The Lodge

The Lodge opened in 2004 and has ten suites. With a relaxed informal atmosphere, our aim is to provide high quality accommodation for guests who want to discover the Atlantic Forest. We are situated amidst lush scenery between restored and native forest wetlands and the Serra dos Órgãos mountains, part of the larger mountain complex called Serra do Mar in south-eastern Brazil.

Guests have full access to our trails at both low and high altitude humid forest, and the reserve wetlands. In addition we offer excursions to other areas in the Atlantic Forest, looking for bird species not found in REGUA. This also gives our guests an opportunity to see more of the surrounding area.

The Lodge is non-profit and all income generated goes towards our conservation work.

The inn (© Lee Dingain)

Facilities

The Lodge is well equipped, with air-conditioned rooms, a spacious and comfortable living room, a large dining room, an extensive library with books on natural history, a swimming pool, water from a solar heating system and Wi-Fi .

Food

All accommodation is full board with breakfast, lunch and dinner included. All meals are freshly prepared by our cooks using local ingredients. We can cater for a variety of dietary needs (please advise when booking).

Hot meals are served for lunch but we can provide a packed lunch for those taking a whole day walk. Early breakfast is available for birders and guests who wish to make an early start to their day.

At 6:30 pm, Brazilian caipirinha is served for the guests of the Lodge.

Dining room and library (© Sue Healey)

Library

The Lodge has an extensive Natural History library with a wide variety of books and magazines on birds, with a focus on South America. We have a check-list with all the birds found here, leaflets of trails, butterflies and moths.

The spectacular view from the garden (© Lee Dingain)

Garden

Our garden offers an excellent opportunity for birdwatching, with easy photography from the veranda in front of the Lodge and around the swimming pool. Feeders attract noisy groups of birds including euphonias, chlorophonias and tanagers including Brazilian, Flame-crested, Golden-chevroned, Burnished-buff and Yellow-backed.

On the hummingbird feeders, the Swallow-tailed hummingbirds chase off Rufous-breasted Hermits, Reddish Hermits, White-chinned Sapphires, Black Jacobins, Violet-capped Woodnymphs, and Glittering-throated Emeralds.

Around the garden, the Black-legged Dacnis, Rusty-margined Guan, Swallow Tanager, Maroon-bellied Parakeet, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Rufous-tailed Jacamar Rufous-thighed Kite, Channel-billed Toucan, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Chestnut-backed Antshrike, and Long-billed Wren are among the wide variety of birds frequently encountered.

At night, Tawny-browed Owl, Tropical-Screech-Owl and Pauraque may be seen. Mammals including Paca, Nine-banded Armadillo and the occasional Crab-eating Fox also visit our garden. Lately we have had the visit of the tapirs that were reintroduced at REGUA from 2017.

Belvedere

Our two-story observation tower, at the edge of the lodge garden, is an excellent place to watch the sun setting over the restored wetlands and the magnificent forest clad mountains of the Serra dos Órgãos, caipirinha in hand. In the mornings, the belvedere is also a good spot to photograph birds in the tree canopy.

Moth Wall (Acervo REGUA)

Moth Wall

In October 2013 we built the world's first purpose-built moth wall in our garden – a cement wall lit with a mercury vapour lamp and a black fluorescent lamp, on each side of the wall. The Wall makes it easy for guests at the lodge to help us with our moth research - by sending your photographs, you will add to our expanding list of identified moth species, and who knows, you may find new species for science . Either upload your photographe onto our iNaturalist REGUA Biodiversity Celebration site, or use #REGUA on social media.

Laundry

We offer laundry service for a small fee. This service does not include undergarments or socks, however, we provide washing powder and laundry soap upon request. Please note that clothes are line-dried and as our region is very humid, drying times are weather dependent.