Ecoturístico La Tarde — Hotel in Puerto Jiménez

I stayed at La Tarde for 9 nights in early January, and it was an experience that I will always remember. I would absolutely recommend staying here to anyone who really wants to get a taste of the jungle, and I'll try to write a detailed review that will help future travelers.

First, I'll say up front that there is no hot water or electricity in the rooms, and cell reception is very limited. Kolbi works at the top of the hill, and the wifi is limited and not very reliable. However, you can charge your batteries/phones/electronics at a solar charging area in the dining room. I found that I was able to disconnect in a way that I haven't at other places, and so I'd definitely stay there again instead of somewhere else that had cell reception/hot water. The meals they serve are great, and the staff there is incredibly kind and accommodating.

Second, and most importantly (at least for me), the connection to nature that you feel at La Tarde is unprecedented. You wake up in the morning to howler monkeys, and from the porch of my cabin I saw Toucans, Scarlet Macaws, Swallow Tailed Kites, Raptors, Egrets, Hummingbirds, Flycatchers, and other birds. I crossed a trail of leaf cutter ants to get to my cabin, and within a 5 minute walk of my cabin I saw squirrel monkeys, sloths, tarantulas, lichen katydids, cane toads, geckos, beetles, and a ton of other wildlife.

Once you go hiking on the trails, (I definitely recommend taking a guided tour, if Eduardo is available he's an incredible guide who knows the area intimately, and Jairo is great if you're really interested in mammals) be prepared to see some really incredible flora and fauna. The trails around La Tarde include both primary and secondary forest, and are incredibly rich in diversity and abundance. Orchids, bromeliads, vines, flowers, all are on display. Whether you want to see unique mammals like kinkajou, unique amphibians like the Golfo Dulce frog (an endangered dart frog) and Glass frogs (I saw 3 species of glass frogs during my stay), or just want to observe the huge amount of lizards and insects, you'll be satisfied. If sights are more of your thing, there are waterfalls and a massive fig tree close to the main lodging area, and a stream is nearby.

I'd absolutely recommend staying here if your wish is to disconnect, and have an authentic experience of what it's like to live in close proximity to the jungle. I will definitely be staying there again, I...

La Tarde is an amazing place--an ecolodge in the primary rainforest near Corcovado NP. It's got its own network of trails, and you can walk to an ancient strangler fig, to a crystal clear jungle pool, to a waterfall. A stay there includes delicious food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. (I have celiac disease, and they made gluten-free food for me with no problems). You can sit on the balcony of your cabin, overlooking a valley, and watch macaws and parrots flying overhead and toucans and trogons sitting in the trees. They offer guided walks, and my son and I took night tour with Harold, where we saw lots of frogs, tarantulas, scorpions, and crabs--very cool!||Not everybody will enjoy La Tarde. It's like Bosque del Cabo, but ramped up several levels in intensity. The trails are steeper and wilder. The cabins are hotter. (That is my one complaint--there was no fan in our cabin, and it was hot at night!) There is no pool, except for the gorgeous one in the jungle river.||One afternoon, some ants started marching through our cabin. My son and I were initially fine with that, but thousands started coming and I ran for help. Eduardo the owner, his young daughter, and Harald came to investigate and told us that we didn't need a broom or bug spray--they were army ants that had been living nearby and were transporting their nest somewhere else. We watched the ants for a while, and Harald explained what we were seeing and the ecology. And indeed, before we went to bed, they were completely gone. If you think that's cool, which my son and I did, you'll...

This was our most enjoyable wildlife location in Costa Rica. It was also the most low key, with no electricity in our tented accommodation, no hot water, no mobile phone or wifi. This made us even more relaxed, and we were up at first light with the sound of the howler monkeys and asleep by 9 pm! Eduardo and his family were delightful. He spoke a little English, but we were glad we had a Spanish translation app on our mobile so that we could communicate more complex things. He took us on two walks, a daytime trip to the Los Patos ranger station, about 5 km away and a shorter night-time walk which was full of interest, a snake eating a frog, many large tarantulas, granular poison frog, a kinkajou. There was great bird life in daytime, lots of scarlet macaws, toucans, parrots, plus many smaller birds. One day we saw squirrel monkeys (our only sighting in Costa Rica) about 20 m from the dining area. Food was good too, lots of fresh fruit and they coped well with Anne's lactose intolerance. We spent 4 nights there and didn't want to leave. Thoroughly recommend it unless you are...