To get there, drive down Hwy 97 or 101 to Hwy 180 and keep going south towards Tampico. The scenery changes dramatically from the flat land you've just traversed to gentle rolling hills. The parking lot is a grassy field shaded by hundred year old trees, with 24 hour security. From there, you take a small launch upriver. As the outboard motor drones, you can watch eagles, egrets, hawks and parrots overhead and on the banks.
Ducks abound in the winter.
Birdwatchers will go ga- ga. I did, but most people say that I'm that way naturally. The lodge is set on a bluff overlooking the river, about one hundred feet up. You first glimpse the thatched roofs of the cottages. Don't despair, it's not a primitive camp.