Rios Lodge

Toucans cross the river in front of the dining pavilion most afternoons, and howler monkeys start calling before the coffee is poured. Ríos Lodge sits beside the Pacuare River in Costa Rica's Limón Province, reachable only by raft or by a footpath along the riverbank. There is no road in. Guests arrive on the gentler upper stretch of the Pacuare rapids, stay a night or several, then either raft the rougher gorge section below the lodge or walk out along the same trail. Cabins and suites have private baths, screened windows, and covered porches facing the water; the eco rooms are bunk-style, built for groups. Electricity runs on hydropower, and lit paths connect the cabins after dark. Waterfalls drop off the canyon ridge behind the lodge into swimming holes guests can walk to on their own, including one by the suspension bridge and another at Terciopelo Creek. Meals are fixed rather than à la carte, since supplies come in by raft roughly every two weeks, but the kitchen still turns out grilled fish, pastas, and a standing vegetarian and vegan menu. The lodge's 2,000-acre reserve backs onto a wildlife corridor supporting jaguars, ocelots, and the Great Green Macaw. It is a working piece of forest, not a backdrop.