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Playa Nicuesa

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A beautiful and secluded eco-lodge in Costa Rica’s lesser-known Piedras Blancas National Park.

Playa Nicuesa is an isolated lodge set within a 165-acre private reserve bordering the Piedras Blancas National Park and the calm waters of the Golfo Dulce. It’s only accessible by boat, either from Golfito or Puerto Jimenez.

The main lodge is essentially a large treehouse, crafted in a variety of salvaged hardwoods. On the upper floor is an open-air restaurant where tasty meals are served communally with the opportunity to meet like-minded travellers.  Accommodation is in a handful of beautifully constructed wooden cabins, which are simply but attractively furnished. Each cabin features large louvred windows and a wraparound veranda, as well as open-air showers, creating a very natural environment. There’s no air conditioning, but a ceiling fan and screened windows ensure the cabins are well ventilated and you can hear the sounds of the jungle. There’s no need for an alarm clock here – the howler monkeys will let you know when it’s time to wake up!

The lodge has an extensive network of self-guided trails for you to explore and guests have complimentary use of kayaks and standup paddleboards. Naturalist guides cost extra and can be booked locally. Sustainability has always been part of Playa Nicuesa’s ethos and electricity is provided by a hydroelectric turbine and solar panels.

Bartolome, Galápagos

What our clients say

  • Most memorable experiences: Waterfall rapelling at el remanso, the internal flights on tiny planes, everything was good

    SM, Knaresborough Aug 2015
  • So many brilliant memories but if we had to pick one it was witnessing the sea turtle lay eggs on beach in Tortugero.

    PG, Galway Aug 2019
  • Highlight? We did a night hike in Monteverde and saw snakes, sloths, owls.

    SW, London Feb 2020
  • The noises and sounds surrounding us all day and night, created by all the wildlife was fantastic. Never heard anything like it and loved it. The Costa Rican hospitability is…

    St, Swords Jun 2013
  • Highlights?: There were so many. Seeing a toucan land in the tree just by our room at El Remanso. Walking down the trail at Monteverde Lodge and a beautiful Morpho…

    KS, Uxbridge Mar 2017
  • Costa Rica with Journey Latin America is one of the best holidays we have ever had, if not the best.

    MD, Southam Feb 2026
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Our Expert's Opinion

Mary
Mary Anne Nelson - Travel Expert

Born in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, Mary’s insider knowledge and dry sense of humour make her a highly valued member of the Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tour sales team.

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Bartolome, Galápagos

Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Maggie
    Maggie Wilson - Travel Expert

    Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.

  • Ben
    Ben Line - Travel Expert

    Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Head of Sales.

  • Charlotte
    Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

  • Sallly
    Sally Dodge - Travel Expert

    A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

  • Mary
    Mary Anne Nelson - Travel Expert

    Born in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, Mary’s insider knowledge and dry sense of humour make her a highly valued member of the Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tour sales team.

  • Chris
    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

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