Welcome to the Jungle

Roughly half of Costa Rica is rainforest, and from Nicoya Peninsula’s piece of the pie rises Casa Chameleon Hotel at Mal Pais. The adults-only resort is just 10 villas each outfitted with a plunge pool, terrace, hammock and floor-to-ceiling doors that open wide to let in the sea breezes. Given this is Costa Rica, there are scores of adventures to be had, either in the jungle or on the beach—take a canopy tour one day and surf a beach break the next.

Known as the “Nature Island of the Caribbean,” Dominica brims with rivers—one for all 365 days of the year—waterfalls, mountains and volcanoes. Perched on a lush cliffside, Secret Bay embeds guests in the rainforest with the Cario River running through it. Its all-villa accommodations peek up above the trees to serve up some scintillating ocean views, along with private plunge pools. There are many other ways to get wet—check out the nearby sea cave by day and try night snorkeling after the sun goes down.

Those that like their jungle running right onto white sands will want to Rayavadee (we’re making it a verb). The surrounds of this dreamy Thai resort look striking similar to the setting in the Leonardo DiCaprio film The Beach and that’s no coincidence—they’re both in the Krabi region. You might be hesitant to ever leave your tropical tree-framed Pool Pavilion, but snorkeling the Rok Islands or taking a dip in the Klong Thom healing hot spring is incredibly convincing.

Among the legends associated with the ancient royal city of Luang Prabang is one recounting Buddha smiling when he stopped to rest here. Surrounded by lush rainforest and ambling rivers, it’s no wonder. Rosewood Luang Prabang, nestled right in the jungle, would make anyone smile, particularly when one wakes to the soothing soundtrack of a trickling stream in one of the waterside villas or high up in the trees in a hilltop tent.

Many of the room walls at Mashpi Lodge are full-length glass, allowing a constant visual immersion into all the green of the Ecuadorian rainforest. The design isn’t the only modern thing about place; the property is also a research station within a nature reserve. In the process of studying and protecting the rainforest, they’ve discovered new species. Guests have even joined in by volunteering on projects.

Taking its name from the river, and the fourth widest waterfall in world which it runs into, Awasi Iguazu is nestled in the Atlantic Forest. The forest boasts high biodiversity and endemism—there are 8,000 plants that can only be found here—and the property immerses you in it. Built on stilts for minimal environmental impact, each of the 14 villas come with a private guide to lead jungle explorations, but you need only walk out onto the terrace to see and hear wildlife.

To reach Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, alongside the Madre de Dios River in the Tambopata Ecological Reserve, you arrive by boat. Embedded in Peru’s parcel of the Amazon, the eco-luxury lodge is 35 wooden cabanas inspired by the local Ese’Eja culture. To really be at one with the jungle, opt for a special evening at the Canopy Tree House 73 feet up, where a private butler comes when you walkie-talkie.

Safari experiences aren’t all wide-open grassy plains. Lake Manyara Tree Lodge boasts a lush location in the Rift Valley. Its 10 stilted “treehouses” rise up from a mahogany forest. The lions in the national park here are known to climb trees, but you’re safe in your suite. Don’t be surprised though if an elephant passes by in the background while you’re candlelit dining on the deck or taking a bubble bath in the tub.

The thatched roof-villas at Hanging Gardens of Bali put you right in the thick of the Ubud jungle, high above the Ayung River gorge. Here, one can rise to take a treatment right alongside that river, then return to the treetops for a private plunge. The main pool, which appears to float above the forest, begs for a dip too—or, for the romantically inclined, privately dine by candlelight floating atop it.

Approximately 1,200 square kilometers and roughly 180 million years old, Daintree Rainforest on the northeast coast of Queensland is the largest tropical rainforest in Australia and the oldest in the world. Sitting on 88 acres of this World Heritage-listed tropical forest is Silky Oaks Lodge & Healing Waters Spa. While the place always offers up ample eye-candy, it’s currently finishing off a significant glow-up that will make it even more spectacular, featuring Indigenous artworks and custom furnishings by Australian designers.

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