Surroundings

Tropical rainforest meets pristine beaches

The Rio Tico Safari Lodge is located in Vergel de Punta Mala on the South Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, the Costa Ballena. On the South Pacific Coast virgin rainforest meets pristine palm fronted beaches. Six kilometres from the beach, on the shores of a crystal-clear river surrounded by mountainous tropical rainforest, you can find the small community of Vergel de Punta Mala and the Rio Tico Safari Lodge in Costa Rica.

On the South Pacific Coast you can enjoy the rich biological diversity of Costa Rica; if you are lucky, you will see many different bird species, coatis, anteaters, brightly coloured poison dart frogs and monkeys. Our combination of mountains, tropical rainforest and rivers has created amazing waterfalls; a photographers dream. Our small community sees few tourists, giving you ample opportunities to experience our local Tico hospitality. We are the perfect place to discover what the pure live, pura vida, means.

Pura Vida in the RIo Tico Safari Lodge Costa Rica

There is a wide variety of activities to do in and around the Rio Tico Safari Lodge in Costa Rica. Explore the mountainous tropical rainforest on foot on our hiking trails or relax in a hammock near the river or on one of the spectacular beaches. You can refresh yourself in the natural pools in the river: jump from a high rock into the deepest part of the river or enjoy a hydro massage under one of the small waterfalls. The real Rio Tico experience to unite your self with the surrounding tropical rainforest. ¡Pura Vida!

Watch the video clips for impressions of the Rio Tico Safari Lodge and surroundings.

Directions

The Rio Tico Safari Lodge is located in Vergel de Punta Mala on the Southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. There are several transport options to choose from: driving a rental, taking a local bus, taking a private shuttle bus or taking a short domestic flight.
Read more
Whales, dolphins, turtles…

In nearby Bahía Ballena between August and October and again from December to April, humpback whales migrate here to mate and to give birth. In addition, dolphins and sea turtles are regularly seen in this area. For these reasons, this area of the Costa Ballena is now protected and has become the Marino Ballena National Park.

Corcovado National Park

To the south of Vergel de Punta Mala is the Osa peninsula and the renowned Corcovado National Park. Many visitors find it to be the most beautiful park in Costa Rica and according to National Geographic, contains the most intense biodiversity in the world.

Boruca Indians

Besides all the natural beauty and diversity of wildlife that Costa Rica has to offer, you can familiarize yourself with the traditions of the ancestors of Costa Rica’s indigenous people; the Boruca. To the south east of Vegel de Punta Mala is a small indigenous village and community of the Boruca Indians.

What visitors say about us

Real Costa Rica experience in the jungle ★★★★★
~ January 2023
"Amazing place to stay, close to the waterfall. Owner was very engaged and directed us to some of the best places to eat close by. The sound of the waterfall and the animals in the forest really made you feel in middle of the jungle."
Bart | NL

Good ★★★★
~ May 2022
"Incredible setting! The river is in the garden of the property, the el pavon waterfall is 150m away! Very good breakfast served at the table. The tents are also very pleasant, the only negative point: who says nature says critters, we had ants following a heavy rain."
(original in French)
Aurelieb02 | FR

Enchanting, calm and comfortable place ★★★★★
~ February 2022
"An enchanted parenthesis during our stay in Costa Rica. Very pleasant, relaxing place (if you like the sound of the river and the birds). The tents are very comfortable, very well designed, well ventilated. The bedding is perfect. Hearty and tasty breakfasts. A little out of the way, so no telephone network and WiFi a little weak. But if you don't come to work, is it really necessary! An address that we keep preciously"
(original in French)
Laurence | FR

Very Good People ★★★★★
~ September 2021
"Shannon & I really enjoyed are stay at the Rio Tico Safari Lodge.
Owner Kes(might of misspelled his name) is a first rate fella.
Great breakfast’s. Kes helped us with a flat tire on our rental SUV. The Spare was bad too. Removed down trees on your road. He also was our translator with National Rent a Car & provided a rental SUV replacement,
We could not enjoy or expect anything more.
God bless you & your family.
Thank you for everything."
Jonathan In Manette | US

Perfect mountain get away! ★★★★★
~ May 2021
"This is the perfect place to enjoy nature and disconnect from the every day life. If you love camping but also love being comfortable, this is the place. The tents are spacious, beautiful and very fresh. The sound of the river that crosses the property is very pleasant. We enjoyed the breakfast but specially the home made bread! There are plenty of things to do in the area, from walking, to bird watching to multiple tour options, including Whale Watching. We will definitely go back and stay longer."
Gina M

Paradise, adventure and comfort combined! ★★★★★
~ April 2021
"Superb lodge, we felt so good there!
Everything was there to make our stay a dream, both the warm welcome and the beauty of our lodge, the cleanliness, the life in height on the superb garden and the river which surrounds it in which swimming is strongly recommended!
Must I talk about the incredible pancakes not to be missed at breakfast ... I'm still salivating!
Perfect thank you for everything"
(original in French)
Celine M | FR

Little corner of paradise in this crazy world ★★★★★
~ April 2021
"Unique experience, sleeping in a tent in the jungle hearing the sound of animals and the river and waking up to daylight, incredible! It's luxury camping (to say the least, I don't like camping), with private bathroom, balcony overlooking the river and the jungle, There is a waterfall and deep places to bathe in the river, a magical place! The owner is "great", always in a good mood and good advice for restaurants, activities or visits. The breakfast is simply royal, we were spoiled. We will return with great pleasure."
(original in French)
Fabienne | FR

Wonderful stay in a unique location! ★★★★★
~ March 2021
"We stayed 2 nights in this nice safari lodge! Both the bed and the shower were wonderful. It is an ideal place to stay in the jungle and also to take a trip to Uvita. In addition, compliments to Cees for the hospitality! We definitely recommend this lodge."
(original in Dutch)
Manouk | NL

Stay with private waterfall ★★★★★
~ October 2020
"The lodge is a bit off the beaten track and therefore offers an incredible atmosphere in nature. A river flows there and you have the opportunity to bathe at the small waterfall. The host Kees was really nice, offered a lot of restaurants and activities. The laundry service was quick and cheap. Kees' food has always been delicious."
(original in German)
Katha | DE

Beautiful area ★★★★
~ March 2020
"These large tents allow you to be as close as possible to nature. These are very well equipped and clean with a permanent shower room and a king size bed. The small balcony overlooks the river below.
Cradled by monkeys, cicadas and the sound of the river ..
The river and the waterfall just below are very nice.
The friendly owner (and a little hyperactive 🙂 welcomes you with a smile and dynamism.
Unfortunately, during the covid-19 and access road under construction which made us take an improbable track which I do not recommend and blocked a little on the spot.
The restaurant a little lower is good.
We recommend this lodge, relaxing and atypical!"
(original in French)
Behind the clouds | FR

Super!!! ★★★★★
~ Februari 2020
"What a nice and beautiful accommodation. The tents, which are fully equipped, give you a real feeling of being in the middle of nature! The breakfast is really good and freshly made. Service is number one. With the neighbor you can take a short but beautiful walk for a small fee. Here we have really seen for toucans. You can refresh yourself in the stream directly below the accommodation. Only drawback, if you do not have your own transport, is that there are no facilities in the immediate vicinity. There are two small restaurantsi. The environment but do not expect too much. A taxi will quickly cost you $ 30 one way to the village where several restaurants can be found. "
(original in Dutch)
Syliva D | NL

Wonderful stay in beautiful safari tent ★★★★★
~ February 2020
"What an experience, this stay at the Dutch Kees, in Vergel de Punta Mala, in a beautiful safari tent. Includes a private bathroom, good beds and a lovely seat, overlooking the river in the depth.
The breakfast was excellent.
Beware: you are not allowed to bring food in the tent, this with an eye on vermin (including ants!) "
(original in Dutch)
Adrien V | NL

In the middle of nature !! ★★★★★
~ February 2020
"Small complex surrounded by nature. The well-equipped and well-equipped tents allow you to be as close to nature as possible. An accessible river below allows you to stroll or swim.
You just have to be able to fall asleep, lulled by the sound of the river and the animals.
The service is impeccable.
We recommend."
(original in French)
Py2230 | FR

Complete change of scenery ★★★★★
~ November 2019
"My view of the magical place could not be below 5, jungle, waterfalls, flora and fauna change of scene. Welcome and advice from the boss. Even the tents are comfortable and the insects are present but the nights in this place will remain engraved as a superb memory of your trip."
(original in French)
Ju4 | FR

Great place to relax and to remember real life! ★★★★★
~ December 2018
"Great place! My husband and I stayed there around 3 weeks ago, begging of November, and loved it! Besides it s gorgeous place, owner and stuff were very polite and helpful. Definitely recommend this place! Love to stay in the gorgeous luxury kind tents and surrounding beautiful nature. Would love to repeat again!"
Tungaa and Darek | US

Definitely comfy camping! ★★★★★
~ 15 August 2018
"The tents are beautiful, and the roaring river just nearby makes for a delightful experience. The breakfast is absolutely DELICIOUS! European style, with crepes and jams and tea... we couldn't have loved it more! If you enjoy camping, as we do, these tents are super comfortable."
britt824 | US

Rainforest camping ★★★★
~ 8 July 2018
"Rio Tico Safari Lodge is a unique experience, tent camping in the rainforest. The well constructed Safari tents have attached bath and shower. The setting is absolutely lovely above a rushing stream. Sleep as if in the outdoors, to the sound of rushing water and gentle chirping of woodland fauna."
Thomas Z | US

Glamping in Costa Rica★★★★
~ 1 May 2018
"On advise of our travel agency we stayed here. Instead of rooms or cabinas Rio Tico offers South African Tents with an add-on bath room. It was a completely different experience which I can recommend. The tent has a wooden floor, electricity and a nice bathroom. Breakfast is served in the main building and is good. "
Geert111964 | Netherlands

Loved this place ★★★★★
~ 7 April 2018
"We stayed here for just one night over Easter Weekend (Semana Santa), the busiest time of the year in Costa Rica for traveling. It was a bit of a default that we stayed here as with our last minute trip planning the Saturday night was a night where we couldn't get into our other planned accommodations. I am so glad that it worked out that way, as this place was an amazing little interlude in our trip ...."
star33star | Canada

More businesses like this one please★★★★★
~ 15 January 2018
"Some hospitality business owners are in it for the profits, some simply have a calling. These guys are the latter. I can only confirm all the positives. It's a safari lodge, not a 5 star hotel, so think waterfall swimming holes rather than jacuzzi 😉 just come with the right state of mind and you'll love it. The grounds are stunning and beautifully maintained."
Vitamin_Sea2008 | US

Hide-away in the jungle ★★★★★
~ November 2018
"During our 3-night stay we enjoyed the great hospitality of Cees. He pampered us with ‘Dutch’ pancakes and delicious snacks. He also gave us very good advise about activities, restaurants and roadtrips.
Beside that the place is really wonderful. The ‘tents’ are very comfortable with kingsize beds and a nice balcony overlooking the river. In the morning we had our morning dip in the nearby waterfall. We walked the nearby trails and were surprised by the presence of many spidermonkeys.
We will be back!!"
Joke L | France

Amazing place to stay ★★★★★
~ September 2018
"Never liked camping? Put all your negative experiences aside and rent a fantastic jungle lodge tent at Rio Tico. 4 km inwards next to the river you find this small scale lodge. You feel part of nature and can enjoy a truly relaxing stay. Breakfast included. The luxury then has a bathroom and an covered outdoor with nice chairs and a view. Inly downside it it does not really has options for lunch or diner, so a 20 min drive to Ojochal or so is needed. But worth it. Wifi works but who needs it when you want to relax."
Mark | Netherlands

Very quiet glamping site on a river ★★★★
~ 8 July 2018
"This site is near Uvita (a $30 taxi ride - cash only) and is very very peaceful on the edge of a river. There are a number of tents and a couple of rooms in the main building. The lower tents near the river have a steep climb to the main building but are very quiet."
Rexy Stokes | UK

Incredible experience! Loved it! ★★★★★
~ 5 April 2018
"I agree with all the other positive reviews. What a place! The owners give such care to it and their guests! We decided to go here because it sounded so different -- it was! Very clean, a breeze -- either through the windows or a fan. Comfortable bed, beautiful surroundings. "
Nacy C | US

Glamping in the Jungle ★★★★★
~ 30 January 2018
"Such a stunning place! We loved everything about our stay: the beautifully located and comfortable tents with amazing views, the natural surroundings with lovely gardens, the rainforest, the swimming in the river and near the waterfall, the location close to the beach on the pacific coast and the very tasty dutch pancakes with good coffee for breakfast."
Bianc29012018 | Belgium

Are you ready for the Rio Tico experience?

Rio Tico Safari Lodge

Vergel de Punta Mala, Osa, Costa Rica

info@riotico.com

+ 506 - 40014678 / + 506 - 89967935