el copal reserve

I was fortunate to visit El Copal Reserve about three weeks ago and I have no more to say that's one of the most beautiful and relaxing places I have visited. The trails are very nice with good views. I had the opportunity to photograph approximately 10 new species of birds. The balconies around the lodge are special for photography because they are at eye level. It is a place I recommend to anyone who wants to spend a nice time in harmony with nature.

El Coupal Reserve is a smal nature reserve on the edge of Tapanti National Park in Costa Rica. Its a two hour drive with your own vehicle up to this lodge and smal nature reserve. The rewards are great with a rich nature, a couple of good nature treeks into the reserve and very nice but quite basic lodging. The hosts Beto and Patricia Chawez are taking very good care of their guests, they only speak spanish though but their friendliness as hosts brigde the language gap without any problems.

The landscape is wonderous; the birds are a plenty; the people are strong and kind; the sleeping space is very comfortable! I hope to go again!

El Copal is in a remote location, but is still accessible. We visited with two families. Everyone enjoyed the hike up the main trail loop (2 miles / 3.3 km). It's a nice intact primary forest (and several research projects are ongoing in the preserve by research institutes). Like everywhere in CR, the animals are most active in the early morning and the early evening. Some people did more hikes, some enjoyed the birds and insects at the lodge, some read in the hammocks, some of us did a night hike. But everyone enjoyed it. The food was great - Patricia is a great cook and Beto is a gracious host.They recently installed wifi. (why?)Rooms are rustic and clean. Nice hot showers. Logistics - There's a direct bus from Cartago to Pejibaye (which goes over the Cachi dam). You can also access Pejibaye via bus from Turrialba. (Both routes include some dirt roads as of 2014, though much the Turrialba route is supposed to get paved.) You want to get off in El Humo de Pejibaye. A normal taxi / car can drive the road from El Humo to the entrance of El Copal, about 6 km. But you probably need 4x4 taxi / car (for clearance) for the driveway (500 meters) up to the lodge. Or just walk.Just down the the road from El Copal (toward El Humo), a stream crosses the road and there's a nice swimming spot.Another nice spot for hiking in the area is La Marta Wildlife Refuge (4 kms SE of Pejibaye).

For a full review read the one David S has put up. This is a bit of a trek to get to, but really worthwhile. Essentially it's run by a farmers' cooperative and you can really contribute both to the local economy and local ecology by visiting here. The whole place is built of wood, with a mix of shared and private accommodation. The balcony surrounding the place is at canopy level for the trees around it and these are filled with birds, including tanagers of various species. The flowers around the buildings attract hummingbirds, particularly snowcaps - a purple hummingbird with a glaringly white forehead. The people who run the place are lovely (they do only speak Spanish, but don't let that put you off) and the home cooked food was great. The solar power is stored in batteries and hot showers are also solar heated. The power is switched off early, but by that time we were firmly tucked up.We really liked this place and its owners and hope it grows and prospers and makes some poor people at least a bit better off.

My wife and I visited El Copal Reserve in July 2013. Last year, while on the Caribbean coast, we visited a BriBri village that is associated with ACTUAR. That was such a great visit, that we decided to look at some of the other locations in their association. After reading about most of them, we decided that El Copal sounded like the kind of place we would like to visit.Though it is a little challenging to get there (should have 4WD), the total experience is worth the challenge. If you miss San Jose rush hour, and take the most direct route, it is only about a 2 hour drive from the airport.It is owned by a group of local people, mostly farmers, and they have turned this place into one of the best locations in Costa Rica to see an amazing variety of birds and other wildlife. Total size of the property is about .7 square miles, but the elevation ranges from 1000 to 1250 meters. There are several well-maintained trails throughout the property, some difficult, but some easy. Because I am handicapped and need a cane, I only used the easy trails. But they were amazing for butterflies and birds.There is a lodge with some dormitory rooms with shared bath, as well as a couple of rooms with private bath. There are also 2 handicapped accessible cabins with private bath. All of the electricity and hot water here are produced using solar devices. The rooms are simple, but very clean and well maintained.A dining hall, named "The Cotinga" (for a bird that can be seen here), uses only candles for light during evening meals.Beto and Patricia Torres, some of the nicest and most patient people you will ever meet, run this place. They speak only Spanish, but they had a way of making communication with non-Spanish speakers fun. Beto and other men in the group that own this facility build and maintain the buildings and trails. Patricia cooks delicious meals (the best we had in Costa Rica), mostly using products produced on the local farms. Beto and Patricia joined us for all of the meals, and we learned more Spanish while eating with them than we did during the rest of our 3 week trip.The scenery is amazing, with mountains surrounding it. Wide covered balconies with benches and chairs, 60 meters long (I measured them) provided opportunities to see birds at very close range. After hiking in the morning, I spent the whole afternoon on the balcony and saw so many beautiful tropical birds at close range that I was sad to see the day end. It was a perfect place to spend a rainy afternoon, with the birds coming to me rather than me seeking them out.One side is second growth forest with very large trees. One side has fruit trees that are filled with tanagers and other birds that eat fruit. Another side has flowers planted that attract lots of hummingbirds, including the Snowcap. During our two nights and one full day here we saw 11 different species of hummers. The balcony is at canopy level for trees that are about 100 feet away and give great opportunities to see those that prefer this habitat.We made arrangements for this visit through ACTUAR in San Jose. They helped us with some issues that came up, and made this the highlight of our trip.They arranged for Cristhian Ureña, a local bilingual naturalist from Peregrinus Tours to provide guide services for us. He was an excellent guide, knows the environment of this area well, and is very passionate about El Copal. During our short stay, he helped us identify about 80 species of birds, many of them first timers for us.If you come to Costa Rica to see birds, this is a must go location. I recommend it highly.

Exelente lugar para los que apreciamos la naturaleza y la paz , el albergue es cómodo y acogedor en una zona fäcil de llegar con la linda vista del río peguiballe a orillas del camino, ideal para las personas que necesitan un descanzo y olvidarse de los problemas y el corre corre de todos los días, yo en lo personal lo disfrute muchisimo.

El Copal es una reserva para todo aquel que quiera tener paz y conocer la naturaleza, sentir unambiente amigable para el viajero y compartir de innumerables historias con sus hospederos.monos, aves, mamíferos, muchas plantas y hongos estarán a la vista en los senderos y zonasaledañas, un destino para la relajación.

El albergue es perfecto, con varias habitaciones cómodas, sala amplia, comedor y varios baños muy limpios. La construcción esta rodeada por un corredor amplio perfecto para sentarse a ver aves o simplemente para descansar. Las comidas que proporciona el lugar son excelentes y a un precio muy bueno.Excelente lugar para observación de aves. Las áreas abiertas están llenas de colibríes, tangaras, eufonías y otro tipo de aves. Los corredores alrededor del albergue están a la altura del dosel del bosque y le da un acceso fácil a las aves de este estrato. Los senderos son buenos y muestran aves muy distintas a las de las áreas abiertas. Durante las noches las ranas abundan alrededor del albergue. Es uno de los mejores lugares para observación de aves de elevaciones medias que he visitado en el país.Totalmente recomendado.

Excelente lugar, el albergue es perfecto para esta zona muy comodo, la comida de Patri excelente y en general muy hermoso. Mucha diversidad.