El Zota Biological Field Station — Hotel in Rita

We stayed for 2 nights at El Zota with our three children (11 & 8 yr old twins). We immediately felt like family - the owners run the business with so much love and enthusiasm for the nature and environment and made us feel so welcome ! They only speak Spanish but have a really nice english speaking guy who helps when foreign guests arrive. The drive there is long, the last 30 km take just over 1 hour on a gravel road (we came from puerto viejo) but the road was fine, Waze worked great to get us there, we’ve seen a lot worse roads during our time in Costa Rica. ||We stayed in the La Culebra room which had 3 bedrooms, 2 toilets and 1 hot & 1 cold shower. The rooms are simple but lovely, expect a few bugs as you are staying in the middle of nature and don’t forget to bring plenty of mosquito repellent. There is no fridge, but they kindly allowed us to store a few perishable items we had left in the main fridge in the kitchen. We had wifi but signal wasn’t very strong. The rooms all have fans so we were comfortable despite of the heat and the open windows (they all have mosquito netting on) let a nice breeze in and you could fall asleep to the sound of the rainforest. Breakfast in the morning was included and absolutely delicious (Costa rican breakfast for adults, cereal & pancakes for kids). Lunch and dinner were made on demand, there was no fixed menu or prices but the food was freshly made for us and the prices fair. (can highly recommend the Costa rican special ! and for kids they made pasta, burger & chips). They also have beers and soft drinks for purchase and even surprised our twins with a birthday cake (which was 2 days before our arrival). ||The nature and animals are breathtaking here, (we saw more then on some paid guided tours in other parts of Costa Rica) the nightsky so dark and full of stars, we saw howler, spider and white faced monkeys, beautiful green and red parrots, frogs, a baby owl and many more, kids enjoyed feeding the fish and turtles in the pond and taking a refreshing dip in the little pool (it’s more jacuzzi size and depths). They have a little bar area too with football and billard table. The owners always pointed out animals that we could see from the main building. |There are a couple of self guided walks you can do yourself through the rainforest with information boards on the way but they also offer guided activities. You can borrow wellies there too for free. |We absolutely fell in love with the place, if you love remoteness, ‘middle of nowhere’ feeling and nature and don’t expect luxury this is the...

My husband and I enjoy wildlife photography. We decided to visit El Zota Biological Field Station. Our experience was very pleasant. It took us about 3 hours and half from San Jose using Google Maps. El Zota belongs to the Ramirez Family. Everyone there is highly committed to conservation and love for nature. This is apparent by the decision of Hiner’s father to stop all logging 30+ years ago and protect this forest. The entire service was outstanding. Including the rooms and the dining area. However, the best service was provided by Hiner who was our guide, manager and son of the owners. He is very educated regarding plants, animals and insects. He is very patient and informative with the entire property, including spotting animals. We did daily hikes, the view point, the lake, but our favorite part was the nocturnal hikes where we were able to spot a lot of animals. He took excellent care us. His English is perfect. In addition, he also has a YouTube channel, which is amazing. This place is out of the most common tourist places. So you can really enjoy yourself with the fauna and the flora. We highly recommend El Zota for your...

El Zota was amazing, and is on my list of places to return and visit more. The drive in was bumpy and long, but well-worth it. I felt very secluded here and loved feeling so at home in the middle of a rainforest. The trails are beautiful and full of biodiversity - we saw so many different animals it was incredible. ||I came with a school group and El Zota was perfectly set up for that type of group. There was a classroom, a library with lots of ecology and wildlife books. Many of the rooms had multiple bunk beds and shared bathrooms. The rooms were sufficient, although the mattresses in the bunks weren't the most comfortable. ||I plan on returning with my husband and staying in a single cabin, with double bed and private bath.||The kitchen was wonderful and I loved all the food I ate here. They serve three meals a day.||There is a bar on location to buy a beer at night, if you're not too exhausted from hiking.||The grounds near the lodge were landscaped beautifully.||Everyone at El Zota was incredibly friendly. I loved...