Due to its excellent location, Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa is recognized for offering the most spectacular landscapes and wildlife observation opportunities in Costa Rica. Eleven kilometers of trails, two observation towers and two suspension bridges offer unique opportunities to immerse yourself in the nature of the Arenal Volcano National Park. If you are not a guest of the Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa, we offer you the opportunity to opt for the DAY PASS to explore our impressive 350-hectare (865-acre) nature reserve.
Posted By : artemis1
My husband and I had booked a morning bird tour here. I had corresponded with them before we left the UK and they were very responsive and helpful. I decided to wait until we got to La Fortuna in case the weather was bad. The night before, I reached out to see if we could still book the tour as it was too late to book online. Anyway, there were spaces so we booked it and they organised a taxi for us.
When we arrived, there was only one other couple in our tour. Our guide, whose name I forget (I have a rubbish memory) was wonderful. There were some serious birders there with extreme zoom lenses, but our guide wasn’t any less enthusiastic to see me with my somewhat small camera! It was dark and raining when we arrived, but this didn’t stop the birds being pointed out from literally the first minute, in bushes right outside the reception area, and I cannot rate him highly enough. After about 2.5 hours, the tour ended, but by then the sun was out and we decided to wander round the beautiful gardens and spot more birds ourselves. The feeders with fruit are a magnet for the birds (and coatis and monkeys) and at one point we were the only ones there.
We spent 4 hours there and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. In our entire trip around various parts of CR, we did 3 other birding tours and this ranked as by far the best value for cost and time. We loved it so much we decided to return a few days later, just buying the entrance fees and roaming the grounds again and watching the birds at all the same spots.
One thing that irritated and disappointed me was a bunch of older teenagers feeding the coatis under the fruit feeder. Totally irresponsible and quite dangerous as one of the girls was scratched (lightly) by them as they (naturally) reached up to take a banana from her. All for that “must have” photo. There are signs saying not to feed the animals of course but apparently it doesn’t apply to these idiots. This is no reflection on AOL, they can’t police the site and a little part of me wanted the coati to take a bite out of her!😂
But that aside, fantastic place and if you enjoy seeing birds, come here! And the guide emails you the list of birds that you spot with him, nobody else did that on any other tour so another big plus.
We were also lucky to get a fantastic view of Arenal once the rain clouds cleared.
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Posted On : 2024-02-25 16:57:02 
Posted By : t238
We did not stay on site, but paid the admission to enjoy the grounds. This place has the best views, trails, and dining in the area. This is the one to do!
Tip- make sure you have a car with some good clearance. Getting here is a rough road!
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Posted On : 2023-11-20 17:45:32
Posted By : 452r_mir
This place is simply wonderful! Very well designed accommodation for our large family of 7 people, a breathtaking view of the lake, observatories, kilometers of walks within the park itself (departure on foot from the room) and a fantastic swimming pool with jacuzzi. We were enchanted by the place, the ecotourism approach of its founders and the kindness of the entire team!
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Posted On : 2023-08-15 09:00:52
