Mirador Lodge is a Eco-Tourism project, for the people who loves the nature; we have 35 Ha for conservation of the Cloud Forest. And, we make and investment of three wind generator melds to get our own power supply system. The water is from a spring water of the mountains surround the hotel, take it with care and affection, making our project self-sufficient. So, if you come to our project, you’ll be helping us to protect the cloud forest and to protect the world.
"El Mirador" in San Gerardo, is the name given to the finca owned by Juanita, Leonel and Marvin Quesada Mata. It takes it's name from the area which it's famous for..."El Gran Mirador" or "The Grand View".
The finca (farm) was purchased in 1982 by Juanita's late husband. It consists of almost 700 acres, half of which is cloud forest and should be noted that the finca lies entirely within the boundaries of the Arenal / Monteverde protected area.
El Gran Mirador, long known for it's panoramic vistas of primary forest, rich farmlands, a big green mountain that had not yet awakened that was much smaller than it is today: the Arenal Volcano. Now active since the big eruption of 1968, with steady eruptions everyday! You can often hear the distant rumble of the volcano from the Mirador.
In those days, several families were scattered throughout the region. Mostly farmers that tended their cows and produced quality dairy products.
Primitive trails to the lake Arenal existed for most of the century that was used by these farmers to bring their goods to market in the towns of Castillo, Rio Chiquito, & the Arenal Volcano surroundings. These same trails still exists today, thanks in great part to the efforts by the Quesada family, and is featured as an unforgettable horseback adventure ride between the town of La Fortuna and Monteverde.
Although the finca continued to operate as a "working farm", construction of El Mirador Lodge began in 1990. By early 1991, the Quesadas had completed the lodge, cabins, and adjacent trails through the forest and to the waterfalls.
The Quesada family and El Mirador, have maintained a tradition of keeping San Gerardo close to the roots from which it came.
Ubication:
It's important to know that the Mirador is located 10 kilometers (6.6 miles, 1 km = 2/3 of a mile) North of the village of Santa Elena. We are just 3 km away (a 45 minutes walk, excellent for bird watching) from the quiet cloud forest reserve of Santa Elena, 5 km from Sky Trek & Sky Walk, and 20 km from the reserve of Monteverde (a 40 minutes drive.)
You can come to the Mirador with our horseback adventure from the Arenal Volcano (5 hours), or by 4x4 from the village of Santa Elena (30 minutes), or if you come (or leave) by public bus, shuttle or taxi/boat/taxi to Monteverde, we will pick you up or drop you off free of charge at the office of monteverdeinfo.com in the Tree House Tourist Center in front of the church in the village of Santa Elena.
Mirador Lodge offers an affordable transportation service for people without a vehicle: beside 1 free pickup (or drop-off) in the area included with your stay, we offer these rates (one way, per group up to 4 people, add $2 per extra person): Reserve Santa Elena or Selvatura Park: $4.5, Sky Trek, Sky Walk or the village of Santa Elena: $6, Monteverde Reserve, Cheese Factory, Butterfly Garden, Orchid Garden or Frog Pound: $7.5.
Also important to know is that we are a true Cloud Forest Mountain Lodge, at an altitude of 1,550 meters (4,500 feet), so you must have warm clothing, rain gear & good walking shoes (we can lend you some rubber boots if you wish but our trails are well maintained). Our cabins are equipped with a wood stove to warm you up on chilly nights, but don't expect a night life, except the one you can safely discover on our private trails. Don't forget to bring a flashlight, with spare batteries for night walks or power failures. We will gladly furnish the candles and our natural gas hot showers runs all the time.
