Mawamba Lodge

There’s a huge variety of wildlife right around the lodge: toucans, macaws, howler monkeys, all kinds of birds, turtles, iguanas, snakes, and plenty more. You don’t even need to go into the national park, the animals are right outside your door. The lodge sits between the canals and the Caribbean ocean, but swimming in either isn’t an option: the ocean has dangerous rip currents, and there are obviously caimans in the canals. The lodge is beautiful and in the middle of nowhere, inside Tortuguero National Park. All the rooms are open and have no AC. Being constantly connected to nature is a plus, but with the humidity, especially when it rains, wet clothes never seem to dry. The restaurant was disappointing. The food was safe to eat, but we didn’t think it tasted very good, and it was expensive. It’s better to walk 15-20 minutes to Tortuguero town for a soda, or take the boat taxi for $4. The waitresses there also weren’t very attentive. Those drawbacks bring my rating down to four stars, but the advantages still outweigh them, and I can recommend the lodge.

The tours were the highlight of our stay at Mawamba. We took a tour of the grounds, a wildlife boat tour, hiked Tortuguero Hill, and went on a dinner cruise. Humberto guided most of them. He knew an incredible amount about the wildlife and seemed to truly love his job. Mawamba is a beautiful property, and we loved our room and the feeling of sleeping in the rainforest. The onsite restaurant was fairly basic and pricey. The wait staff were always kind, but weren’t very attentive when it came to drinks or bringing the check. Our shuttle didn’t arrive at the correct time, and the person handling it was very rude. I’m not sure if that was Mawamba or a company they contract with. Even so, I’d highly recommend staying at Mawamba for a visit to Tortuguero.

Ocean on one side and wet jungle on the other made for a stunning jungle stay. The staff were really good. I’d suggest improving the food quality a little, but I’d highly recommend the place for a stay with family and friends.

We can only recommend Mawamba lodge, and we’ll come back next time we’re in Tortuguero. Our room had a cooling fan instead of air conditioning, and Wi-Fi was only available at reception and the restaurant, but that didn’t change how much we enjoyed our stay. Everything started well at La Pavona. An extra worker was there expecting us, showed us where to park, and led us to the boat to the hotel. The reception staff were very kind, despite some recent reviews saying otherwise. They let us know in advance that the pool would be renovated during our stay, and arranged a free shuttle boat to the nearest other hotel with a pool. That was great. When we lost a bag, the security guard found it and brought it straight to reception. We really appreciated that. The restaurant food was great too.