In order from Manzanillo to Puerto Viejo, with its coordinates to find them easily if you have a brand new Iphone or TomTom GPS:

Maxi’s – Manzanillo
Best Caribbean restaurant in Costa Rica: do not miss their Grilled Seafood!
GPS: 9º 37’ 58.10’’ N 82º 39’ 29.16’’ W
Elev. 2 m
Tel. 2759 9086
Open from 12 pm through 10 p.m.

El Refugio Café and Grill– Puerto Viejo/Manzanillo road, km. 8
Tasty grilled tuna and amazinag coctails like Caipirrica!
GPS: 9º 38’ 02.80’’ N 82º 41’ 03.28’’ W
Elev. 21 m
Tel. 27599007
Open from 14 pm on

Selvin’s - Caribbean food deliciously cooked by MC Selvin! Rondon and Lobster with Caribbean flavours
Puerto Viejo’s Punta Uva Beach
GPS: 9’ 38’’ 10.68’’ N 82º 41’ 59.46’’ W
Elev. 12 m
Open from Thursday to Sunday from 12 to 20.30 pm.

La Casa de Carol – Puerto Viejo’s Playa Chiquita
Cuisine with a French touch. Lovely bartenders and cook.
GPS: 9º 38’ 18.24’’ N 82º 45’ 09.90’’ W
Elev. 15 m
Open for dinner from 18 pm on Mon-Wed-Fri

Jungle Love Café – Puerto Viejo’s Playa Chiquita
Internacional food and coctails
GPS: 9º 38’ 18.76’’ N 82º 42’ 45.22’’ W
Elev. 15 m
Tel. 2750 0162

A mi modo – Puerto Viejo
Italocaribbean dishes customized by chef Libio: try Lobster Raviolis and/or Marlin carpaccio. Also good 2×1 Coctails & Pizzas
GPS: 9º 39’ 32.55’’ N 82º 45’ 01.85’’ W
Elev. 7 m
Tel. 2750 0257
Open from 14.00 pm on

Koki Beach – Puerto Viejo
Internacional food with sea boulevard views. Nice and trendy
GPS: 9º 39’ 28.13’’ N 82º 45’ 09.90’’ W
Elev. 5 m
Open from 16 pm on

Soda Tamara – Puerto Viejo main street
Traditional Caribbean food and oldest restaurant in town
GPS: 9º 39’ 26.43 ‘’ N 82º 45’ 14.16’’ W
Elev. 4 m
Tel. 2750 0148
Open from 14 pm on

Café Viejo – Puerto Viejo main street
Italian food, exquisite home-made pasta.
GPS: 9º 39’ 24.56’’ N 82º 45’ 15.89’’ W
Elev. 6 m
Tel. 2750 0817
Open from 17.30 pm on

Manzanillo - Costa Rica

Some options for outdoors activities in Puerto Viejo’s Playa Chiquita and Manzanillo and/or from La Kukula Lodge. Ask us for details.

Friends of the Jungle Tour:

2 to 3 hours walk in a primary forest (jungle) within the Wildlife Refugee Gandoca-Manzanillo. During this guided tour you have the chance to get to know how a tropical rainforest ecosystem works and the conservation and wildlife reintroduction efforts that are developed in the Natural Reserve La Ceiba (private reserve under conservation).
You can extend this activity with a visit to Jaguar Rescue Center, located in Playa Chiquita. This center aims to heal and reintroduce wild animals that has been injured somehow, generally by the human presence.

Neighbors of the Caribbean Sea Tour:

Boat trip -2 or 3 hours- from Manzanillo to Punta Mona. In this tour you may see dolphins (2 different species) and have the chance to snorkel on the reefs of Punta Mona. From the sea you can appreciate the magnificent Caribbean coast (still virgin) and get to know some of the stories of a the guide from Manzanillo, the most authentic town in the Caribbean Coast..

Lobster’s Pilgrimage:

Bike to Manzanillo and give yourself away a good meal at Maxi’s, probably the best Caribbean restaurant in Costa Rica. You don’t have to order a lobster…they are also good cooking any other Caribbean or Grilled seafood, vegetables or beef.

Manzanillo is 8 km / 6 miles from La Kukula Lodge and all along the road you have many chances to sea howler monkeys, sloths, toucans and some other wild animals…

Caribbean Wild Horses Tour:

Horseback riding along the beaches of the South Caribbean Coast with local guide.

Tour en bote a Punta Mona - Manzanillo - Limón

Opciones de actividades en la naturaleza que fácilmente se pueden contratar desde La Kukula Lodge. Para precios y disponibilidad, consultar en recepción o por email.

Amigos de la Jungla tour: Trekking de 2 a 3 horas por bosque primario (selva) dentro de los límites del Refugio de Vida Silvestre Gandoca-Manzanillo. Durante esta excursión guiada se explica cómo funciona el ecosistema del bosque lluvioso tropical así como las labores de conservación y reintroducción de fauna salvaje que se desarrollan en la Reserva Natural La Ceiba (reserva privada en régimen de conservación).

Se puede ampliar esta actividad con la visita al Centro de Rescate Jaguar, en Playa Chiquita. En este centro se conoce el día a día de un centro de cuidado de animales salvajes heridos y las tareas de reintroducción de estos animales a su hábitat de origen.

Vecinos del Mar Caribe Tour: Paseo en bote de 2 o 3 horas desde Manzanillo hasta la zona de Punta Mona. Se pueden ver 2 tipos de delfines (casi siempre) y según temporada, hacer snorkeling en los arrecifes de Punta Mona.

Desde el mar se aprecia la magnífica costa caribeña (aún virgen) y se conocen historietas locales contadas directamente por el guía/botero de Manzanillo.

Peregrinación de la Langosta: Paseo en bicicleta al restaurante Maxi’s de Manzanillo, donde se puede degustar la excelente cocina caribeña con o sin langosta.

Trayecto de unos 8 km hasta Manzanillo por la carretera que se adentra en el Refugio de Vida Silvestre, con muchas posibilidades de ver fauna salvaje (monos aulladores, monos cariblancos, perezosos, tucanes, etc…).

Caballos Salvajes del Caribe Tour: Paseo a caballo por las playas del Caribe sur (para todos los niveles).

Architecture & Arts magazine “Su Casa” features La Kukula Lodge in its new issue (num. 54).

If interested in looking at some of the images, follow this link.

La Kukula Lodge - Recepción y hall

La Revista de Arquitectura y Arte de Costa Rica “Su Casa” publica en su edición 54 (Mayo 2010) un reportaje sobre La Kukula Lodge. Se puede encontrar esta revista en puntos de venta de diarios y revistas de todo el país.

Para ver alguna de las fotos que aparecen en la edición papel puedes seguir este link.

La Kukula Lodge is proud to announce the First, Second and Third Prizes of PhotoInsect’09, the only and the best photo-contest on insects in all Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast.

First Prize with 21,5 points goes to: “LeafInsect” by Marina A. from London - UK!

Second prize with 20,25 points goes to “Mirada Intensa” by Josep M. from la Barceloneta - Barcelona

Third prize with 19,50 points goes to “Spiderwoman” by Andrew and Judith, from Zurich-Switzerland.

Details on the classification for the rest of the participants will be published in La Kukula Lodge Facebook webpage.

El Excelentísimo Jurado de PhotoInsect’09 se va a reunir este próximo fin de semana en

La Kukula Lodge para elegir las 3 mejores obras presentadas durante todo el año pasado.

El jurado está formado por Pablo Ibach, científico de CATIE especialista en cambio climático; Wen Hsu, exquisita ilustradora costarricense y gran conocedora de fauna / flora de este país; Sonia, “jefa” de La Kukula Lodge y el entusiasta becario que gestiona la web oficial, blogs y redes sociales del lodge.

El objetivo de este certamen es acercar el mundo de los insectos a los viajeros que han visitado La Kukula Lodge y promover la idea de que no todos los insectos están aquí para picarnos, amenazarnos y hacérnoslo pasar mal. De hecho algunos de ellos son bien bonitos, curiosos y estéticos. Además resulta bastante más fácil fotografiar un escarabajo que un colibrí o un mono aullador.

Para esta segunda edición de PhotoInsect se han presentado un total de 27 obras procedentes de 9 países: Costa Rica (6 participantes), USA (6 participantes), Estado español (7), Canadá ( 2), Gran Bretaña ( 2), Holanda (2), Uruguay (1) Francia (1) y Suiza (1).

En breve anunciaremos los ganadores y nuestras lectoras podrán saber quienes van a ser los fotógrafos que se alojarán 3,2 ó 1 noche gratis en La Kukula Lodge durante este año 2010

The Jury for PhotoInsect’09 Contest will be meeting this weekend at La Kukula Lodge to choose the 3 best artworks submitted throughout the year.

The members of the Jury are:

Pablo Ibach, scientist at CATIE and specialist for climate change issues;

Wen Hsu, exquisite Costa Rican illustrator and great connoisseur of fauna / flora;

Sonia, the “boss” at La Kukula Lodge;

Pepo, the youngster who runs the official website, blogs and social networks for the lodge.

As stated in PhotoInsect’09 rules, the aim for this international contest is helping travellers and guests to get to know the wonderful world of Costa Rican insects and promoting the idea that not all insects are here to bite and threaten the humans. In fact some of them are very beautiful, unique and aesthetic. Furthermore, it is much easier to get a good image of a beetle than one from a hummingbird or a howler monkey.

There have been submitted 27 artwork for this second edition of PhotoInsect and they come from 9 countries: Costa Rica (6 submissions), USA (6), Spain (7), Canada (2), Great Britain (2) , The Netherlands (2), Uruguay (1) France (1) and Switzerland (1).

In some days we will be announcing the winners who will have the chance to stay 3,2 or 1 night for free in La Kukula Lodge during 2010. Stay online for more fresh info!

Costa Rica’s South Caribbean Coast is ready to welcome Xmas travelers.
Those who escape from snow and below cero degrees temperatures will be happy to know that we are having sunny and hot days in Puerto Viejo. No rain in the last 4 days and the sea looks blue and clean.
See this morning’s picture of Punta Uva beach.

This morning while testing the recently bought Spotify Premium, I was interrupted by the sounds of Aramides Cajanea, aka Chirincoco.

The Chirincoco sounds didn’t come from the computer speakers so I fastly took my camera to record this natural song.

In this recording you may see for a second one of the two fowls that were singing this beautiful and loudy sounds…organic sounds.

Link to the video:

A song by Aramides Cajanea