Hacienda Barú is an excellent destination for Costa Rica Ecotourism, Bird Watching and Wildlife Observation. Located just northeast of Dominical on the Pacific Coast, Hacienda Barú is a nationally recognized Wildlife Refuge offering lodging, a restaurant, and tours for your enjoyment.
Hacienda Barú's Ecolodge offers six large and roomy rustic cabins, ideal for families. Each cabin has two bedrooms, one with a double bed and the other with one double and one twin bed. Each cabin has a bathroom with a hot water shower, living room, porch, kitchenette with fridge, coffee maker and hot plate, and fans in all the rooms.
Inside the reception you will find the gift shop which supports the local community through its sales. It offers many different types of wooden adornments and ceramics crafted by local artisans, as well as handmade woven bags and traditional masks from the indigenous people of Boruca.
The breezy, open air restaurant is constructed to offer you a view of the natural surroundings as you dine. The menu of typical Costa Rican foods offers you a variety of tasty, moderately priced dishes from which to make your choice.
Next to the restaurant is a butterfly garden, offering you a colorful sample of local species, as well as a laboratory where you can see butterflies in all stages of the life cycle. Also located on the property for your enjoyment is an orchid garden, offering a close-up view of these riches from the rainforest canopy.
The Ecolodge is surrounded by Hacienda Barú National Wildlife Refuge which conserves 815 acres of tropical rainforest, mangrove, wetlands, river bank, and beach front. This wide variety of ecosystems creates a high level of biodiversity, with over 350 species of birds having been recorded. To fully experience the refuge we offer nine different guided tours as well as seven kilometers of walking trails you may explore on your own.
The northeastern side of the property is hilly and covered with primary rainforst. This is where our three canopy tours - the “Tree Climb,” the “Canopy Platform Tour,” and the “Flight of the Toucan” zip line tour - take place. Guided tours through the highlands include the “Night in the Jungle,” “Rainforest Birdwatching,”and the “Rainforest Experience.” Similar guided tours are offered which explore the lowland habitats of pristine beach, wetland, mangrove, and secondary forest. These tours are the “Night on the Beach,” “Lowland Birdwatching,” and the “Mangrove Walk.”
There are also seven kilometers of self guided walking trails meandering their way through primary forest, secondary rainforest, wetlands, tree plantations and grasslands. Pristine Barú beach is only 400 meters from the cabins if you choose the shortest route. If you prefer the serene beauty of a nature trail there are two that will take you from the lodge to Barú beach. The refuge protects three kilometers of natural beach where you may wander at your leisure and explore.
