There are many different trail options within Pico Bonito National Park. Without question, the best maintained trails in the park are the trails at the Lodge at Pico Bonito. This luxury lodge offers first class facilities. Somehow, the rumor that the hotel was closing its doors has kept many visitors from visiting its facilities. However, the fact is that the Lodge never closed and is open. There are several different attractions available within the Lodge at Pico Bonito. These include a butterfly house and a serpentarium. In the latter, you will be able to see different species of both poisonous and non-poisonous snakes. Entrance fee to these facilities is very reasonable, and you do not need a previous reservation to visit these attractions.
Visiting the serpentarium at the Lodge at Pico Bonito
You can also visit the trails at the Lodge at Pico Bonito. To do so, you will need to make a reservation in advance. The tour includes lunch at the Itzamna restaurant, as well as a guided tour of the trails. The trails have some great towers that will take up to the height of the jungle canopy. From there, you will have a bird’s eye view of the forest canopy within Pico Bonito National Park. The towers are ideal for those interested in birding, as you get up to the canopy where many different species live. The most iconic bird in the park can usually be seen here. I am talking of course, about the Lovely Cotinga, which has a beautiful blue color.
Main entrance to the Lodge at Pico Bonito. Photo: Courtesy Isis I Castro Alberto
The trails at the Lodge at Pico Bonito are also great to see different mammals and reptiles. This is thanks to a strict no hunting zone that is enforced by the hotel. This is the best protected area within the national park. As such, wildlife is not as shy of humans here. Thanks to some camera traps that are set up in strategic areas within the trails, candid photos of jaguars and ocelots roaming the very same trails you will be hiking in are not unusual! Just imagine that a magnificent jaguar could have walked the same trail that you are hiking on! Of course, you will not see one of these large felines roaming around, as they are shy of humans and usually only out at night. But just knowing that they are out there is certainly thrilling!
Tourists enyoying the view from the swing bridge over the Cangrejal River
The trails at the Lodge at Pico Bonito are also great to see different mammals and reptiles. This is thanks to a strict no hunting zone that is enforced by the hotel. This is the best protected area within the national park. As such, wildlife is not as shy of humans here. Thanks to some camera traps that are set up in strategic areas within the trails, candid photos of jaguars and ocelots roaming the very same trails you will be hiking in are not unusual! Just imagine that a magnificent jaguar could have walked the same trail that you are hiking on! Of course, you will not see one of these large felines roaming around, as they are shy of humans and usually only out at night. But just knowing that they are out there is certainly thrilling!
