At the first camp, Cotoncito at 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) elevation, you are just entering the premontane forest. Gnarled, giant strangler figs wrap around the straight trunks of mahogany relatives. A small beach in the stream invites a swim. Mysterious petroglyphs scratched in the boulders suggest pre-Columbian civilizations long lost, as does the nearby ancient Indian graveyard. Four trails allow you to penetrate deeper into the forest.

A long hike or horseback ride takes you the next day to Camp Cotobrus, at 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) in montane oak forest. Here the tall, majestic trees and the open understory suggest an elfin landscape, emphasized by echoing calls of bellbirds. From this camp, you can explore the forest on four surrounding trails, or walk to the 70-meter (230-foot) waterfall, with its own misty microclimate of ferns, mosses and liverworts. From your cabin, you have a panoramic view of the lowlands and the mountains around you.

The following day, another hike leads to the Punto Mira Camp, also at 2,000 meters (6,600 feet). Here the cabins are suspended high in the air, allowing a spectacular, panoramic view. During the day, there are two trails that you can hike, allowing you to search for wildlife and enjoy the forest.

From here, the final camp is Juntas at 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) elevation, located at the junction of two rivers that form the spectacular Coto Brus River, which lends its name to the area. Here you sleep to the sound of running rivers, while by day you hike the trails or swim in pristine rivers.