Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge

Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge was the second stop on our first trip to Costa Rica. We started our trip in the cloud forest northwest of San Jose, but wanted to experience the tropical rainforest as the other part of our trip. We selected Playa Nicuesa based on the website descriptions and recommendations. Our first stop was at a more formal upscale spa lodge which was excellent but we were looking for a more laid back, immersive experience in the Osa Peninsula area. Playa Nicuesa’s offerings of open-air cottages amid the rainforest, casual and relaxed vibe and the all-inclusive package of meals and activities sold us and we booked a 5 night stay. We arrived on a warm sunny day on January 28, and that was the weather we had throughout. We traveled from San Jose via Sansa Airlines to Puerto Jimenez and were met at the airport by Isaac of the Playa Nicusa staff and quickly were off to the dock for a boat ride across the Golfo Dulce. Check in was an easy, laid back process which was the vibe throughout our stay. We were in a 1 BR open air bungalow that was convenient and made you feel immersed in the rainforest. We spent the first afternoon exploring the grounds and settling in, but after that were busy from daybreak till after dinner with outdoor activities. Each day at ~ 5:20 or so we awoke to sounds of Howler Monkeys in the distance hooting and howling as they do and when they were done, a chorus of birds started calling and singing. We opened the screened shutters on our bungalow and listened to the rainforest come alive. We had the Rainforest Multisport Escapade package and on the first full day we went out on the Golfo Dulce Dolphin Boat tour with Isaac which was really awesome. We came upon a huge pod of spotted dolphins Isaac estimated to be as many as 200, who moved around and played around the boat for a long time. We then moved north in the gulf and found a pod of a dozen bottlenose dolphins and after that did some snorkeling – it was a great trip! On day 2 we went on an early morning birding trip with Jasmine and saw a lot off new birds Jasmine helped ID and went on the night walk with Stephen, where we observed and were educated on a number of nighttime fauna including a few frogs and 5 snakes of 4 species – all small, but that included a small 14” all yellow eyelash viper. It was very cool. On the third day, we went on a self-guided hike on the Playa Nicuesa trail system - nice trails - and relaxed at the beach. That day a Howler money troop came through Playa Nicuesa and we got to see them move in the treetops – very cool. On our last full day we took the Jungle River Kayak tour with Stephen – saw lots of birds, learned about and kayaked through the mangrove forest and saw 2 crocodiles. .Stephen was a great guide for the tour! Playa Nicuesa and the tours we went on offered great birding experiences – I saw 61 species of birds while staying there, 28 of which were new to my life list, and most of those were on