Recommended Playa Nicuesa tour: Casa Orquideas Botanical Garden

If you are a nature lover or a budding botanist, one of the most wonderful day tours you can take from Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is to Casa Orquideas Botanical Garden in Costa Rica. A short boat ride or kayak paddle around a small rocky point south of Playa Nicuesa will land you at Playa San Josecito. At the west end of the long, crescent-shaped dark sand beach is Casa Orquideas Botanical Garden.


Casa Orquideas is one of the oldest and most interesting botanical gardens in the southern Costa Rica region of Golfo Dulce. Especially phenomenal is their collection of orchids. The beautifully landscaped private tropical garden shows off hundreds of species of ornamental and edible tropical plants that have been collected and cared for by U.S. citizens Ron and Trudy McAllister, who have lived in this remote region since the 1970s.


The delightful gardens display some of the most beautiful and interesting plants and flowers of Costa Rica, which are a magnet for dozens of different kinds of birds, butterflies, insects and other wildlife. Be sure to bring a camera, and even a pair of binoculars for this fantastic educational tour â€" sure to be a highlight of your stay at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge. The approximately two to three-hour walking tour meanders through the meticulously maintained colorful gardens to see countless species of tropical plants, including varieties of palms, heliconias, orchids, exotic fruit trees, spices, flowers and medicinal plants that the McAllister’s have collected and cultivated over these many years. You will be able to smell and taste exotic fruits you perhaps never heard of before, and learn about natural medicinal rainforest plants.


We highly recommend the guided tour at Casa Orquideas, which starts at 8:30 a.m. on Thursdays and Sundays. All other days, except Fridays when the gardens are closed, you can walk the gardens on a self-guided tour. About Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in Costa Rica Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is located on a 165-acre private Costa Rica rainforest preserve in the amazingly unique Golfo Dulce/Osa Peninsula region, which has been called one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth. This area embraces Central America’s largest remaining Pacific Coast rainforest, and the warm water gulf of Golfo Dulce is an important life zone for Pacific Humpback Whales, dolphins, sharks and sea turtles. The destination is perfect for nature lovers and adventure-seekers. During your stay at Nicuesa Lodge be sure to enjoy our adventure and nature tours, and the beautiful Article by Shannon Farley