Trogon Lodge is a 25-room wooden lodge on the Savegre River in San Gerardo de Dota, set in flower gardens and trout ponds on a 34-hectare property that’s mostly private cloud forest reserve. It’s the place to go if you want a quetzal walk before breakfast, two marked trails of your own, and no TV or room wifi to pull you away from the river.
At a glance
| Location | Savegre Valley, San Gerardo de Dota, San José province; 7 km of gravel road below km 80 of the Inter-American Highway |
|---|---|
| Style | Mountain lodge with 24 standard rooms in garden cabins and one superior room; part of Grupo Mawamba |
| Setting | 34 hectares of gardens, trout ponds and primary and secondary oak forest, with about 1,000 m of Savegre riverbank |
| Best for | Couples, birders and small families who want a quiet, unplugged riverside stay |
| Getting there | Roughly 87 km and 2.5 to 3 hours by car from San José; public bus to km 80, then a pre-booked local taxi |
| CST status | Not in the official CST directory on 2026-Oct-21 |
Where it is
The About page puts Trogon in the Savegre Valley in the small town of San Gerardo de Dota, home to about 220 people and part of the Los Santos area, where most towns are named after saints. From San José you drive south on the Inter-American Highway (Route 2) to km 80, turn right by the bus stop and Bar Los Jilgueros, and follow the signs.
Those last 7 km are gravel. The lodge warns that you drop about 1,000 meters on the way, from around 3,200 m at the turnoff to the lodge at about 2,200 m, on a steep, winding, narrow road. It asks guests to drive in daylight and recommends a high-clearance vehicle, although all kinds of cars make it. Without a car, the MUSOC bus from San José to San Isidro del General stops at km 80, and the lodge can help arrange a local taxi from there; no taxis wait at the stop.
Los Quetzales National Park is about 9 km away, and the lodge suggests visiting on your way in. SINAC describes the park as 4,117 hectares at the head of the Savegre watershed, created in 2006, with a short cemented birding trail of 480 meters and the 2 km Ojo de Agua trail.
The rooms
According to the rooms page, the 24 standard rooms are split into 12 two-room wooden cabins spread through the gardens. Some are near the restaurant and others sit higher in the forest, and the terrain is steep, so tell the lodge if you have trouble walking. Ten rooms have one queen bed, ten have a queen and a single, and four have two queens for families of up to two adults and two children. Each room has a gas heater that staff light in the afternoon and turn off in the morning, a hair dryer and a shared porch with rocking chairs. Breakfast is included.
The single Superior Room sits on a small hill up a flight of steps, with a king bed, a balcony over the valley and the lodge, a Jacuzzi, a coffee maker and the property’s only TV. It’s for two adults, not children or anyone with limited mobility.
There are no TVs or phones in standard rooms and no wifi in any room. Public areas, including the bar and lounge, do have wifi. No pets are allowed.
Gardens, trout ponds and the river
The gallery page says travelers often name the bird-filled flower gardens as a highlight. Centennial oaks, ferns, orchids and bromeliads fill the grounds, and the buildings are made mostly of fine woods, with collections of antiques and antique radios.
Trout are raised in ponds in front of the restaurant for the kitchen, but fishing is no longer allowed: the lodge says the fish are delicate and easily harmed.
The Savegre itself runs alongside the property for roughly a kilometer. In 2017 UNESCO named the Savegre basin a biosphere reserve, a designation the lodge covers on its blog.
Trails and tours
Two marked nature trails are open to guests without a guide: Reinitia, about 1 km, and Candelita, about 3 km. Ask at reception for a map. The lodge recommends a walking stick and a slow pace at this altitude.
Guided tours cost extra and are booked at the front desk. They run with a minimum of two people. The experiences page lists:
- Quetzal Quest: coffee, then a 6 am walk of about two hours with a local guide, back in time for breakfast. Depending on the season, it starts at the lodge or a short drive away. The lodge notes that quetzals live in the valley year round, feeding on wild avocado.
- Birdwatching tour: morning or afternoon, in a valley where more than 175 bird species have been recorded, including black guan, emerald toucanet, trogons and hummingbirds.
- Páramo tour: a drive up to Cerro de la Muerte at about 3,300 m to look for highland birds and plants, for people in good condition.
- Birdwatching and páramo hike: a descent from Cerro Buena Vista, the country’s third highest peak, through páramo down to the upper oak forest. On clear days you can see the Pacific, Chirripó, Irazú and Turrialba.
On the lodge’s blog, resident bird guide and manager Greivin Gonzalez asks walkers to wear dark clothes, skip the flash and keep voices low.
Food
All meals are served at El Quetzal restaurant, looking over the trout ponds. The gastronomy page lists the hydroponic garden’s lettuce, spinach, leeks, chard, arugula and herbs, trout from the ponds, and preserves made from tree tomato, Chilean papaya, golden berry, figs, blackberries and peaches bought from neighbors. Local suppliers bring cheese and honey, and the bread is baked in house. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals can be arranged with notice. The menu is short, and at busy times meals may be buffet style.
Sustainability
Trogon Lodge says on its sustainability page that buildings cover no more than 10% of the property and that most of the land is private reserve, part of it reforested over the past decade. The lodge says it recycles solid waste and cooking oil (for biodiesel), composts organic waste, uses biodegradable cleaning products, avoids chemical herbicides, plants trees that attract wildlife, buys local produce and grows much of its own. It held the Ecological Blue Flag in the micro-watershed category for its stretch of the Savegre from 2013 to 2015, and its blog says it replaced plastic straws with bamboo.
The page also says Grupo Mawamba chose to pursue CST certification. Trogon Lodge wasn’t listed when we searched the official CST directory on 2026-Oct-21.
Who it suits
Trogon suits couples looking for a romantic, quiet mountain stay, and birders who want a guided dawn quetzal walk and trails of their own. The family rooms and the gardens make it workable with children too.
It’s not ideal if you need to stay connected from your room, or if stairs and slopes are a problem. If you want the same valley with more amenities, look at Savegre Mountain Hotel. If you want a higher, forest-wrapped bungalow, try Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge, and for something simpler, see Cabinas El Quetzal Lodge. For more choices, browse our Central Valley and highlands eco-lodges, and our birds of Costa Rica guide covers what else you may see.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fish in the trout ponds at Trogon Lodge?
Not anymore. The lodge raises trout for its own restaurant and says fishing isn't available on site, because the fish are delicate and easily injured. You can still eat the trout at El Quetzal.
Is there wifi in the rooms?
No. Wifi works in the public areas, including the bar and lounge, but the lodge says the valley's limited bandwidth and the spread-out cabins mean it can't offer wifi in rooms.
Do I need a 4x4 to reach the lodge?
Not strictly. The lodge says all kinds of cars travel the 7 km of gravel from km 80, but it recommends a high-clearance vehicle, daylight driving and low gears on the steep descent.
Can I walk the trails without a guide?
Yes. The Reinitia and Candelita trails, about 1 km and 3 km long, are marked and open to guests. Pick up a map at reception and take it slowly at altitude.
