La Cotinga Biological Station

We arrived after a long drive, in the dark, without much idea what to expect. A short walk in, and we were blown away by the lodge. The staff were kind and helpful, the food was tasty, and the whole stay felt perfect. We only had one night before heading farther down the peninsula, but would definitely have stayed longer if we could.

We saw lots of wildlife on the bookable night tour, and the staff were all very friendly. This is a unique place set in a beautiful garden, and the excellent food was included in our rate.

La Cotinga is quiet and off the beaten track, yet well connected to Corcovado and close to the trail to Los Patos, which I'd recommend. We saw a sloth, coats, toucans, hummingbirds, basilisks and iguanas along the way. Breakfast was delicious and generous. The place itself is wonderful and perfectly clean. The rooms have mosquito nets instead of glass in the windows, but we didn't have insects inside. Showers and toilets are in the garden, partly open to the air, which is awesome.

The hosts at La Cotinga made our stay relaxing and enjoyable, and the accommodation was comfortable and well equipped. We were surrounded by beautiful scenery, and saw plenty of animals, birds and plants on the finca. The Costa Rican cooking was excellent.