Talamanca Nature Reserve

We visited just the restaurant for lunch, and it was superby. It was very quiet (we were the only ones there at the time). We sat outside in the lovely gardens, watched the birds, and had a great meal which was served quickly. It is a bit of a drive to get there, but the peacefulness of the surroundings is worth the effort. I recommend the chocolate pie for desert.

We didn’t stay here but ate breakfast at the restaurant several times and hiked the trails. Nazareth was so helpful in explaining the reserve, recommending her favorite trails, and a talented waitress as well! Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting the area.

We loved Talamanca Nature Reserve! The property is fantastic and well cared for. The trails well maintained and the signs make it easy to find your way to the river, to the various waterfalls, to the gazebo, to the ancient forest and more. The riverside cabins were very clean and comfortable and we woke up to bird song every morning. The food is delicious and healthy. Plenty of great drinks, from margaritas and wine and beer to smoothies and lemonade. We hired Carlos to take us bird watching and saw many bird species right along the trails of the property. The best of our experience was the staff! Kenneth, Moises, Matteo, Nazareth, Anna, and all who work there are warm, knowledgeable, professional, accommodating, helpful, welcoming. We will return. My husband and friends and I highly recommend staying at this nature reserve and experiencing the cloud forest of Costa Rica! Plus the cute little town is walking distance and there is the Secret Garden you could also walk to. See all 10 photos below, all taken from the Talamanca Nature Reserve!

Some of the reviews talk about this as a magical place. I tend to be skeptical about comments like that but it's a fair characterization in this case. It really is quite special - beautiful property, a huge reserve with many different environments from garden to riparian to wet montane, well-maintained and well marked trail system, comfortable cabins with pleasant landscaping, a small restaurant with surprisingly excellent food, and attentive but low key service. For hiking, this is a great alternative to parque nacional chirripo - the same variety of environments in a more accessible package for the individual looking to hike for a few days without the preparation required for the park. This isn't for the traveler looking for luxury. But for those looking for comfort in a low key outdoorsy environment -forward setting, this will be a match. The cabins are simple but complete and more than comfortable. Fast and reliable WiFi, good beds, great shower and hot water. Restaurant is simple and not cheap, but not really expensive either and well worth the price. We spent one morning with the guide David. He was great - a native of the area who started birdwatching as a kid, he's knowledgeable, observant, enthusiastic and patient. And supportive of our wish to do as much of the hike in Spanish as possible. Gracias David! Finally, Moises and his staff are kind, friendly, and earnest in their desire to provide service. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this experience to anyone looking for a place to comfortably enjoy the cordillera.

There are not enough superlatives to describe this completely unexpected gem. A former cattle farm transformed over 30 years into an enchanting botanical paradise, with a remarkable aesthetic sensibility linking all the structures and spaces across the property that stretches some 4,000 acres from its gated entrance. Every feature—whether a stone statue, a railing, a walkway, a light— reflects thoughtfully integrated design and artistry. Extensive work has gone into creating naturalistic gardens remarkable for their hardscaping, plant choices and water features, all connected by a network of walking paths. Several of the gardens have distinct themes that give them their own personality, such as the fig garden— notable for its gigantic ancient central fig tree. The trails vary from not-too-steep to very steep but in the charming way that is typical of the signage, we were sometimes offered an alternative route, marked “Easy Way Up.” Regardless, we were never far from the sound of waterfalls; there are so many streams that descend from the peaks surrounding the reserve, and these helped us maintain our orientation, in addition to the paper map provided at our arrival. We did check out the “Old Swimming Hole” and yes- it was cold! Our accommodations were a spacious river cabin where the comforting sound of cascading water was accented by birds in the morning. At night the birdsongs were replaced by chirping crickets, and we could see so many stars and the Milky Way even in the presence of a crescent moon. The last 500 meters to the entrance is unpaved road but navigable— and altogether it is not too difficult a drive from San Isidro. (Compared to many of the unimproved roads in CR, it’s a cakewalk.) The restaurant serves excellent food though a bit pricey. The imaginative & pleasing interior design and personal attention we received from the staff made our meals there worthwhile. Prices are in USD. English is as commonly spoken as Spanish. The website woefully under-represents the overall charm and uniqueness of this place. If you have interest in gardens and nature, need a restful retreat, want an unusual place to train for high altitude trekking, or just love to find yourself in a secret paradise away from crowds and commerce, this place is for you. In fact, you may feel like the whole place is reserved just for your enjoyment; that’s how it felt to us.

I'm writing this review because before our trip I found little online comparing Talamanca Nature Reserve (San Gerardo de Rivas) to Hotel Savegre (San Gerardo de Dota) as birding destinations and birding hotels. As background, my wife, 2 (college-aged) daughters and I spent 2-week birding in Costa Rica on our own (rental car and no guides), and we saw a total of 305 bird species. We had visited Hotel Savegra previously in 2008, but knew little about Talamanca Nature Reserve. After staying at both, we all agreed that Talamanca Nature Reserve was our favorite place to stay in Costa Rica, whereas Hotel Savegra was one of our least. Talamanca: • Beautiful (bird-filled) gardens around our room (cabin) and the restaurant. • The ability to see birds at the restaurant was delightful with several well-maintained hummingbird and banana feeders surrounded by natural features to enable great birding and bird photography. We saw 20 different birds while eating breakfast. • The staff was very attentive and accommodating. • The grounds of Talamanca were excellent with a variety of habitats. We walked 7 miles on their trails (on our own) and saw 65 bird species the first day (1/1/2022) • The road to Talamanca Nature Reserve (from San Isidro de El General) was similar (or better) versus the road to Hotel Savegra). The road between Talamanca Nature Reserve and the (excellent) Cloud Forest Reserve was pretty steep and rocky, but quite doable with our rented Toyota RAV4. Like Savegra, there were not many pull offs along the narrow road. • We also hiked ~8 miles at the nearby Cloud Forest Reserve. • Our only feedback to Talamanca was they should provide a coffee maker or hot pot on the room. $3/cup (no refill) x 4 people a couple times a day is not practical (or affordable). Savegra (pros): • The accommodations are comfortable, and the restaurant has good food, service, and ambience . • The flowers/plantings around the restaurant were beautiful. • The miles of hiking trails were convenient, and similar in scope to Talamanca. • We hiked the grounds and trails all morning (on our own) and saw ~30 bird species. Overall it seemed less "birdy" than Talamanca. Savegra (cons): Savegre seems to have forgotten their previous great hummingbird (natural) feeder setup. They now have a couple hummingbird feeders grouped together in 3-foot space between the road, lobby wall and loading ramp. You cannot take a picture without getting a poor background, and it's a fairly busy area with car and foot traffic. There were also a couple hummingbird feeders hanging from the roof rafters you could see while eating (good) breakfast, but there weren't many hummingbirds, and not set up for photography. It just didn't feel like Savegra was set up for birders anymore (and certainly not for bird photography). They seem to focus on Quetzal tours, but we weren't interested in spending the morning looking for 1 species. I will not be returning to Saveg