Category: Mountains

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A Reward for Sharing

One of my new favorite lodges in Costa Rica is El Silencio Lodge at Bajos del Toro in my own province of Alajuela, north of San Ramon in the cloud forest mountains where there are many waterfalls. I was there last September and as I frequently do, I made a little 7X7 inch photo book about my experiences there, sending them a copy plus one each of my general birds and butterflies books for their other guests to enjoy. When the owner came down from San Jose and saw the books he was so impressed that he told the staff to offer me two free nights in this luxury lodge.

Well, of course I accepted the offer and will add-on two more nights at my cost for a great 5-day visit the middle of February! 🙂 If you want to see a free electronic preview of the book online, click the title here: El Silencio, Touching Souls, inspired by a quote from Mother Teresa:

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.

~Mother Teresa

¡Pura Vida!

Or you may like visiting my “Trip Gallery” on 2020 September El Silencio Lodge.

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The Hotel

Hotel Savegre is a much different hotel than I remember it from my 2009 visit when it was a long row of rooms like an old-fashion motel stuck in the forest with a separate building for the office and restaurant. Then there were gardens in front with lots of hummingbird feeders and a few little trails into the forest. Today, no feeders! Just natural flowers and other plants to attract the birds.

Restaurant on the left and lobby-office on the right.

Today it is a new, modern, 4-star hotel that I still think should be called a “mountain lodge,” but that was not the vision of these first pioneers in this little mountain resort community. And one of their adult sons was my birding guide this time! It is the largest Hotel-Spa-Nature Reserve in San Gerardo de Dota and is a big attraction to both tourists and Ticos from the cities wanting to get away. In fact, the weekend part of my time there on this trip was totally booked, every room! And I estimate at least 80% local Costa Ricans, called Ticos here.

Below is a gallery of what shots I got of the hotel. The rooms are now in groups of 2 to 4 around gardens with at least one garden table and chairs for each 2 or 4 rooms. It is rustic-modern, very comfortable, with a heater in every room, that is needed, especially at night! And Wifi in each room that was not working in my room, so I just used the public areas for Wifi. And a modern fireplace in every section of the restaurant which I guess burns something like butane? The food is as good as I’ve had anywhere, not exactly “gourmet” which would sound pretentious (not them), but is just high-quality food, very well-prepared with a large assortment of choices.

Here’s a few of my photos of the facilities you can CLICK to enlarge somewhat or for the full-sized images go to my The Hotel Gallery in the bigger Trip Gallery which is now completed:

Hotel Savegre, San Gerardo de Dota

  • Entrance Sign for Hotel
  • Entrance Sign for Restaurant & Bar
  • Entrance at Bridge over River
  • Trails Map Sign
  • My Room
  • Walking to My Room
  • Front Desk & Lobby
  • Lobby & Restaurant Entrance
  • Garden Table & Chairs
  • One of the Gardens
  • Another Garden
  • Modern “Fireplace” in Restaurant
  • Outside Restaurant Left, Lobby Right
Hotel Savegre, San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica

Hotel Savegre Website

And My “Trip Gallery” — 2021 January – San Gerardo de Dota

¡Pura Vida!

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Vistas de Hotel Savegre

Here’s some of the many beautiful visitas from Hotel Savegre. And I would not ask my driver to stop for photos on the way up or down the narrow, steep, winding, mountain road, but the drive down gives even more beautiful vistas! (If your aren’t the driver!) – 🙂

VISTAS from Hotel Savegre

  • Savegre River
  • Savegre River
  • Forests Everywhere
  • Road up to Trails has Vistas!
  • A Mountain Valley High in the Mountains
  • View from Batsú Gardens
  • Hotel Savegre SPA
  • Morning Clouds
  • The Sun Peeking Through
  • A Lingering Cloud
  • Hotel Savegre Observation Platform & Meeting Room
  • Morning Clouds All Around
  • Batsú Gardens Seen from Savegre Platform
  • Where We Found Quetzales
  • Panorama from Savegre Platform

Hotel Savegre Website Link

Tomorrow will be some hotel photos, then just one more day of “Misc.” Photos! 🙂

And I have my “Trip Gallery” finished at 2021 January, San Gerardo de Dota Hotel Savegre.

¡Pura Vida!

Costa Rica Begins Vaccinating Entire Population Today

Starting today the government of Costa Rica will begin the Covid19 vaccinations of everyone age 18 and older at no cost to the person. Read the Tico Times article. And older people like me will be first. I was told they would call me within the month for my appointment at the local public clinic.

¡Pura Vida!

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Trails & Trees

One of the many wonderful things about Hotel Savegre is the huge piece of property it sits on in a mixture of primary and secondary forest – the “secondary” parts being where early farmers cleared land that has now been “re-forested” as has a large portion of Costa Rica as farming methods have improved and are becoming less destructive of the natural environment. The guide in some of the photos is Marino Chacon, a son of the man and woman who pioneered this first hotel/lodge in the truly amazing hills of San Gerardo de Dota. His parents are pictured on one of the trail signs included below in my two collections. CLICK image in first gallery to enlarge, which you can’t do in the second one as a slideshow.

TRAILS at Hotel Savegre

  • Both a sign & a Paper Trail Map
  • Zoomed in on Map
  • Most are on Hills
  • Some Level Paths
  • “Rock Hop” or Wade Streams
  • 4X4 Road to all Trails
  • Marino
  • Trail Named for Founders: “The Pioneers”
Many Trails at Hotel Savegre, San Gerardo de Dota

TREES at Hotel Savegre

And I have my “Trip Gallery” finished at 2021 January, San Gerardo de Dota Hotel Savegre.

¡Pura Vida!

Nurtured by Nature

How one person found relief from the pandemic and politics in nature:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2020/12/28/isolation-pandemic-caused-her-form-new-intense-relationship-nature-she-was-hardly-alone/?arc404=true

¡Pura Vida!

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San Gerardo de Dota 2021 GALLERY

Though I still have posts coming through Tuesday, February 2, the photos have all been processed and collected in on of my “Trip Galleries” to see all of the photos in one place called 2021 San Gerardo de Dota Hotel Savegre. Click the linked title or the gallery image below to see.

Photo Galleries for January 2021 Visit to Hotel Savegre, San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica.
Male Quetzal, San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica — One of the many images in this gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

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Stripe-tailed Hummingbird

This mountains or foothills hummingbird is found in all of Central America and Mexico. But in Costa Rica & Western Panama there is another almost identical bird called the Black-bellied Hummingbird. Now, the belly is not fully shown in this photo, but doesn’t appear to be black even though there is black on the face, as both can have. Though only the stripe-tailed has the little white post-ocular spot, thus with all things considered, I’m claiming this as a Stripe-tailed Hummingbird (link to eBird article). 🙂

My Stripe-tailed Gallery also has a couple of shots of one in Monteverde.

This trip’s Hotel Savegre BIRDS Gallery (23 species)

¡Pura Vida!

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Scintillant Hummingbird

This mountain hummingbird has a “near-twin” looking almost identical, the Volcano Hummingbird at a higher altitude, but theoretically both are possible at San Gerardo de Dota, sort of on the border of both. But my guide and eBird Merlin software both called my photos the Scintillant Hummingbird (eBird article link). And again this bird is endemic to or found only in the mountains of Costa Rica and Western Panama. My only other time to see this one was this past September at El Silencio Lodge, Bajo del Toro Amarillo, Alajuela Province. Both sightings are shown in My Scintillant Gallery. Here’s the ones from Hotel Savegre last week – CLICK to enlarge:

Scintillant Hummingbird, Batsú Gardens, Hotel Savegre, San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica

This trip’s Hotel Savegre BIRDS Gallery (23 species) or total

Costa Rica Birds Gallery (350 species)

¡Pura Vida!

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Talamanca Hummingbird

The second in my featured mountain hummingbirds is the Talamanca Hummingbird (eBird article) as one I’ve seen in 2 other locations and of course have a Talamanca Hummingbird Gallery! 🙂 The name “Talamanca” is the name of the major mountain range through the center of Costa Rica where this bird lives only in Costa Rica and the western edge of Panama.

Talamanca Hummingbird at Batsú Gardens near Hotel Savegre, San Gerardo de Dota.

¡Pura Vida!

This trip’s Hotel Savegre BIRDS Gallery (23 species)

Costa Rica Leaders Celebrate Biden Inauguration

There have been at least 3 contacts now including the initial congratulations. Here’s more in this Tico Times online article in English: ‘Multilateralism is back!’ How Costa Rica’s leaders celebrated U.S. inauguration

¡Pura Vida!

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Lesser Violetear

I am down to the hummingbirds in my photos from San Gerardo de Dota, the most difficult to identify for me. But I am sure of this first one, Lesser Violetear (eBird Description) and like many of our mountain birds, found only in the mountains of Costa Rica and Western Panama with a former name of “Green Violetear.” (“They” are always changing names which is frustrating for us birders!) There is a larger version of this bird called the “Mexican Violetear” found only in the countries north of us. There is also a Brown Violetear found all across Central America, but less seen by me.

Unlike most hummingbirds, this one’s “ears” actually stick out a little and are very purple or violet. Here’s a few shots from the Batsú Gardens across the road from Hotel Savegre. The hotel no longer uses any feeders of any kinds with only natural plants to attract birds in the forest and gardens, thus some birds are easier to see across the road. 🙂 Though I did get two other hummingbirds in the hotel gardens.

  • Lesser Violetear
  • Lesser Violetear
  • Lesser Violetear
  • Lesser Violetear
Photos made at the Batsú Gardens near Hotel Savegre, San Gerardo de Dota.

In my Costa Rica Birds Gallery are two related sub-galleries:

Brown Violetear (only 1 photo now)

Lesser Violetear (several shots from Monteverde & San Gerardo de Dota)

This trip’s Hotel Savegre BIRDS Gallery (23 species)

¡Pura Vida!