses are located in the back of the property, in the rainforests, about a ten minute walk.
We stayed in the deluxe treehouse which had a balcony, a Jacuzzi, one king bed, one queen bed, fans, hot water and mini fridge.
The treehouses offer a true one of a lifetime experience in the rainforest.
They stand around 10 meters (30 feet) up in the treetops, giving visitors a birds eye view of the tropical rainforest all around them.
From our balcony, we saw spider monkeys right outside the bathroom, toucans, and howler monkeys, all at eye level!
At night, you do not hear anything close to the modern world. All you hear are the crickets chirping, frogs singing and rain drops falling around you.
There are no lights on the trails to the tree houses, though they give you a small flashlight. If you walk back there at night, you really feel like you’re venturing into the jungle, not knowing what is back there.
One night, on our way to our tree house after dinner, we saw something up ahead of us on the trail. It was a tapir, right in the middle of the trail, eating some leaves.
Property
The Maquenque Eco Lodge’s epicenter is the restaurant, that is where all the action happens since it faces the lake.
In the mornings, have your coffee and breakfast while watching the many birds fly around.
We would go to the restaurant every morning around 6 AM to see the action.
Thanks to the San Carlos River and nature reserve, you can see SO many birds at Maquenque Eco Lodge.
They have both the Scarlet and Great Green Macaw, lots of other parrots, kingfishers, herons, toucans, hummingbirds, manakins and much more.
The lodge is truly a birder paradise!
Near the restaurant is the pool and dock where guests can use the kayaks free of charge. At the kayak dock is the gazebo where massages are given.
There are a bunch of trails throughout the property, all with good signage and well maintained paths.
Everyday we would walk their network of trails through the rainforest and lake.
Activities
Maqueque Eco Lodge offers a handful of on-site activities that we highly recommend.
We did their San Carlos boat river tour, farm tour and night walk. All three were excellent!
The San Carlos boat river tour was very interesting because it stopped in the town of Boca San Carlos, right at the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. We also saw some cool wildlife like crocodiles, monkeys and herons.
The night walk was a great way to see the rainforest when the sun goes down.
The farm tour was a lot of fun as we learned about three essential crops in Costa Rica: coffee, cacao and sugar cane.
Overall
We stayed three nights at Maquenque Eco Lodge and it was perfect.
10/10 for service. Super friendly staff always willing to assist.
10/10 for rooms and property. Their reception has a gift shop with necessary items in case you forgot anything.
The only thing I would say is that the restaurant menu gets a bit redundant for three days, with the same choices. However, their food is excellent and we didn’t have a bad meal.
Booking
If you are a birder or are looking for a nature lodge in a non-touristic destination in Costa Rica, then you definitely need to book a stay at Maquenque Eco Lodge.
The lodge is 100% Costa Rican owned and operated and we loved that the staff were just as much into the wildlife as the guests were. They would run out to tell us there were animals or birds around.
Use our 5% promo code on their website to save 5%. Promo code is “mytanfeet”
Video
You can watch our video review of Maquenque Eco Lodge below.
Need a hotel near San Jose International Airport? Check out Adventure Inn! Great option near San Jose International Airport with free airport shuttle. Check our review for a 10% discount.
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica.
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