Selva Bananito is located on the Caribbean side of the country. It’s a 45-minute drive to the lodge in the heart of the Caribbean jungle from the small town of Bananito. This gigantic 1200 ha lush green rainforest barely escaped deforestation in the ’90s. However, thanks to the determination of Jurgen Stein, the German owner of Selva Bananito lodge, the area has been saved and protected.
Your hotel
Jurgen built Selva Bananito lodge from waste wood contributing to protecting this unknown piece of rainforest on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica near La Amistad Biosphere Reserve. If you are a bird and nature lover, you’ll find yourself in paradise at Selva Bananito Lodge. While learning more about nature conservation, you will be pampered with great food and refreshing drinks. Then, join the other guests for a relaxing and delicious candlelight dinner with locally sourced food.
Sleep in beautiful private cabins surrounded by a charming pristine jungle with a unique frog concert chirping you asleep. Selva Bananito Lodge is located in the middle of nature, where you will stay in a beautiful wooden house. Enjoy a magical view over the fields with the mountains and the jungle as a backdrop. Solar panels provide hot water in the shower and atmospheric lighting in your room.
The reserve is home to more than 350 species of birds, caimans, monkeys, armadillos, sloths, and many other animals. Wild cats like jaguars, ocelots, and pumas are often spotted on wildlife cameras. The three rivers in this reserve provide clean drinking water for the Limon region.
Explore the area
At San Gerardo de Dota in the Cerro de la Muerte. This mountain range separates the Caribbean and Pacific Coast. Before reaching the highest point of the road (3300m/11000 feet) descend into a beautiful green valley carved by the river Savegre and enjoy the breathtaking scenery before arriving in the charming, small town of San Gerardo de Dota (2500m).
In the heart of the Bribri Indigenous Territory, Bribri Lodge offers an authentic cultural experience surrounded by the lush rainforest of Costa Rica’s Talamanca region. Just minutes from the stunning Bribri waterfalls and the Sixaola River, this lodge provides a serene escape into nature and tradition.
In Bijagua, you will spend the night at Tenorio Lodge in a stylish bungalow. Nearby you’ll find a large jacuzzi with stunning views of the volcano to relax in after your day trip adventures. The owners of the lodge, Frank and Christine, offer great culinary delights to their guests. The lodge’s restaurant is famous for its delicious French fusion cuisine.
Located on the southern Caribbean coast, Manzanillo is a peaceful village at the end of the road and renowned for some of the most beautiful unspoiled beaches in the country.
The area is also known for its great cultural diversity of Latinos, Bribri, and Cabecar Indians. The Afro-Caribbean culture came with the Jamaicans in 1872 when the railroad between San José and the port of Limon was built.
CNN has elected Juan Sostheim’s Rancho Margot as one of the most sustainable destinations in Costa Rica. Stay in a comfortable room in a lush green garden and relax in the natural pool at Rancho Margot. The ranch is entirely self-sufficient and carbon-negative. And that is a very positive thing!
Ave del Paraiso is also within walking distance of the trendy neighborhood Barrio Escalante, home to many excellent restaurants to enjoy a nice dinner or a coffee. However, if you want to stay closer to home, cross the garden and enjoy a farm-to-table meal in Café Kracovia, managed by the sons of the hotel owners.
© Green Circle Experience2025
