Los Quetzales National Park, located 9 km North of Trogon Lodge, is the most recently declared Costa Rican National Park, officially inaugurated in January, 2006. The Park offers 5000 hectares (12,300 acres) of forest, where three different life zones blend together: Premontane Rainforest, Low montane rainforest and montane rainforest. Elevation rangesfrom 2000 to 3000 meters above sea level (6,800 to 9,800 feet). At this high elevation, temperatures range from 0 to 17C with an annual rainfall of 2500 to 3500 mm per year.
Los Quetzales National Park is also a very important part of Los Santos Rainforest Reserve, declared in 1975, and thatcovers a full extension of 62,00 hectares (153,205 acres). The area gets its name because most of the towns belonging to the Reserve are named after a Saint (Santo or Santa in Spanish). Therefore, we can find the towns of Santa María, San Marcos, San Pablo, San Gerardo (where we are located), among others. This ritual of naming towns after a Saint was a very common practice between thefirst settlers of the area.
Trogón Lodge sits on an area of 34 hectares (85 acres) where most of the land is dedicated to our own Private Reserve, with primary and secondary tropical cloud forest, and where only 10% of this land has been used for construction. Dominated by trees such as wild avocados, oak, small cypress, canuela and bamboo, among others. These forests are also characterized by a high incidence of epiphytic plants. The wild avocados, cedrillos and wild blackberries found in the area are one of the main sources of food for the Resplendent Quetzal. Besides the oak forest and trees contribute highly to clean the air, though the fixation and storage of carbon and liberation of oxygen. Conserving this natural heritage is one of our main interests.
The fauna is diverse, where more than 175 different species of birds have been identified. The area, is home to Resplendent Quetzal, who lives here year round, as well as other species such as Trogons, Hummingbirds, Great Tinamou, sooty robin, woodpeckers, among many. Other animal species include as felines, tapirs, brockets and coyotes.
This is also an area of rivers, where the Savegre River plays a very important role, as host of a large population ofRainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneri) and a supply of potable water through ruralaqueducts and considered as one of the cleanest rivers in Central America. Other important rivers in the area are the Naranjo, Division, Blanco and Brujo.
