Guacimo Lodge

Had the most superb experience at Guacimo Lodge It has an outstanding location and is situated at the shores of San Juan River - in the near vicinity of the amazing Indio Maiz Biosphere park. It’s an incredible adventure to reach the Lodge, and that is for sure a part of this incredible experience. The Cabanas are extremely beautiful and give one the full experience to be in the middle of nature, and give splendid views. We stayed for 3 nights, but could have used weeks there..the staff is super friendly, the food is good, you can book amazing trips to Indio Maiz, or go kayaking on the rivers..our local guide Orlando is the best ever local guide we have had, he knows everything about the nature and is really good at spotting wildlife..had the most incredible encounter with Sloths, Howler monkeys, Spider Monkeys, Bats, beautiful birds etc. Guacimo Lodge is a must for everybody that seeks the untouched nature, the quietness, the immense beauty and want to escape the bustling world for some time. Don’t deny yourself an amazing, over the top nature experience- and do visit Guacimo Lodge - it’s like a rare jewel - and you won’t regret it. Can highly recommended- and Manuel the owner, is extremely friendly and welcoming. Book your next stay at Guacimo Lodge - we will for sure return⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A remote jungle lodge in a stunning riverside location. Very well designed large en-suite rooms in their own stilted huts. Mosquito netting screens work so well and doesn’t obstruct the views but also an outside balcony area as well as 4 posted bed with full mosquito netting. It is basic though so no air conditioning, charging points or wi-fi in rooms but there is a pool and the nice riverside communal space has comfortable seating options with charging points and wi-fi. What made it extra special though was our wonderful host, so friendly and helpful, speaking excellent English and nothing was too much trouble. for her. Lovely food all freshly cooked to our choices and at a time to suit us. Access is only by river and that’s part of the adventure. We got the 90minute boat ride from the Costa Rica border crossing so very easy.

This had been this biggest bummer on our 3 week backpacking trip through Nicaragua. Pros: The location is beautiful. Orlando, the tour guide, was very informative and funny. Cons: After a long day of travel to arrive at guacimo lodge we entered a room that looked as if someone was just living in it. The shower drain was clogged with gobs of hair. The sink is covered in soap and toothpaste scum. There was a dried contact lens in our bed. Bat poop scattered around the floor. We were told there are two USB plugs in the room, but asked not to use them as there is limited power through the solar generator. When we opted to use them, the lights in our room flashed on and off until we unplugged from the USB. So, no outlets to charge anything in your room. You have to charge devices in the lobby area. The shower head is very clogged, sprays in all different directions. There is no hot water. The food on the menu is misrepresented as to what you’re actually served. Fajitas don’t come with tortillas. The “French onion soup” was raw white onions in a bland broth for $9. We were never shown any type of program that would show the options for the 3-4 day package they advertise on their website. When asking about the 4 day package we were given the price of $1400!! Of the 2 tours we decided to do we were given a price that was off the top of the head. “That’s like $32 or $36 per person, something like that.” The night tour came in at $40 per person. The tours lasted roughly 2 hours and were generally an enormous and expensive let down. Just for reference, in other areas of Nicaragua, volcano boarding with pickup and drop off cost $35 pp, a volcano hike with a guide, pickup and drop off cost $50 per group, snorkeling cost $20 pp. Our disappointment with our experience at guacimo lodge became obvious and the manager, Bela, asked to speak with us. Bela may be a great manager to those that are enjoying their experience, but he is not equipped to deal with those that are not. After explaining our disappointment from the room to the food to the tours, Bela became increasingly upset and began to mock us. Saying things like, “If you were in Costa Rica you would be paying 3 times this much” … “look at our reviews, we only have one bad review” … “you want me to call the jaguars and alligators” … “why don’t you go to your room and take a shower, oh, that’s right, your shower doesn’t work.” He finished by aggressively snatching our empty beer bottles off the table, walking off and slamming them into a trash bin. We went to bed that night feeling very uncomfortable. In the morning we decided to pack up and leave. Bela offered us 50% off the remainder of our stay but we thought it best for both sides if we leave. We had booked for 4 nights but ended up leaving after 2. I will say, Bela was pleasant in our departure, giving recommendations of other accommodations and continuing to provide the service of onward transport. The bottom line : The employees on the grounds don’t s