General Information The premier birding lodge in Costa Rica, Rancho Naturalista is among the finest in Central America. Over 450 species of birds have been recorded in the area. These birds may be sampled from this comfortable lodge famous for its excellent food, welcoming hospitality and stunning volcano views. Provisions are also made for non-birding companions who will find Rancho Naturalista a relaxing holiday retreat.
Location Rancho Naturalista is set at an altitude of between 2528 and  350ft ( 766 and 1167m) on the Caribbean slope in the Cordillera Talamanca, Costa Rica. The lodge is 2 1/2 hours ( 65 Km / 40 miles ) east of San Jose and about 1/2 hour ( 20 Km /12 miles ) south east from the town of Turrialba, this makes Rancho Naturalista an excellent base to visit other sites on the Caribbean Slope. Set at an altitude of 2970ft ( 900m ) the lodge's balcony and many rooms provide stunning views of Volcan Turrialba  ( 10,985ft, 3329m ) and Volcan Irazu ( 11,325ft, 3432m ) See the location map
Facilities Horse riding is popular with our guests and is included free of charge. Our moth light attracts a sizeable percentage of the 12,000 species of moths which can be found in Costa Rica, along with other interesting insects. Around the lodge itself you will see several species of Morphos and a large variety of hesperids, nymphalids, pieridae and papilionidae. Our new butterfly trail will be open early 2007. Rancho Naturalista is also home to a huge array of animals; especially abundant are many frog species, a real highlight for many guests.
Rooms The accommodations The lodge is a home from home with 15 comfortable well appointed, recently decorated rooms. You can choose from a room with balcony views to a private casita with its own veranda. The main building of the lodge is in a traditional spanish colonial style, it has a comfortable sitting room with a large internal and external dining area along with our world famous recently extended birding balcony, where over 250 species have been recorded.