Tenorio Lodge, Bijagua de Upala

Tenorio Lodge is a 12-bungalow lodge on about 17 acres of gardens, ponds and replanted forest at the southern edge of Bijagua, every unit facing the cone of Tenorio Volcano. It was built by two wildlife photographers who still run it, and it suits travelers who want a calm, well-kept base for Río Celeste with birds in the garden and dinner on site.

At a glance

Where it is

The lodge’s location page puts it at the southern entrance of Bijagua, on the border of Guanacaste and Alajuela provinces in the canton of Upala. Liberia’s international airport is less than 90 minutes away by car, and the towns of Cañas and Upala are each about half an hour. From San José, the route follows the Pan-American Highway to Cañas, then Route 6 north toward Upala; a sign just before Bijagua marks the turn.

The Río Celeste trailhead in Tenorio Volcano National Park is about 10 miles (16 km) from the lodge, according to its activities page.

How it started

Christine and Franck Dziubak, the owners, tell the story on their history page. Their first plan was a beach hotel for surfing and diving. But they kept driving Route 6 to photograph wildlife at Caño Negro, stumbled on Tenorio and the Río Celeste, and decided to build here instead. The project began in 2005.

Their photographs fill the lodge’s galleries, and recent reviews still mention Christine as the host who greets guests and helps plan their days.

Bungalows

All 12 bungalows are single-storey and raised on stilts, with large windows looking at the volcano. The lodge description gives each one 484 square feet with either a king and a queen bed or two queens, orthopedic mattresses, a silent ceiling fan plus a pedestal fan, a mini fridge, coffee maker, safe, hair dryer and a separate dressing area. Windows have mosquito nets. There is no air conditioning, by design.

One bungalow is equipped for guests with disabilities. Some can sleep a family of four, two adults and two children.

The grounds

Trails run through the heliconia garden, around two natural ponds and across several reforestation zones. In the late afternoon, guests gather at the Ranchito, an open shelter with two hot tubs in the middle of the garden, to watch hummingbirds and the light on the volcano.

The main building holds the reception, a small shop selling local crafts, a bar, and a restaurant with a terrace facing Tenorio. Breakfast is included, and dinner is served. Recent guest reviews praise the cooking, which the owners say uses produce from nearby farms and their own kitchen garden.

What to do

The lodge’s activities page is a menu of half-day and full-day trips, booked through local operators:

• Río Celeste: the waterfall, the hot springs and the point where two clear rivers meet and turn blue, inside the national park.
• Tubing on the Río Celeste: class I and II water outside the park boundary.
• Horseback riding: two and a half hours on the slopes of Tenorio, through pasture and forest with views of Miravalles.
• Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge: about 90 minutes away by road, a boat trip on the lagoon and the Río Frío.
• Kayaking the Río Celeste and Caño Blanco: a paddle through freshwater mangroves.
• Palo Verde National Park: about an hour and a quarter away, known for waterbirds and crocodiles in the dry season.
• Hiking and mountain biking: in the Bijagua valley, with views toward Lake Nicaragua on clear days.

Wildlife

The grounds work as a large garden aviary. Guests and the lodge’s galleries report toucans, motmots, hummingbirds, howler and white-faced monkeys, sloths, and the occasional porcupine. One 2025 review mentions a tapir. None of this is guaranteed, but the ponds and fruit trees draw a lot of life to a small area.

Sustainability

The owners lay out their practices on a sustainable tourism page written in the lodge’s early years. According to the lodge:

• Buildings are single-storey to reduce visual impact, built with plantation wood such as teak and pine, and constructed by local workers with more than half the materials bought locally.
• Hot water is solar heated, there is no air conditioning, and a bioclimatic drying room replaces most dryer use.
• Wastewater goes to a septic tank and drain fields; all cleaning and guest products are biodegradable.
• Over 70% of waste is composted and used in the gardens, which receive no pesticides or herbicides.
• All staff are local, paid above the minimum wage and enrolled in social security.
• The lodge belongs to the local tourism chamber and CANATUR, sells only local crafts, and books tours through local operators.

The page says Rainforest Alliance carried out a best-practices assessment in December 2008 and that the lodge aimed for CST certification. It does not appear in the current official CST directory, so treat these points as the owners’ statements, and bear in mind the page has not been updated in some time.

Who it suits

Tenorio Lodge fits couples and photographers who want space, quiet and dinner without driving into town at night, and families who need a bungalow for four. It is a strong choice for a two or three night stop between Arenal and Guanacaste.

It is not a deep-forest lodge: the setting is gardens and ponds, and the national park is a drive away. Some reviewers note that the lodge is outside the village, so a car or taxi helps. Nearby alternatives include the owner-run Sueño Río Celeste B&B on the same road and the riverside Hideaway Río Celeste closer to the park. See all our Northern Plains eco-lodges, and read our Arenal and Río Celeste ecotourism guide to plan the route.