"BEWARE the "solo traveller" to corcovado jungle lodge!"
im an australian traveller who has only recently returned home from drake bay (' bahia drake' )in costa rica"s south west region.i decided to fly there unannounced using domestic airline nature air, and planned to stay at corcovado jungle lodge for a couple of nights in november 2009..they said i cold stay in one of there lodges for US$ 35 a night which sounded like a good price for an eco lodge...after arriving in the airoplane to drake bay air strip, there was a guy waiting there to transport u into town("drake bay" ) he then charges u depending on the number of people he has in his 4wd troop carrier ..3 or more people US$8 us dollars each .....solo traveller with no other people to share cost US$18 dollars to travel the 6 km road into town .."an absolute rip off" !u cannot walk into town because there are river crossings so u basically have to grin and bare it ...but wait it gets worse!!
"carlos the manager"of corcovado jungle lodge(" who i now call carlos the jackle"...)insists on sending a driver to pick me up from town to transport me to corcovado jungle lodge which is another 6km out of the drake bay town area ..he tells me it will cost me another US$18 to go to the lodge(" no hotel courtasy free pick up...." ) which i said i was not prepaired to pay and will stay in one of the "numerous accomodations" in town instead....so carlos"s driver turns up demanding the $18 dollars which i "reluctantly" paid but then refused to go with the driver and stay at there lodge.....( they literally stole from me....!)accomodations in town(drake bay ) have great panoramic views of the bay and are reasonably priced,with a few different places to eat and drink! my advise to anyone planning a trip to "drake bay" is to stay in one of the many accomodations in town......." DO NOT STAY AT CORCOVADO JUNGLE LODGE "they will "rip u off blind" and there is nothing u will be able to do about it ......

Just got back from the Corcovado Jungle Eco Lodge in the southern part of Costa Rica. What an amazing experience!

We stayed at The Corcovado Jungle Eco Lodge - a warm and welcoming place that provided a comfy bed and a hot shower. Why mention a hot shower? Because it's the only resort with one in the jungle - it was a HUGE luxury! We were greeted by Marna and her two sons. (Carlos, her husband, was out catching the evening meal on his fishing boat.) Marna's a Southern Ontario girl who has built this wonderfully rustic resort with her husband over the last 20 years. She speaks fluent English and Spanish, and helped us immensely. Whatever we wanted to do, Marna had it arranged.

My most exciting experience was the zip lining trip - we walked there - it's a leisurely walk down a dirt road where children are playing and moms are cooking their fresh fish in open kitchens. The zip lining had 13 stops, and at one point you could see the South Pacific while you're gliding over the top of the jungle. It was awesome!

I said my most amazing experience was the zip lining, but as I'm remembering all of the things we did, it's really hard to place one experience above the rest. The horseback riding, for example, was incredible. We blazed a trail through the jungle right down to the ocean, went swimming on a beautiful beach, and had a great picnic. We got to go snorkelling around rock formations sticking out of the ocean, and I saw the biggest lobster, schools of fish, sting rays, the list goes on and on, and I looked back at the beach and saw our horses under the shade - I felt like we were in a Hollywood movie. And this is an area of Costa Rica where there are virtually no bugs!

My favourite story to tell is my fishing story. Marna and Carlos arranged for us to take a Panga boat for a half day private charter deep sea fishing experience in the South Pacific. Within two hours, we caught six Yellow Fin Tuna's, the smallest being 14 pounds, and a 35 pound Dorado, or Mahi Mahi. I guess they're called different names in different oceans. The Dorado took 1/2 an hour to land - I couldn't brush my hair the next day because I couldn't lift my arms above my head! But it was worth every exhausting minute bringing that fish in. The way it jumped 40, 50 feet out of the sea was just incredible. Oh, and all this time, there was a Humpback whale and her baby about half a mile away from us putting on a show.

We fed all of the guests that night with the fish we caught, and the cooks prepared fresh tuna sandwiches for the next day. We're really into deep sea fishing, having chartered many a Hatteras off the coast of Key Largo, but I've never had a fishing experience like the one we had on the South Pacific. It's true, the boat didn't have a galley, or a sun tanning deck, and the first mate and captain only spoke Spanish, but this only added to the memories, as it truly was all about the fishing.

All of these experiences could only be made possible because of Marna and Carlos. They've got connections! When we were back at the airport sharing stories with other tourists, ours was the best experience, and I could tell there was some envy going on from those tourists who spent a LOT of money for a deep sea fishing adventure, or a whale watching tour, and never caught or saw anything!

The Corcovado Lodge is a place I will return to every year. The food is fresh every day, and is good for you! A local farmer comes by with fresh watermelon and fruits with names I can't produce. I never felt healthier. They do some international dishes but mostly local dishes and you'll have the best fish, rice, beans, and fruit you've ever had. And the coffee is exceptional! There's a lookout deck on top of the main house that looks over the Corcovado Jungle on one side, and the South Pacific Ocean on the other - it's breathtaking. The cabins are all different, and built along the edge of the jungle. There's a private bathroom in every cabin, along with a coffee maker, and a mini bar fridge. Oh, and did I mention a hot shower? What an unexpected treat in the middle of the jungle. But I liked heading down the planked walkway to get to the outdoor restaurant for coffee in the morning. Sitting there listening to the Spanish ladies preparing the day's meals with the jungle coming alive in the background is a time I will never forget. I've never written a review on a trip before, and I've been to Bermuda, Australia, Italy, the Florida Keys, and all of the Caribbean. But the Corcovado Jungle Eco Lodge was such a special experience, I feel I had to share it.

My 8 year old son and I stayed at this lodge for 5 nights. While we were there we had the best eco-experience ever. It all started from the minute we stepped off the plane in Drake Bay where Carlos the owner met us to take us on our adventure.
Once we arrived on property after a short ride he brought us to our bungalow which was our own private piece of paradise. The bungalow was clean and comfortable.
The grounds were simply beautiful , there was so many different types of flowers, trees and animals on porperty, and lots of land to explore.
Carlos was our host and tour guide for the week. Every tour that we wanted to go on he set up for us with 24hrs notice and he took care of all the details for us all we had to do was pack our stuff for the day and we were off !
There are plenty of things to do, we took a hike 3km into the jungle to the most amazing waterfall and swam there for the afternoon, we went on a snorkling tour to Cano Island, took a day just to swim at the beach , and our favorite was when we got to go horseback riding thru the jungle and to the ocean. At first my son was scared but Carlos even took care of that and in no time my son was riding like a pro !!! There is also a Canopy Tour pracitcally right next door and you can do Dolphin tours and a National Park in the Rain Forest.. So much to do...I wish we could have stayed longer !!!
My son is 1/2 Costa Rican and Carlos was amazing on explaining and pointing out to him every little bug, flower, tree , animal and all the heritage of this beautiful country.
We had wonderful Tico food daily and my son who is a picky eater loved most of it and when he didn't like something it was not a problem, they just made him something else ! We had plenty of fresh fruit every day and anything else we wanted or needed we asked and then got it. !
All I can say is SIMPLY AMAZING !!! They are attentive to what you need to have a great vacation and I would definately reccommend this lodge and plan to stay there the next time we go to Costa Rica.

Sitting in front of the hut and listing to the sound ot the forest, was the best way to enjoy the forest - true - but, we had the feeling, that we were the first guests for months. The best time of the lodge and also of Carlos the host are gone - thats obvious. So we werent really surprised that at the day we were leaving, there were no Carlos and no taxi showing up. The shopkeeper nearby gave us a lift, fortunately.