Lodge yields bug-free, soothing jungle getaway

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/12/2002 (8558 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Selva Bananito, Costa Rica — It is that rare chance to spend some quality time with the flora and fauna of Costa Rica that makes a visit to the Selva Bananito Lodge so appropriate.

This eco-sensitive retreat in the Costa Rican wilderness is sufficiently isolated to keep human incursions at a minimum, while maintaining an authentic palette of wildlife. Yet, it is still relatively accessible to any tourist with a vehicle.

Selva Bananito is located in a 1,000-hectare patch of pristine rainforest, in the less-developed southern section of the country. Getting off Costa Rica’s more travelled tourist routes for a stay at the lodge is well worth the effort.

But first you’ve got to get there, and that may present some challenges, especially if there have been any jungle-style downpours in the past few hours. Those could swell the two creeks and two small rivers that run across the dirt road to the lodge. There is 13 kilometres of narrow dirt road, then tracks running inland from the two-lane “highway” to Panama.

Better bring your 4×4 sport-ute for this trip.

We did, by renting a small but capable Daihatsu Terios, a good combination of economy and utility for those on a budget. Four driving wheels and some more usable suspension clearance are in order for this drive, and the Terios delivers the goods.

After some nervous contemplation while inching toward the first swiftly flowing watercourse, plunging in seems to be the only option. It works, and further crossing are more fun.

The pay off for this city boy bravado is arrival at Selva Bananito. Shutting off the motor is a welcome respite, and a rare, natural-born silence envelopes the interior of the vehicle. Stepping out, it is apparent there are no human-made sounds to be heard, no matter how hard one listens. It is silence divine.

That sleepy calm of mid-day in the jungle, with bird and animal chatter at a minimum, is in stark contrast to the good morning racket that ensues at about 5 a.m. each day. A few animal calls quickly rally the rest to action, and it takes only a few minutes of grey light for the enthusiastic din to hit its peak. A few minutes later, with breakfast on their minds, Costa Rica’s incredible wildlife settles down to a day of foraging and other domestic duties.

A creature that seems to take particular delight in the morning ritual is the howler monkey. One lives near the lodge and his eerie, human-like screams in the dark were hair-raising. After having fun shocking all of the other creatures into wakefulness, his echoing screams were rarely heard — until the next morning.

Selva Bananito is a collection of chalets on stilts, sitting astride a small ridge about 200 metres away from the banks of the fourth watercourse. On the opposite side of the ridge, the ground slopes down to a meadow, in which the resident horses have some romping and grazing space. Behind the meadow, rising up to dominate the landscape, are the first heights of the Talamanca mountain range.

This is the view from the wide, rear deck of the stilted chalets. These very roomy units have simple but well-appointed furnishings, including a generous king-size bed and cavernous shower stall. They are constructed almost entirely of hardwood that had been previously cut and discarded by earlier logging enterprises in the area, rather than using newly cut wood.

That eco-sensitive building concept is very much in keeping with other operational activities at the lodge, including a decision not to use electricity. On the first night there, you learn the implications of this, as you fumble around your room with only a gas lamp for lighting. And don’t even mention television or air conditioning. But this inconvenience is essential to preserving the very elements that make the lodge special. No electricity means no generator. And no generator means no gas-guzzling, always-droning motor in the aural background. (No hydro lines here). The preserved silence really is worth the sacrifice.

But maybe the most surprising aspect of the chalets is their complete openness to the elements. Massive windows and sliding louvered doors to the deck have no glass or screens, which would seemingly be an invitation to anything flying or crawling to stop by for a visit.

“There are no mosquitos,” says Jurgen Stein, owner and general manager of Selva Bananito. Come on, you must be kidding. Aren’t we on the edge of a jungle? “There are no mosquitos,” he says again firmly, in a German accent.

It’s all a matter of natural balance, he says, meaning that with no stagnant, human-produced pools of water, there are no places for mosquitos to breed. And those that do breed here are kept in check by predators, like bats. Hmmm… we’ll see, as we stumble back to the chalet from the dining lodge in the blackness of the jungle night.

And presto! The man was right! Despite being open to the elements all night, without even a mosquito net over the bed, there are none of the those high-pitched buzzes signalling the approach of a mosey. Crawly critters also generally are dissuaded from reaching your quarters by the stilts that keep the units about four metres above the ground.

Not that unwelcome visitors are entirely out of the question. A lodge guide sheet for guests says “you may want to inspect your shoes before putting them on.”

The stilted construction not only discourages insect arrivals, it also serves to promote a flow of air under the floor boards. This is vital to cooling the units to bearable temperatures during the day, and night-time temperatures are pleasant for sleeping.

The broad wooden decks of each chalet are fitted with big armchairs, a couple of tables and a very inviting hammock. Dump your big-city rhythms, and just relax in this incomparable setting for a few hours.

Selva Bananito sits within the borders of land originally purchased by Jurgen’s father Rudi in 1974 for farming. In 1994, the family decided to set aside two-thirds of yet-unfarmed land to establish a biological reserve, and to build the lodge as an alternative source of income. But, “it is unlikely that the income from the lodge will ever approximate the commercial value of the protected wood,” says Stein.

After flaking out in the hammock for a while, you may get the urge to take a more active interest in your surroundings. Jurgen knows the territory well, having lived there for many years. He starts his four-hour guided tour of the area with a horseback ride across the meadows to the foot of the Cerro Muchilla mountain, where we dismount and start climbing a foot path.

Suddenly the sky opens up and a warm wash of pounding rain is upon us. This is the essence of the rainforest, and it is only a momentary concern that passes with the acceptance of being totally wet.

After about 20 minutes of mostly climbing on the muddy path, we arrive at the location of the lodge’s new “canopy tour.” This unique way of experiencing the rainforest from a treetop perspective comes with a thrill factor. The canopy tour requires a length of sturdy cable running on a downward slope between two trees. The rider dons a helmet and harness, hooks up to the line and zips down the cable on a short, thrilling ride. You know what to expect on your second run, which gives you more time to gaze around at the dense jungle.

The rain gives rise to the appearance of some tiny electric-green and bright-red frogs, sitting under the dripping trees. Everything else has run for cover, but the incredibly diverse plant life of the Costa Rican jungle is an attraction in itself, with Stein’s informed descriptions giving it context.

The hike finishes with an arm-in-arm, thigh-deep wade across a couple of rivers whose swift waters have been swollen by the rain. Fully soaked but beaming, we stride across the meadows below Selva Bananito just as the sun reappears from behind the clouds.

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Visiting Selva Bananito

Contact facts: Selva Bananito Lodge Phone: 1-506-253-8118; fax: 1-506-280-0820, www.conselvatur.com Rates are $100 US p.p. dbl. for a two-night stay, including meals and one activity (horseback riding, hiking, zip-lining).

Ted Davis is a Vancouver-based travel writer.