Burbayar Lodge
The Concept
Burbayar is a family owned and operated lodge. Iñaki and Jessica wished to create a sustainable place in nature and to to share it with the world. The lodge is perched on a mountain summit within a tropical rain forest, inhabited by hundreds of species of birds, monkeys, coaties, tapirs, agoutis, deer, pumas, jaguars and many other spirits of the forest, as well as majestic trees, ferns, palms, orchids and heliconias.
This area is part of a biological corridor linked to the Nargana Natural Reserve, the Chagres National Park and the Darien National Park. It is a part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) encompassing all of Central America. These corridors are crucial to the protection of habitat which sustains a myriad of flora, fauna and cultures.
Burbayar in the Kuna language means 'spirit of the mountain'. The lodge is located 375 meters above sea level. The climate is humid yet the lodge catches a breeze. You are able to sleep in open air cabins without screens or benefit of electricity, enjoying tropical nature without mosquitoes. Amazing but true!
Burbayar provides all the basic comforts and is totally natural. It is the place for those interested in quiet immersion in nature. You can spend the night in the forest, eat delicious food, relax in hammocks, hike trails, dream and truly get away.
Concept Accommodations Activities Rates & Itinerary Policies
Environmental Statement Barbara's Tip
The Accommodations
Cabins accommodate a maximum group size of 14 people. Each rustic cabin has fully-equipped bathrooms with cold water. Power comes from a small generator and through solar lamps. At night candles and lanterns are lit, giving the lodge an old-fashioned atmosphere.
Terraces are surrounded by colorful and relaxing hammocks, where you can also take a siesta, read a good book and plan your upcoming trips. Delicious Panamanian-style meals are served in the main dining room on one of the terraces so you can enjoy the landscape, the wind and nature while you eat! top
The Activities
- Six trails: red, yellow, white, blue, the El Laguito and the waterfall trails. There is a trail for everyone: they take from as little as 35 minutes up to 4 hours for the more adventurous!
- Guided Hike Burbayar / Kuna Trail -Walking to the Kuna Yala archipelago is an unforgettable experience. From Burbayar you can cross the San Blas cordillera to visit the Kuna on your own two feet. The walk takes six to eight hours, depending on the physical conditions of hikers. A local guide,will be with you until the coast of Cartí. The lodging in San Blas (Kuna Yala), transportation and food there are not included.
- Burbayar and the Bayano Lake -One of the best-liked tours is the visit to the Bayano lake. The group departs very early in the morning to drive about an hour and a half east of Panama City, across the Inter-American Highway up until the Indigenous community of Akuayala, near the bridge over Bayano lake. The trip is about 1 hour and 30 minutes long. From the bridge you take a 45-minute boat ride across the lake to the south to the Emberá Wounaan Community. During the journey you can see aquatic birds, the floating petrified forest and of course, the enormity of one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, at 35.000 hectares.Here, traditional crafts can be bought. From there you return by boat to the bridge to the Burbayar lodge.
Rates & Itinerary
"Classic Burbayar"
- $190 per person double occupancy for the first night
- $155 per person for each extra night
minimum 2 persons, 2 nights
Your stay includes:
- Lodging
- Meals: three lunches, two diners and two breakfasts with some non-alcoholic drinks
- One guided hike or birding tour per day with a bilingual guide (additional guided hikes at $15 per person, reservations required)
- Transportation to and from Panama City in a 4X4 car ($15 per person, per direction surcharge added for some outlying areas)
Click here to Request a Reservation
Policies top
Given that Burbayar is in an area of difficult access, where only specialized four-wheel drive vehicles can reach, we have specific limitations on the amount of baggage our guests can bring. We allow a maximum of 40 pounds / 18 kilos of luggage per passenger or 200 pounds / 91 kilos per group of five. If a client, for whichever reason, needs to carry baggage beyond this limit he/she must notify us beforehand. Burbayar holds the right to charge for an additional trip to carry this luggage or equipment.
For safety reasons, Burbayar is not a suitable place for children under 12.
A Socially and Environmentally Responsible Lodge
- The materials used for building the lodge are recycled or reused, non-polluting or at least polluting as possible.
- We cannot accept more than 14 visitors at one given time (groups are generally 4 to 8 people) in order to reduce the impact on the environment.
- Forest trails are just wide enough for people walking and they have been made without cutting down a single tree.
- Visitors can only use wooden walking sticks. Metal-tipped canes are not permitted.
- Solid wastes generated in the lodge are taken back to Panama City in special bags.
- Food waste is reused as compost or for feeding animals.
- Tours are guided scientifically with the goal of educating about ecology, the environment and sustainability.
- Visitors cannot take or cut anything from the forest.
- Visitors cannot throw away or leave behind any foreign element or material in the forest.
- Wastewaters are sent to septic tanks.
- Forest animals cannot be hunted or bothered.
- We are committed to the community of Llano-Carti. Burbayar generates three direct jobs in the community and several indirect jobs on a continuous basis. We are committed to the improvement of the quality of life of the people of the community living along the Llano-Carti road. We contribute every year to the health center and to the primary school. top
I visited in the height of the rainy season, and rubber boots were a must on some of the trails. If you don't bring your own, that fit your feet properly, I suggest you bring some gel shoe inserts to add to Burbayar's loaner boots. It's difficult to achieve a good fit with any borrowed boot, and your feet will thank you for your extra attention.
This photo shows me at Burbayar with a false coral snake around my neck which I then released back to the jungle unharmed.
