La Manigua Lodge — Hotel in La Macarena

La Manigua lodge is absolutely amazing. From the moment we were picked up by Alberto in the tuk-tuk, to the scented cool cloth and welcome drink upon arrival, onward to the thoughtful plantain-wrapped picnic meals and snacks for our hike through Caño Crystales, this place is top notch. ||The lodge is a unique style of accommodation that allows you to stay inside the Amazon jungle. There are no cars, and the only motor sounds interrupting the chorus of frogs and birds and monkeys are from the longboats that bring you and take you via the river. ||If you are looking for parties, bar-hopping, or sterile insect- and animal-free experiences, this is not the place for you. But if you are looking for a clean and safe place to rest between hikes, an outdoor shower under the jungle canopy where squirrel monkeys chitter at you, in a location where the monkeys cavort above you and the local tarantulas feed beneath the raised wooden walkways, this place is incredible. ||Our rooms were impeccably clean every time we returned from our guided outings. Valentina was thoughtful and so accommodating and even arranged for medication and rehydrating drinks to be brought to me when I came down with traveler's diarrhea. (Note: the ice cream sold from a portable cooler at the dock to the park is absolutely delicious, but you may want to think twice before buying.) The food, the portable lunches and the sit-down breakfasts and dinners, are delicious and fresh. ||I would absolutely come back to stay, and even without the excuse of hiking through Caño Crystales.||I highly recommend the unbelievable peak travel experience of the lodge's sunset cruise on the river accompanied by live music by one of the local guides who sang and played his original songs about the area. We even saw Amazon pink dolphins leaping and playing!||After years of travel and numerous accommodations all around the world, La Manigua Lodge is one I'll...

La Manigua lodge is absolutely amazing. From the moment we were picked up by Alberto in the tuk-tuk, to the scented cool cloth and welcome drink upon arrival, onward to the thoughtful plantain-wrapped picnic meals and snacks for our hike through Caño Crystales, this place is top notch.

The lodge is a unique style of accommodation that allows you to stay inside the Amazon jungle. There are no cars, and the only motor sounds interrupting the chorus of frogs and birds and monkeys are from the longboats that bring you and take you via the river.

If you are looking for parties, bar-hopping, or sterile insect- and animal-free experiences, this is not the place for you. But if you are looking for a clean and safe place to rest between hikes, an outdoor shower under the jungle canopy where squirrel monkeys chitter at you, in a location where the monkeys cavort above you and the local tarantulas feed beneath the raised wooden walkways, this place is incredible.

Our rooms were impeccably clean every time we returned from our guided outings. Valentina was thoughtful and so accommodating and even arranged for medication and rehydrating drinks to be brought to me when I came down with traveler's diarrhea. (Note: the ice cream sold from a portable cooler at the dock to the park is absolutely delicious, but you may want to think twice before buying.) The food, the portable lunches and the sit-down breakfasts and dinners, are delicious and fresh.

I would absolutely come back to stay, and even without the excuse of hiking through Caño Crystales.

I highly recommend the unbelievable peak travel experience of the lodge's sunset cruise on the river accompanied by live music by one of the local guides who sang and played his original songs about the area. We even saw Amazon pink dolphins leaping and playing!

After years of travel and numerous accommodations all around the world, La Manigua Lodge is one I'll...

La manigua is a magical place. Everything in the place goes according to its mission: energy is solar powered, no trees were cut down during its construction, they provide you with eco-friendly shampoo and soap, and they use dry bathrooms. That doesn't however make this any less of an incredible place to stay; the room was beautiful, with its own balcony, a net where you can lay down to see the monkeys and the stars, binoculars so you can do some birdwatching, and even some incense so that you can keep bugs away while you're enjoying yourself. The food is also amazing, and all the people working there are super nice.

Aside from the place, Juan Pablo makes sure to plan an amazing trip from start to finish that is catered to all of your needs. You will get to see Caño Cristales, a colombian marvel, an many other incredible places, like Raudales or Caño Cristalitos. Juan pablo makes sure there's not a moment to lose, and you'll be able to enjoy things like a cacao workshop or a nighttime walk to see the animal life after dark. Even when you are at the hotel, you are surrounded by nature and animals, which makes every single minute special.

Our stay was great, and we want to come back again. We enjoyed every second of our time there, and we could tell that Juan Pablo cares as much about the guests as he does about the community and the ecosystem...