Tortuguero · Costa Rica
Operating since 1985 as one of the pioneers in Tortuguero, Mawamba Lodge has spent four decades caring for a single stretch of Caribbean canal. The property is reachable only by boat or small plane — the seclusion is real, not a marketing line.
We're also the closest lodge to town — the only high-end lodge within walking distance of Tortuguero village. No extra boat ride to grab a coffee, browse the souvenir shops, or watch the village wake up.
Mawamba is part of a small Costa Rican hospitality group with a sister property in San Gerardo de Dota — Trogon Lodge. Both are operated by the same family. Much of our team has been with us for years, and we hire from Tortuguero and surrounding communities wherever the role allows.
The lodge sits next to one of the most biodiverse stretches of Caribbean rainforest in Costa Rica. Tortuguero's current count: 734 plant species, 442 birds, 138 mammals, 118 reptiles, 58 amphibians, 460 arthropods (source: SINAC, Parque Nacional Tortuguero).
Our own commitments are practical, not promotional: zero single-use plastic across operations — bamboo straws, no plastic jelly or butter blisters, no plastic bottles (Rainforest water in cartons and tin), no plastic cutlery. We also run a 5-minute beach clean-up — grab a bucket, give the ocean five minutes.
More about our story, our sustainability work, and what guides us lives on Our Compass.
Every guided experience is led by trained naturalist guides — many grew up on these canals; others bring a full career in Costa Rica's national parks. Real expertise, not scripted commentary.
No cars, no engines, no traffic — the loudest things on property are the boats coming in and the wildlife overhead. The rainforest sets the soundtrack.
