This is a small eco-lodge with an associated area of protected forest complete with trails & including some suspension bridges which gives canopy access. Heliconias lodge is effectively a section of very rich Caribbean slope rain forest which has 'extended' across the Continental divide and is therefore accessible as a day trip from the Guanacaste coastal beach resorts.

The lodge and its trails are accessed by a rough stony track from the small town of Bijagua on the main road leading from the Pan-American Highway to Upala. The lodge & its protected forest lies on the high rainfall north-facing slope of the Tenorio Volcano at 750 meters above sea level and affords tremendous views of the huge Lake Nicaragua to the north.

Our visit to Heliconias was as a day trip with Carlos Jimenez and given the travel time from Golfo de Papagayo to Bijagua we could only spend a few hours on the trails at Heliconias. Despite the limitations of time it was clearly apparent that this is a great area for rain forest birding. The lodge has a small selection of comfortable cabins & a restaurant producing excellent meals. Overnight stay will give early access to the trails & is to be recommended. The rain forest around Heliconias holds some special birds including scarce & difficult-to-see species such as Tody Motmot, Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, various Antbirds & Ornate Hawk Eagle. Check out John Keep's excellent report to get an idea of just how good this area can be: http://www.geocities.com/bird.in.wiv@btinternet.com/cr2.html .

The Heliconias Lodge website is here: http://www.heliconiaslodge.com/index.html