Hotel de Campo Caño Negro
Your Base for Experiencing Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge
All Services in One Place to Enjoy Your Vacation in Caño Negro
All Year Round
Visit our YourTube Channel, and discover what Caño Negro Refuge can offer you every days of the year.
Discover Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge
A remarkable destination for birdwatching, wildlife and photography
“ All Services in One Place to Enjoy your Vacations in Caño Negro”
Looking for the perfect destination for birdwatching in Costa Rica, wildlife photography, and an authentic ecotourism experience?
Discover Hotel de Campo Caño Negro, your base for experiencing the remarkable Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge. This unique wetland ecosystem is one of Costa Rica’s outstanding destinations for wildlife observation, birding, and nature photography. Since 1998, our eco-lodge has been committed to sustainable tourism in Costa Rica, reforesting the property and creating natural habitats that attract a remarkable variety of birds and wildlife.
For birdwatchers and photographers, Hotel de Campo offers three specially designed birding and photography spots: one overlooking the lagoon, another located within our private forest, and a dedicated lagoon area created to attract and observe birds. These spaces allow guests to enjoy year-round birdwatching and wildlife observation without leaving the comfort of their accommodation, making Hotel de Campo an ideal birding lodge in Costa Rica for travelers who want to combine nature, photography, and a comfortable place to stay.
The experience goes beyond accommodation in Caño Negro. Hotel de Campo also offers an authentic agrotourism experience in Costa Rica, where visitors can discover our small farm and see cows, sheep, chickens, and other animals. Fresh milk, eggs, cheese, and other farm products are part of a connection between tourism, local agriculture, and the natural environment.
If you are planning a vacation in Costa Rica centered around birdwatching, wildlife photography, ecotourism, and sustainable travel, Caño Negro offers an experience unlike the country’s more conventional tourist destinations. At Hotel de Campo Caño Negro, you can stay close to the refuge while combining wildlife, nature, birding, photography, and local farming in one of Costa Rica’s most distinctive natural environments.
It's time to Travel to Costa Rica
It's time to visit caño negro wildlife refuge
Choose Your Caño Negro Experience
Exclusive vacation packages designed for birdwatchers, wildlife photographers and nature lovers
Made for Birdwatchers & Photographers
4 packages · 1 to 4 nights · Private tours · Up to 15 hours
Designed for birdwatchers and wildlife photographers who want to make the most of Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, these packages combine accommodation with private boat tours and specialized birding and photography experiences.
Made for Nature Lovers
3 packages · 1 to 3 nights · Shared boat tours · Upgradable
Designed for travellers who want to explore Caño Negro’s wetlands, wildlife and natural landscapes, these packages combine accommodation with boat tours and time to experience the refuge at a relaxed pace.
Exclusive Wildlife Photography Hub & Field Coaching
- 📷 Photography
- 🎥 4K Videography
- 🎙️ High-Fidelity Soundscaping
The only one in Caño Negro:
A True Wildlife Photography Workshop
Coming Soon — Wildlife Photography Workshop in Caño Negro.
This is not a conventional wildlife photography workshop. There are no feeders, staged scenes or artificial setups designed to produce predictable photographs. Instead, we take you into the natural environment of the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, where wildlife determines what happens and the photographer learns to respond to the moment.
The refuge is our stage. Nature writes the script.
Our approach is based on photographing birds and wildlife in their natural habitat, working with changing light, natural behaviour and the unexpected encounters that make every day in Caño Negro different. You may know where the wildlife can be found, but you never know exactly what will happen next.
This is where photography becomes more than simply pointing a camera at a subject. It is about reading the environment, anticipating behaviour, understanding light and being ready when a unique moment appears.
The workshop will also extend beyond still photography into 4K wildlife videography and field soundscaping, creating a complete multimedia approach to documenting the natural world.
Nature does not repeat itself. Neither should your photographs.
Hotel de Campo Caño Negro
A Sustainable Hotel in Costa Rica
A Commitment to Responsible Tourism in Costa Rica
Nestled within the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, Hotel de Campo Caño Negro offers more than a place to stay. Our sustainable hotel in Costa Rica has been developed in harmony with the surrounding environment, combining accommodation, nature, agriculture and responsible tourism in one unique setting.
Hotel de Campo is located on a 5-hectare property that includes forest, agroforestry areas and a large botanical garden developed over more than two decades. The garden is home to more than 200 species of plants, including native trees, fruit trees, medicinal plants and other species that provide food and shelter for birds and wildlife.
Our approach to sustainable tourism in Costa Rica is based on practical actions that are part of our everyday operation. We use organic fertilisers and do not use pesticides in our gardens, produce part of our food on the farm, purchase additional products from local farmers, and employ local people from the surrounding community.
For our guests, this means that sustainability is not something separate from the experience. It is part of staying at Hotel de Campo: waking up surrounded by a living botanical garden, observing birds and wildlife around the property, enjoying locally produced food, and exploring the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge through responsible nature experiences.
ACCOMMODATION - Swimming Pool & Amenities
Hotel de Campo offers 16 comfortable rooms around the pool, with a private bathroom, A/C, safe box and ceiling fan, surrounded by our tropical botanical garden.
AGROTOURISM
Agrotourism and rural tourism are part of the essence of Hotel de Campo. Our small farm, animals and gardens offer guests an authentic glimpse into rural Costa Rica as part of their stay in Caño Negro.
RESTAURANT & BAR — From Farm to Table
From the farm to the table. Enjoy a variety of Costa Rican and Italian dishes prepared with ingredients produced on our farm or purchased from local farmers, supporting the local economy.
Info and Reservation Request
Why Book Direct at Hotel de Campo Caño Negro?
1. Save Money: Booking directly with us is cheaper than using online platforms, ensuring you get the best rate for your stay.
2. Personal Support: Our friendly staff personally answer your questions and provide tailored assistance—no robots involved.
3. Customised Packages: We offer personalised packages tailored to your needs, ensuring your Costa Rica birdwatching and ecotourism experience is truly unforgettable.
Hotel de Campo, Caño Negro
Visit our YourTube Channel, and discover what Caño Negro Refuge can offer you every days of the year.
Sustainable Tourism in Costa Rica: Experience a Unique Stay Inside a Living Botanical Garden
Hotel de Campo Caño Negro offers a unique approach to sustainable tourism in Costa Rica. For more than two decades, we have cultivated our property as a living botanical garden where plants, trees and wildlife coexist around the hotel. Rather than simply decorating the property, the garden has become an important part of the natural experience for our guests.
More than 200 species of plants grow throughout the property, including native trees, fruit-bearing plants, medicinal plants, ornamental species and timber trees. Our ongoing reforestation and gardening practices are designed to create a diverse environment that provides food, shelter and natural habitat for birds and other wildlife.
A Botanical Garden Made for Birding in Costa Rica
More than 28 years ago, inspired by our love of birdwatching and ecotourism in Costa Rica, we began developing this project on our five-hectare property. Over the years, we have learned which trees, flowers and fruit-bearing plants attract different species and how the garden can provide the conditions wildlife needs to live naturally.
Today, the botanical garden attracts a remarkable variety of Costa Rican birds and wildlife. Birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies and other species find food, shelter and places to reproduce throughout the property. When we add new plants, we consider not only their beauty, but also how they can contribute to the habitat.
This makes Hotel de Campo more than a place to sleep while visiting Caño Negro. The property itself has become part of the birdwatching and wildlife experience, allowing guests to observe nature around the hotel before and after exploring the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge.
A few tips for a great Vacation in Costa Rica
The best time to have a Vacations in Costa Rica birdwatching ecotourismwill depend on the type of vacation you want.
For nature lovers that like an ecotour to see a little bit of everything, all year round is good. Nature is always there to amaze you. You will not be disappointed even on a rainy day.
For a birding tour, if you are interested in any kind of bird, year-round is fine. But if you have any special interest in some spices, it will be better to coordinate the best moment of the year.
One of the best places to visit in Costa Rica for a nature lover, or a more specialized birder and photographer is Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge. Here you can enjoy a special Vacations in Costa Rica birdwatching ecotourism.
This is an amazing refuge with a different scenario. We have a lagoons area, a river, and a mostly forest section.
This almost unique wetland, it allows you to enjoy the different panorama and also switching between animal species: birds, sloths, monkeys, caimans, iguana, and so on.
Rainy season in Caño Negro – Costa Rica is from the beginning of May to the end of November approximately. The season begins with very light rain, occasionally. It is difficult to find an all-day rainy situation. Probably, the rainiest period is around October and November. But even so, it probably won’t rain all day.
In any case, as our tours are private, we would organize with you the best moment of the day to go discover the refuge.
YES. Rain is part of the ecosystem, and finally, birds and mammal are not very worried about that.
In any case, we do offer private tours and specially organized based on your interest. So, when you arrive at Hotel de Campo, we will organize the best moment to go explore the refuge.
Costa Rica is a safe country and is a great place for solo travelers, especially when you are very into nature. This because you will explore no crowded places.
In any case, as everywhere around the world, be organized, choose your destination carefully, and be safe.
About Caño Negro, we can ensure you it is an excellent destination for solo female.
Yes! Caño Negro and Costa Rica in general are great destinations for family vacations. Caño Negro is a very quiet place, very safe. It is a safe place to discover nature. Also, for families, our tours are always private. So, you will enjoy it for sure.
For a family vacation, we offer rooms with up to 3 beds (2 doubles and 1 single bed) and joined rooms. So, you will never be apart, but with privacy.
TIP in Costa Rica is only included in the bar and restaurant bill. For any other products and services, it is not included.
I consider that TIP is a personal choice, based on the kind of service you receive.
The currency of Costa Rica is the colon, colones plural.
USD is accepted in Costa Rica when it comes to tourism. The current exchange rate (June 2025) is around 530 colones to $1 but it changes daily. Google’s change is quite accurate.
For an ecotour vacation, I do recommend bringing clothes that dry fast and wick away moisture, good walking shoes, lots of sunscreen and mosquito repellent, sunglasses, a hat, a microfiber towel, an insulated water bottle.
If you’re visiting in the rainy season, then we recommend bringing a waterproof rain jacket and a waterproof backpack or rain cover
A very good pair of binoculars. And if you are a photographer a lens at least 400mm.
Why? Because only caimans you can see really close. Everything else is far away.
For the rainy season, a waterproof hiking shoe. Also, and especially for wetland places and rainforest, a good pair of rubber boots. This is what local use. They protect you very well from rain and mud. And also, they dry up very fast.
During the dry season, very comfortable hiking shoes, always waterproof.
It will depend on where you are going. For most touristic destinations and the cities, there are paved roads, but also in ugly conditions and a 4×4 can more comfortable. Even so, a regular is ok.
Driving to Caño Negro from the north (Los Chiles) the road is paved. But between Caño Negro and Upala, you will find 25 km of dirt road.
But other remote and rural parts of the country do and these are Osa Peninsula, Nicoya Peninsula, and the Costa Ballena
Not really. Costa Rica as only a few main roads, and normally to arrive at some destination, you will not have more than 1 or 2 options. Instead of a GPS, I will use Waze, or Google Maps (not so accurate as Waze).
I am sure, that everybody can share with you their location with Whatsapp and Waze.
We do have mosquitos, everywhere. How many? It depends where you go and the season. It is a tropical country.
My best recommendation: electric burner for mosquitos. As you arrive in Costa Rica, go to a supermarket and purchase an electric burner for mosquitos. It is the best solution to clean your room and sleep well everywhere. And you will find spare all-round in Costa Rica. You can find that use plaquette, or with liquid. I do prefer to travel around with plaquette. Repellent, always.
Of course in Caño Negro you can see sloths. Inclusive, in our private forest sometimes you can find them.
When you travel to Costa Rica, you must visit Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, The Wildlife & Birding Hotspot in Costa Rica
Here is a glimpse of what you can expect to find in Caño Negro: From waterbirds and waders to raptors, kingfishers and tropical forest species, Caño Negro offers an extraordinary variety of habitats and opportunities for birders and wildlife photographers.
