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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

  • Highlights:- The friendliness of the people and the wildlife. 

    ME May 2011
  • There were so many highlights it is difficult to single one out. The wildlife, around hotel gardens etc and not just in the reserves, was particularly impressive. Viewing it from…

    VC, South croydon Feb 2018
  • The whole Tortuguero experience was brilliant.

    TK, Leighton buzzard Dec 2016
  • So many - sloths close up, wild monkeys eating coconuts from our hand, finding a snake in Falls resort, zipwiring in Arenal, canoeing to old Costa Rican farmhouse, night walks…

    JS, Amersham Sep 2016
  • Most memorable experiences: Waterfall rapelling at el remanso, the internal flights on tiny planes, everything was good

    SM, Knaresborough Aug 2015
  • Highlight?: Tortuguera boat trip, rafting Arenal, hot springs Arenal, zip wires Monteverde, running on the beach in Uvita - so many lovely memories

    SL, London Jan 2017
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Our Expert's Opinion

Hannah
Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert

Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.

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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.

  • 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.

  • Lina
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

  • Sophie
    Sophie Barber - Travel Expert

    Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • 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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