Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Room rates include meals, guided hikes and horse rides in the surrounding countryside.
The lodge is about 1.3km west of the charming ranching hamlet of San Miguel; turn off
the highway 5km north of Bijagua and follow the signs.
Rio Celeste Hideaway
HOTEL
( 2206-5114;
www.riocelestehideaway.com
; d incl breakfast US$216-292; )
This elegant address is just 550m from the park gate. Sprinkled among lush landscaped
grounds, the spectacular property has huge, 90-sq-m thatched
casitas
with wooden floors,
pastel paint jobs and antique furnishings. Beds are covered with canopies and draped in
300-thread-count sheets. Even the bathrooms are luxurious here, with soaking tubs, out-
door showers, and 'his' and 'hers' basin sinks.
Getting There & Away
There's no bus to the national park. The closest you can get is Bijagua, from where you
can book a tour at almost any hotel.
A 30km road now connects Bijagua (Hwy 6) and Guatuso (Hwy 4), passing the national
park (and most of these lodgings) along the way. The entrance to the national park is about
9km from Bijagua and 21km from Guatuso. This road is very rough in places (4WD re-
quired), so it's easier to approach from the west. But if you're coming from the La Fortuna
area, and you have the appropriate vehicle, it's faster to brave the road from Guatuso.
Five kilometers north of Bijagua is the gravel road to San Miguel. Turning left at the
San Miguel intersection will bring you to La Carolina Lodge (1.3km). The rough dirt road
(4WD required) continues another 13km until it meets up with Hwy 4, the main
Upala-Fortuna thoroughfare. Turning right will take you 4km down an even rougher road
to the national-park gate.
