Savegre Mountain Hotel: Quetzal Country in San Gerardo de Dota

Savegre Mountain Hotel is a family-run cloud-forest hotel at 2,200 meters in San Gerardo de Dota, on the Talamanca mountains south of San José, set inside its own reserve of more than 500 hectares. It’s one of the most reliable places in the world to see a Resplendent Quetzal, and it pairs that with what the hotel describes as more than 25 km of trails, a river valley, warm cabins with heaters and a spa, run by the third generation of the family that founded the village.

At a glance

A valley founded by a lost hunting party

San Gerardo de Dota didn’t exist before 1954. That year, as the hotel’s history of the valley tells it, two coffee laborers from the Los Santos region, the brothers Efraín and Federico Chacón, lost their way while hunting in these mountains and spent a cold night in the open. By morning they’d decided to live here. Farming, cattle and later trout followed, and in the early 1980s visiting naturalists noticed what the families had taken for granted: an unusual abundance of quetzals.

The hotel grew from that discovery and dates its hospitality to 1973. It’s still a family business, now managed by the second and third generations. The family’s argument is simple: the quetzals are here because the old oaks were never cut.

The reserve and its trails

The hotel stands within a private reserve of more than 500 hectares on the upper Savegre River, which rises in the Talamanca range and runs 41 km to the Pacific. The valley belongs to the Savegre Biosphere Reserve, declared by UNESCO in 2017. Five marked trails, set out on the forest reserve page, cover most fitness levels:

• Los Pioneros, 0.4 km with gentle slopes, the only one suitable for guests with reduced mobility.
• Canto de las Aves, 0.9 km, easy to moderate.
• La Quebrada, 1.6 km along a stream, often wet underfoot.
• Camino 4×4, a wide 1.8 km track that works well for groups.
• Los Robles, a demanding 6.2 km climb through old oak forest to about 2,600 meters, two to three hours.

Trails are open from 6:30 am to 5:00 pm and free for guests, with or without a guide. Within the reserve, the Siwö lookout looks out over the mountains.

Seeing the quetzal

The quetzal tour leaves at 5:15 am and lasts just over two hours, because the birds feed in the first light and activity drops sharply after eight. Guides don’t hunt for the bird so much as for its food: the wild avocado trees, or aguacatillos, whose small fruit the quetzal swallows whole. The hotel’s quetzal guide recommends January to June, peaking in March and April when the birds are nesting, vocal and predictable. They’re present year-round, but harder to find in other months.

Beyond the quetzal, the hotel reports more than 250 bird species recorded in the reserve, counting only verified sightings. Many are Talamanca highland specialties found only in Costa Rica and western Panama, such as the Volcano Hummingbird, Flame-throated Warbler, Wrenthrush, Silvery-throated Jay and Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher. Half-day and full-day guided birding are available for groups of one to four, and binoculars can be rented. Our birds of Costa Rica guide covers more species to watch for.

Other tours

The hotel’s tour menu lists a three-hour night walk in the cloud forest, horseback rides of one to two hours that cross the Savegre River, and a five-hour trip by safari vehicle to the páramo, the Andean-type shrubland that tops the Talamanca range above the tree line. That tour visits Los Quetzales National Park, declared in 2005 and protecting about 5,000 hectares and 14 ecosystems. During the local apple harvest, a seasonal tour visits the orchards. If you want to explore the national park on your own, the hotel’s FAQ notes that its entrance at Ojo de Agua de Dota is 25 to 30 km away and tickets are sold online through SINAC.

Rooms

The hotel has 50 rooms in all:

• 4 Master Suites, each a separate cabin with a king bed, fireplace and private jacuzzi.
• 26 Junior Suites, separate cabins with one or two queen beds and a bathroom with shower and tub.
• 20 Standard rooms in pavilion buildings, each with two double beds, sleeping up to four.

Every room has electric heating and Wi-Fi. You’ll want it: daytime temperatures run around 18 to 24°C, and nights drop to between 5 and 12°C all year.

Food and the spa

Las Bromelias restaurant serves Costa Rican and international dishes, buffet or à la carte, using vegetables from the hotel’s own garden. The Los Robles bar has a fireplace and pours Savegre coffee grown in Tarrazú. The dining page notes vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options with a day’s notice, and the apple pie, made with fruit from the valley, is the house favorite. Del Río Spa offers massages, facials, a sauna and jacuzzis beside the river, booked separately.

Sustainability

Savegre’s sustainability page is specific. There are 130 solar panels, more than 97% LED lighting, an electric-vehicle charging station, a constructed wetland for greywater, a biodigester for blackwater, a recycling collection center and a vermicomposting area. The hotel replants native species, uses biodegradable cleaning products, buys local produce, and donates to the community school for every bag of coffee it sells. The hotel says it creates jobs in the community and takes part in local groups such as the school board and the community development association.

The hotel doesn’t appear in the current CST directory of certified businesses, and its site doesn’t claim a CST rating.

Who it suits

Savegre is a first-rate base for birders and photographers, for walkers who want real trails from the door, and for couples who enjoy a fireplace after a cold, bright morning. Families do well here too, with easy trails and horseback rides.

It’s not for anyone who wants heat and beaches, and the altitude can leave some guests breathless for a day or two. If you’d prefer a smaller, more rustic stay in the same valley, see Trogon Lodge or Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge. More options are on our Central Valley and highlands eco-lodges page. Book through the hotel’s site, savegre.com.