If small and out of the way is your thing, check out former Peace Corps volunteer Thomas Larson’s Arajuno Jungle Lodge, slung on a bend of the Río Arajuno. A handful of hillside cabins are snug and screened and have solar-powered hot water. The thatched main lodge has a sprawling wooden deck and dining area perched over the river.
Guests can roam the 80 hectares of forest, hike, canoe and visit the nearby AmaZOOnico.
The lodge works with local communities to develop new food sources and spread information about health and nutrition. Volunteers are accepted for stays of three to six months. The chef cooks up locally inspired gourmet food, such as smoked cachama maitos (fish grilled in palm leaves) and tortilla de yuca (cassava bread). Grown-up kids will love the rope swing that launches into the river. Services are in Spanish and English.
