Rana Roja Lodge

The property is unbelievable for wildlife. We had monkeys swinging over us, woke up to howler monkeys, saw frogs, lizards and geckos. The boat ride there was exciting as we saw caiman and lizards, and birds. We did feel a bit isolated there though as you need to take a water taxi to the village across the water. And the rooms were basic. Could use an update. Owners and staff were excellent and very friendly

The manager of this hotel Gisselle is absolutely amazing :) she goes above and beyond to make sure you have everything you need . The staff are all friendly and it’s stunning . Understand you are definitely going into a remote area and don’t expect more and you’ll be amazed at the rich culture and beautiful nature

The room was basic as noted in other reviews, and it does get hot and stuffy at night. That said, we really enjoyed our stay. My son LOVED the natural pool with slide and we saw a sloth, spider monkey and capuchin monkeys from the pool area. At night you could hear the sounds of the forest. Tour guide Antonio gave us an amazing canoe tour in the morning and night walk one night and tour guide Alexis took us out to look for turtles (which we saw in mid/late June). We also enjoyed hiking on our own on the national park trail. Owner was a fantastic help organizing everything. I also want to note that in Tortuguero the town my son was bitten by a dog and the owner helped us arrange getting out and to a place with rabies shots available within 24 hours of the bite, which took a lot of phone calls and extra effort. We stayed 3 nights, and I’d recommend at least two nights to enjoy the place. We loved it. Oh, and we had read reviews suggesting there wasn’t enough food provided here but we found quite the opposite. Food portions were huge and some meals we asked for two plates for three of us to avoid throwing some of it out. Basic Costa Rican fare but it was hearty and what we expected. Staff were friendly and helpful.

Rana Roja is co-located with the Evergreen Lodge near Tortuguero town. Unfortunately we found Rana Roja to be understaffed to meet our needs in arranging tours and transport to the town. We ended up using the Evergreen staff/reception to arrange outings after missing two tours. If budget is a limiting factor and you will be staying at Rana Roja, know that you can use the more upscale accommodations at Evergreen including their pool and bar. The Rana Roja bar was overrun with capuchin monkeys when bar staff wasn't present (often), eating the garnishes and breaking glassware. The walkways through the property are incredible if you are looking to experience wildlife including monkeys (howler, spider, capuchin), amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, etc. I recommend hiking past "cabin 20" where there are abandoned walkways going through the jungle There is no lighting or outbuildings, allowing for a wonderful experience in nature. The cabins at Rana Roja are essentially open-air. When we were there in February, the humidity was incredible and it rained multiple times per day. It was very helpful that our next location had both air conditioning and laundry facilities. The serving/kitchen staff were incredibly friendly and hospitable. Meals were plain and satisfying. Public washroom facilities were lacking in soap/towels and I'd recommend bringing your own hand sanitizer/wipes. We booked a Tortuguero national park boat tour through the canals with Alexis, a low-key, professional, knowledgeable guide. I can't recommend this enough. We saw so much wildlife: green basilisks, caiman, all the herons, a sloth, monkeys, many water birds... If you are prepared to suffer a bit with respect to accommodation quality, Rana Roja is a reasonable home base from which to experience this incredible part of the world.

After booking "The Rainforest Cabin" for 3 people, upon our arrival we were given a standard room for 2 people, dirty, with very poor lighting and quite unappealing, considering the beauty of the surroundings. We asked to get what we booked for and the answer was "not possible". During our 2 day stay, there were 2 posts at the dinner table adding the task for us of looking for a third plate and cutlery. Food was tasteless and with no creativity. We felt really unwelcome.

Beautiful, rustic cabin in the woods. The family that run it provided such warm, personable service, it was even better than expected. We had originally planned a stay in a more expensive hotel, but am so glad we didn’t - this place provided a very viable alternative and you got to have more agency around your activities.

Unfortunately this property is need of a face lift. It felt very old and tired. Our bathroom was filthy and the shower felt like it was about to fall off the wall. It was extremely over priced. The huts are over a swamp which, whilst very atmospheric in the rainforest, is also very smelly. The manager and his wife were both very kind and welcoming but it felt like they needed more support. I would not recommend staying here for the price they are asking.

The staff recommended the perfect activities with an excellent guide. They also asked us many times of we needed anything and tried to be of service.

Rana Roja is deep in the jungle of Tortuguero where you live simply. While the lodging and amenities are simple and not your typical, the lodge owner and staff were extremely friendly and accommodating. They provided a lovely breakfast, and dinner there was well thought out and very affordable. If we travel back to Tortuguero, we will stay here again. Watch out for the monkeys, they will break in and steal your snacks. Pura Vida!