Nestling among wooded hills beside the fast flowing Chirripo river, the Lodge is a refuge from the pressures of a busy world, a place of refreshment for mind and body. Throughout its grounds the vivid hues of abundant tropical flowers and shrubs beguile the eye and enchant the spirit.

Each of the ten rooms has a balcony with a view across the river valley to a panorama of forest and mountain greenery. Below the main buildings a tree-lined path leads down to the pool area, a free form riverside pool and hot tub, a sumptuous hideaway overlooking the Chirripo’s tumbling waters.

The focal point of life at the Lodge is the Rancho, a unique architectural mix of rustic tropical Santa Fe with hints of Mexico, the Mediterranean and Bali. Its open spaces have been designed to bring the outside inside. Here you can breathe fresh mountain air as you eat our healthy meals of local produce while hummingbirds explore the nearby trees and bushes. And at day’s end, in the still of the dark, you can relax by a fragrant wood fire in the Rancho’s high-roofed hall.

Uphill from the Rancho is the Lodge’s Yoga Room whose windows offer a magnificent view of tropical forest and lush green hillside. It regularly hosts retreat groups for stays of up to a month.

A few minutes drive away is the village of San Gerardo de Rivas, base camp for hikers and climbers who have their sights set on the peak of Cerro Chirripo, highest mountain in Costa Rica. It is also gateway to the cloud forest, with its waterfalls and hot springs, its breath-taking range of birdlife, butterflies and orchids.

The name Chirripo is an indigenous word for “land of eternal waters”. Rio Chirripo Lodge is a place where you can get a sense of the eternal, a place for winding down, a place to re-charge batteries, to take delight in spectacular natural surroundings. And it is a place where the friendliest of welcomes awaits you.

How to get here?

From the north:

  Once you're in the city of San Isidro del General take the Panamerican highway heading south, go past the city of San Isidro, go over two bridges and you'll see Maxi Bodega on your left and Viveros la Bonita on your right, take the road on your left that goes parallel to the highway. Follow that road for aproximately 12 kilometers until you get to the town of Rivas, once you pass the center of town (church will be on your right, bars on your left), turn right  (DO NOT continue straight ahead) and go for about 9 kilometers on a gravel road until you get to the village of Canaan, go past the cemetery of Cannan and 50 meters more you'll see a paved driveway and a sign that says "RIO CHIRRIPO RETREAT",  we'll be waiting for you.

From the south:

if you are coming from the south pass the Monte General Mall on your left and going north you'll pass three trafic lights, once you pass the third one start looking for a road on the right side that goes parallel to the highway, follow that road for aproximately 12 kilometers until you get to the town of Rivas, once you pass the center of town (church will be on your right, bars on your left), turn right  (DO NOT continue straight ahead) and go for about 9 kilometers on a gravel road until you get to the village of Canaan, go past the cemetery of Cannan and 50 meters more you'll see a paved driveway and a sign that says "RIO CHIRRIPO RETREAT",  we'll be waiting for you.