Guacimo Lodge

Wonderful service from the small team sadly showing signs of necessary maintence perfect location.

My wife and I stayed 4 nights at Guacimo Lodge and had a very good experience. One must remember that the lodge is in a very isolated region with the river being the only way to get around. Consequently, it is a full day of travel to arrive here from Granada or Managua. But this is the reason you come here - for peace and isolation in the jungle. The lodge has a beautiful setting. It is a hike up to your room, but the exercise is worth the spectacular view. The rooms are not luxurious, but very comfortable( we stayed in the more expensive one). There is a comfortable bed(with netting), a flush toilet and chairs on a deck. Some may question the price tag for this basic type of accommodation. When you realize that the lodge was built in such an isolated area and everything had to be brought in by boat over long distances, you can appreciate the value of your room. As for activities, the lodge has several tours to keep you interested. Our favorite day was a morning going up the San Juan River and a tributary. We watched the birds and animals before stopping in a park for a 1.5 hour hike in the jungle. In the afternoon, we went down river to El Castillo and had a very interesting walk around this cute town and its fortress. Our guide for the 3 days was a local man named Orlando. He was very knowledgeable and had a keen set of eyes to spot wildlife, which was dominated by birds. The driver of the boat, Elgin, was very professional and safe. The other staff member to mention was the cook who prepared a variety of delicious meals. The food is not fancy, but it is very tasty. Finally, I would like to talk about the owner, Manuel. Manuel had just hired a new manager who was to arrive on the day we left. So Manuel was the person who looked after us. He was extremely attentive, always checking on us to see if we needed anything. He also sought out our opinion on any improvements that could be made to the lodge. Manuel genuinely cared about his guests and after talking to him over 4 days, it was also evident that he genuinely cared about the Nicaraguan jungle and was doing everything he could to protect it. I recommend staying at the Gaucimo Lodge.

This had been this biggest bummer on our 3 week backpacking trip through Nicaragua. Pros: The location is beautiful. Orlando, the tour guide, was very informative and funny. Cons: After a long day of travel to arrive at guacimo lodge we entered a room that looked as if someone was just living in it. The shower drain was clogged with gobs of hair. The sink is covered in soap and toothpaste scum. There was a dried contact lens in our bed. Bat poop scattered around the floor. We were told there are two USB plugs in the room, but asked not to use them as there is limited power through the solar generator. When we opted to use them, the lights in our room flashed on and off until we unplugged from the USB. So, no outlets to charge anything in your room. You have to charge devices in the lobby area. The shower head is very clogged, sprays in all different directions. There is no hot water. The food on the menu is misrepresented as to what you’re actually served. Fajitas don’t come with tortillas. The “French onion soup” was raw white onions in a bland broth for $9. We were never shown any type of program that would show the options for the 3-4 day package they advertise on their website. When asking about the 4 day package we were given the price of $1400!! Of the 2 tours we decided to do we were given a price that was off the top of the head. “That’s like $32 or $36 per person, something like that.” The night tour came in at $40 per person. The tours lasted roughly 2 hours and were generally an enormous and expensive let down. Just for reference, in other areas of Nicaragua, volcano boarding with pickup and drop off cost $35 pp, a volcano hike with a guide, pickup and drop off cost $50 per group, snorkeling cost $20 pp. Our disappointment with our experience at guacimo lodge became obvious and the manager, Bela, asked to speak with us. Bela may be a great manager to those that are enjoying their experience, but he is not equipped to deal with those that are not. After explaining our disappointment from the room to the food to the tours, Bela became increasingly upset and began to mock us. Saying things like, “If you were in Costa Rica you would be paying 3 times this much” … “look at our reviews, we only have one bad review” … “you want me to call the jaguars and alligators” … “why don’t you go to your room and take a shower, oh, that’s right, your shower doesn’t work.” He finished by aggressively snatching our empty beer bottles off the table, walking off and slamming them into a trash bin. We went to bed that night feeling very uncomfortable. In the morning we decided to pack up and leave. Bela offered us 50% off the remainder of our stay but we thought it best for both sides if we leave. We had booked for 4 nights but ended up leaving after 2. I will say, Bela was pleasant in our departure, giving recommendations of other accommodations and continuing to provide the service of onward transport. The bottom line : The employees on the grounds don’t s

Guacimo is such a unique and beautiful lodge- we had the best time and we will definitely be back! The views are gorgeous and the rooms were lovely! Would highly recommend a visit to El Castillo (the closest town), which is such a peaceful oasis.

From the moment that my girlfriend and I arrived at Guacimo Lodge, Manuel greeted us in a friendly and hospitable manner. He immediately offered to help carry our backpacks and other personal items. And he would regularly ask us how we were doing and if we needed anything.The rest of the staff was also very attentive and friendly. The restaurant, overall, was excellent, with a very good variety of dishes, including to my girlfriend's delight, a few vegetarian options. One of best aspects of the lodge is the calm and quiet environment throughout the property. We were able to disconnect from the noises of the city for three nights, in our cabin, which to our delight was a great distance from any and all other cabins. That allowed us to have a more private, exclusive experience. The downside to being far from the city, of course, is that there was no cellphone/internet signal in our cabin. However, we were able to get some signal in the restaurant area... enough to be able to communicate with family/friends. We felt that was acceptable, since our main goals were to disconnect and to enjoy nature as much as possible. Also, we were not able to charge electronic devices in our cabin due to a necessary electrical repair, so we did that in the restaurant. We also went on hiking and city/castle tours, which we enjoyed. The city/castle tour included tasting of locally-made chocolate. Overall, we had an amazing, very memorable experience at Guacimo Lodge. We would definitely go back.