Nature Observatorio
Nature Observatorio
5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
Nature Observatorio is a beautiful treehouse suspended 25 meters up on a tree in the middle of the jungle in the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge at the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Enjoy wonderful nature hike through primary forest, exercise yourself climbing up the tree with ropes, and sleep up on the tree in the middle on the jungle. This is not just your ordinary accommodation. We are offering the ultimate 3-in-1 Costa Rica Tour Adventure: 1. Hike through real prime rainforest. Watch wildlife in its real natural habitat and listen to the sounds and whispers of the nature. 2. Climb 25 meters (8 stories) high up the tree. Use our safe climbing technique to hoist yourselves up to Nature Observatorio. 3. Spend a night up on the tree in the middle of the jungle. Enjoy one of the most memorable nights of your life and feel like Tarzan and Jane. To prepare yourselves for the adventure we suggest to read Frequently Asked Questions on our website.
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
281 reviews
Excellent
278
Very good
2
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Ole M
17 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Simply the single best way to spend a night in Costa Rica, or anywhere in the world! Peter has built a unique place, and has kept it unique by not mass producing and making it too easy! Even though I'm scared of heights, I got both up and down fine with help from our great guides. There was also a heavy rainstorm at night, but I never felt unsafe in the treehouse.
The cloud touched the trees at times and the rainforest lived up to its name, but we still saw lots of monkeys, even a throwing fruit and branches fight between howler monkeys and spider monkeys on the tree next to the treehouse! Furthermore we saw a white falcon, tucans, parrots, parakeets, and on the trek we saw an eyelash viper, three different poison dart frogs and plenty of cool bugs! Good binoculars and species books are available in the tree! After almost a month in CR I can safely say Peter was the best wildlife spotter I had the pleasure to encounter. Some people say it is if it is a bit expensive, but you get both a tour, a dinner and an overnight stay that you will remember for the rest of your life. In addition there is a true care for nature and native rights in this company! I will surely book two nights if I get a chance to come back!
The cloud touched the trees at times and the rainforest lived up to its name, but we still saw lots of monkeys, even a throwing fruit and branches fight between howler monkeys and spider monkeys on the tree next to the treehouse! Furthermore we saw a white falcon, tucans, parrots, parakeets, and on the trek we saw an eyelash viper, three different poison dart frogs and plenty of cool bugs! Good binoculars and species books are available in the tree! After almost a month in CR I can safely say Peter was the best wildlife spotter I had the pleasure to encounter. Some people say it is if it is a bit expensive, but you get both a tour, a dinner and an overnight stay that you will remember for the rest of your life. In addition there is a true care for nature and native rights in this company! I will surely book two nights if I get a chance to come back!
Written January 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Moritz D
2 contributions
Aug 2022
This treehouse is certainly a gem and was one of our highlights in our costa rica journey.
The owner Peter did pick us up on time at the meeting spot and led us to the treehouse. Already on the way he showed us a lot of animals and told us about the project. Once we arrived at the treehouse we climbed up. Videos of the process are available on the homepage. We definitly recommend staying there one night and picking the vip package with dinner and breakfast.
In the evening we were able to see a lot of birds and enjoy the sounds of the jungle.
Peter knows incredibly much about the jungle and is such a nice person. We enjoyed our stay and recommend everyone, who is interested in an adventurous experience, to go there!
The owner Peter did pick us up on time at the meeting spot and led us to the treehouse. Already on the way he showed us a lot of animals and told us about the project. Once we arrived at the treehouse we climbed up. Videos of the process are available on the homepage. We definitly recommend staying there one night and picking the vip package with dinner and breakfast.
In the evening we were able to see a lot of birds and enjoy the sounds of the jungle.
Peter knows incredibly much about the jungle and is such a nice person. We enjoyed our stay and recommend everyone, who is interested in an adventurous experience, to go there!
Written August 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adilene
San Diego, CA1 contribution
Jan 2022 • Couples
Peter has created a one of a kind and unique experience! It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and any nature enthusiast should book it on their trip to Costa Rica.
Peter’s passion for the environment is truly inspiring! During our hike to the treehouse we learned a lot about animals, plants, and the Costa Rican culture and people. The hike was about 30 minutes and can be very muddy, but Peter offers rubber boots if you need them. We saw a toucan about 10 meters away along with many other bugs, frogs, and birds. It was fascinating to see these animals in their natural habitat.
Climbing up to the treehouse was so much fun - we gained a new hobby! It requires some physical strength, but once you get the technique down, it isn’t hard. You are strapped in with a harness and security rope so you feel very safe.
Our stay was incredible! We heard so many animals all around us and the view is absolutely breathtaking. You get a view from above the canopy, which is such a unique perspective that you can’t get anywhere else. Binoculars are provided by Peter. We had a few visitors in the treehouse as well, mostly bugs and lizards. But we didn’t have any trouble with mosquitoes. Dinner and breakfast is provided, but we suggest bringing some snacks in a sealed container. We also suggest for you to wake up at sunrise so you can hear the forest come alive.
Unfortunately, we only booked 1 overnight day. We wished we would’ve stayed longer!! This was definitely the highlight of our trip. Thank you so much Peter and Teresa. We’ll be back!
Peter’s passion for the environment is truly inspiring! During our hike to the treehouse we learned a lot about animals, plants, and the Costa Rican culture and people. The hike was about 30 minutes and can be very muddy, but Peter offers rubber boots if you need them. We saw a toucan about 10 meters away along with many other bugs, frogs, and birds. It was fascinating to see these animals in their natural habitat.
Climbing up to the treehouse was so much fun - we gained a new hobby! It requires some physical strength, but once you get the technique down, it isn’t hard. You are strapped in with a harness and security rope so you feel very safe.
Our stay was incredible! We heard so many animals all around us and the view is absolutely breathtaking. You get a view from above the canopy, which is such a unique perspective that you can’t get anywhere else. Binoculars are provided by Peter. We had a few visitors in the treehouse as well, mostly bugs and lizards. But we didn’t have any trouble with mosquitoes. Dinner and breakfast is provided, but we suggest bringing some snacks in a sealed container. We also suggest for you to wake up at sunrise so you can hear the forest come alive.
Unfortunately, we only booked 1 overnight day. We wished we would’ve stayed longer!! This was definitely the highlight of our trip. Thank you so much Peter and Teresa. We’ll be back!
Written January 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marianna
Florham Park, NJ2 contributions
Dec 2022 • Couples
We had a fantastic experience at this tree house with my husband in December of 2022. Our guide was excellent, Teresa. She was VERY friendly and knowledgeable. Talking to one of the owners named, Richard was also pleasant. Walking through the jungle to a tree house was a treat in itself. We saw lots of animals, including poisonous frogs. We climbed the tree, and it was relatively easy and adventurous! Children can do it too. A rope delivered our dinner. The view and animals were fantastic. The night in the jungle was unforgettable and super safe. In the morning, our breakfast was provided to the tree along with our excellent guide making it for us. If you want to remember your trip for the rest of your life, visit this tree house! The people in charge of this tree are very kind as they use no nails to build the tree house but pressure. If they care about living beings, imagine how well they will care for you! We are so coming back!! Thank you from Marianna and Jesse
Written April 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mari S
Chula Vista, CA14 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
We have stayed here twice now on 2 different trips to Costa Rica! It is such a unique place and experience in a real treehouse that does not damage the tree. The owner is an engineer and specifically went to school on how to decide on a tree and how to engineer a treehouse without using nails or screws to not hurt the tree. We have come here with all of our kids now ages 12,13, and 4. You have a harness and climb up to the treehouse and stay the night there. They bring you an amazing dinner and breakfast the next day. The sounds, birds, and just the feeling of being in the canopy is amazing! The house itself is like a hotel room! We had so much fun bird watching rainbow toucans, aracari, and green parrots. Our kids loved the experience too! It is definitely worth the price! This is a real treehouse 8 stories above the ground. It is not like the fake airbnb ones. The workers Bryan and Luis are so nice and helpful too! This is a must do for nature lovers!
Written August 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PeterV
Bratislava, Slovakia11 contributions
Dec 2021
We were in Costa Rica for 3 weeks. It is a really beautiful landscape full of greenery, jungle, diverse animals, but a night spent in a treehouse was the highlight of the whole holiday for us. A night in the treehouse should be tried out by everyone who visits Costa Rica, it is a really crazy experience. In addition to a night in the jungle, a bonus is to meet a great man like Peter. He told us about his lifelong experiences, incredible/ amazing stories and inspiring thoughts that just swept us off our feet :D We highly recommend a night at the treehouse.
Written January 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ingrid J
1 contribution
Mar 2020 • Friends
This will remain one of the most memorable experiences of my life: the hike through the primary forest/jungle, climbing up the rope and spending the night 25 meters up in the tree, being one with nature. We spent our evening surrounded by monkeys, and Macaws visited the tree next to ours! We could see the ocean from the platform. While being in the wilderness and build in the most innovative eco-friendly way, the treehouse is comfortable and functional in addition to being beautiful. Our guide and host, Ian, was a real Jungle angel, extremely knowledgeable and very fun. We had a hard time leaving and are already thinking about when we’ll come back. If you’re planning on visiting the Puerto Viejo area, you can’t miss this adventure! Even if you’re on a tight budget, If there is one experience to splurge on, it is this one! And one additional detail: the meals provided were delicious and Ian even came up in the morning to prepare our breakfast! The whole experience is a total gem! Worth every penny.
Written March 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisbeth Rice
Lytham St Anne's, UK10 contributions
Mar 2020 • Family
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you are looking for adventure and a true back to nature experience, then this is the trip for you!
Peter who owns 39 hectares of this amazing jungle is an inspiration in his own right, passionate and committed to this cause. Wonderfully informative guided walking tour up through the Jungle, pointing out various species of wildlife before we arrived at the Tree House.
My daughter and I throughly enjoyed the experience of climbing up the rope. Having a delicious “Hot Evening Meal” delivered just as the sun was going down was surreal! Excellently equipped, spotlessly clean & comfortable beds. Listening to the choir of the jungle was amazing. We were lucky to hear the howling monkeys, see colourful birds, squirrels, butterflies pass so The Treehouse. A scrumptious breakfast was delivered and served by Peter in the morning , before our hike back down through the Jungle. Truly unforgettable experience. Thank you Team Amazing Treehouse!
Wishing you good luck in the future once the Virus situation is over.
Liz & Gayle Rice
Peter who owns 39 hectares of this amazing jungle is an inspiration in his own right, passionate and committed to this cause. Wonderfully informative guided walking tour up through the Jungle, pointing out various species of wildlife before we arrived at the Tree House.
My daughter and I throughly enjoyed the experience of climbing up the rope. Having a delicious “Hot Evening Meal” delivered just as the sun was going down was surreal! Excellently equipped, spotlessly clean & comfortable beds. Listening to the choir of the jungle was amazing. We were lucky to hear the howling monkeys, see colourful birds, squirrels, butterflies pass so The Treehouse. A scrumptious breakfast was delivered and served by Peter in the morning , before our hike back down through the Jungle. Truly unforgettable experience. Thank you Team Amazing Treehouse!
Wishing you good luck in the future once the Virus situation is over.
Liz & Gayle Rice
Written March 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter D
1 contribution
Jan 2020
At first we were deciding whether to go on the day tour or spend the night at the treehouse. We decided to spend the night and it was best decision that we could make. We highly recommend it to everyone!
Peter is awesome guy and thanks to him our whole experience was even better. Hike to the tree was awesome because Peter was able to spot many animals that we would otherwise miss and explain to us a lot of interesting facts about those animals and forest overall. Treehouse is unique construction build with consideration of preserving nature and whole idea of buying surrounding forest to preserve it is amazing.
During our stay at the treehouse we saw plenty of animals up-close in their natural habitat which we wouldn't have a chance to do so anywhere else. Also hearing sounds of forest during night and waking up to those sounds is totally great experience.
Peter, thanks again for awesome experience! Peter & Monika from Slovakia :)
Peter is awesome guy and thanks to him our whole experience was even better. Hike to the tree was awesome because Peter was able to spot many animals that we would otherwise miss and explain to us a lot of interesting facts about those animals and forest overall. Treehouse is unique construction build with consideration of preserving nature and whole idea of buying surrounding forest to preserve it is amazing.
During our stay at the treehouse we saw plenty of animals up-close in their natural habitat which we wouldn't have a chance to do so anywhere else. Also hearing sounds of forest during night and waking up to those sounds is totally great experience.
Peter, thanks again for awesome experience! Peter & Monika from Slovakia :)
Written February 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travelingrnmom
Boise, ID9 contributions
Jan 2022 • Family
This was the highlight of our trip to Costa Rica. Our children 6 and 9 loved this. For families who love nature and experiencing the nature as it is, I highly recommend this. My children haven’t stopped talking about Peter and everything they saw while hiking.
Written February 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
biblioterka
Fort Myers, FL35 contributions
What is the price of staying there overnight? Is there a way of getting us up the tree if we are not able on our own? We are two elder ladies.
Veronica L
Valdosta, GA43 contributions
Hi everyone!
I’m searching for things to do in Costa Rica and this definitely caught my eye for many reasons!
BUT (there’s always a big but right?! Haha) can anyone tell me if any animals (lizards, frogs and such) would be a problem?!
Also, many mentioned bugs, I have no problems with bugs but what type of bugs?!
I LOVE nature, but I just wanted to know about how much of the nature’s animals would be in the observatory. Haha!
Thanks for any help! :)
Ole M
17 contributions
I don't think any animals will be a problem, you are pretty safe high up in a tree and you have access to an emergency phone :) on the tree there are some ants, but of a kind that doesn't bite and we saw several moths and butterflies and larger animals I have mentioned in my review. Of course there are also some mosquitoes, but fewer than on ground level and you have net for the bed.
On the walk TO the observatory however, we saw several different spiders, bullet ants, milipedes, a number of different butterflies, as well as the frogs I mentioned in my review. Just like a healthy nature reserve should have:)
Heather98_12
Seattle, WA254 contributions
Hello - We have 2 kids (9 and 12) and we are trying to figure out it we stay one or two nights. If we stay two nights, I am assuming that we stay in the tree house for the entire time because we won't be able to climb down or up by ourselves. If that is the case, then we have to bring all of our food for the entire time? I think the only provide fruits and snacks, so we would have to bring at least lunch and dinner right?
Thank you,
Heather
NatureObservatorio
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica4 contributions
Hi Heather, we are glad that you booked the stay, hope we answered all your questions. Thanks a lot.
daisylady24
Martinez, CA34 contributions
Hello,
I am having trouble getting a hold of someone to ask questions about availability and cost of staying in the tree house. Can someone help me get in touch with who i need to speak to?
Thank you!
coco-nut59
Vancouver, Canada151 contributions
Peter is pretty good in answering his email in timely manner, but try again. You could also see his listing on Airbnb,you kinda tell the availability through the calendar.
Bravoleo
Grosseto, Italy495 contributions
Hello,
I suffer from vertigo. According to you it is possible to sleep on the tree?
NatureObservatorio
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica4 contributions
We had guests staying in treehouse with different levels of vertigo. Hardest part would be climbing up but one's you are there it is a very rewarding feeling of accomplishment. While you climb there is one guide assisting from the treehouse and other guide is assisting from below. All the time you are completely safe and secure.
newreview5
Edmonton, Canada
We will be on a cruise stopover (Princess Cruises); how long does it take to get from Limon to this tree and is this a reasonable stopover excursion given the time available (11 hrs)? Do you have a van or bus to pick us up and drop off? David
Tracey B
Rotherham, UK11 contributions
David,I think you would need 2 hours each way to be on the safe side.I don't know if you would manage it however you could e-mail Peter who owns and runs the observatory,you need to be mindfull that you hike through primary jungle to get to the tree house .Peter has a web site look for it on google it won't let me send this if i type it in He can answer any questions you have.
Nature Observatorio (Manzanillo) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Nature Observatorio
- Nature Observatorio is open:
- Sun - Sat 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
- Hotels near Nature Observatorio:
- (0.00 mi) The Amazing Treehouse and Nature Observatorio Manzanillo
- (0.02 mi) Colores Hostel
- (0.08 mi) Mar Y Sol Hostel
- (0.13 mi) Caricako Hostel
- (0.17 mi) Cabinas Yamann
- Restaurants near Nature Observatorio:
- (0.11 mi) Maxi's Restaurant
- (0.23 mi) Colores Restaurant And Beach Lounge
- (0.14 mi) Soda Wuacho
- (0.13 mi) Soda La Playa
- (0.21 mi) Cool & Calm Cafe
Nature Observatorio Information
Excellent Reviews | 277 |
|---|---|
Very Good Reviews | 2 |
Nature Observatorio Photos | 398 |