ABOUT SELVA NEGRA - in their own words:

Willkommen to the Black Forest of....Nicaragua. At the Barvarian-style gatehouse the guard lifts the red and white stripped bar permitting entrance into the unique world of Selva Negra. Here at more than 3,000 feet you will have to pinch yourself to believe that you are still in Nicaragua.

Selva Negra is a sustainable coffee plantation that welcomes tourists. From the food on the table in the lakeside restaurant to the electricity in the quaint half-timbered cabins, everything needed to run this little kingdom is produced at Selva Negra.

Located in the highlands of central Nicaragua, the hills of Selva Negra are draped in green year round and the temperature is always comfortable. Fourteen trails, six of which are designed for horses, make this beautiful and pristine cloud forest easy to explore

The Selva Negra Mountain Resort offers its visitor many unique experiences. From the fern plants as tall as trees to the ecological technology involved in producing an internationally known, environmentally sound gourmet coffee.

The resort is easy to get to and has a fairly extensive history. Eddy and Mausi Kühl, the proprietors of the resort, are ecologically sensitive and have a keen sense of history. Their ecological efforts have been rewarded in many national and international awards the estate has received. A trip to Selva Negra is one that you will not soon forget.

ACCOMMODATIONS:   (See map)

Bungalows: Selva Negra offers bungalows. All the bungalows are amongst each other in the forests of the Selva Negra Mountain Resort. The bungalows range from one to four bedrooms, accommodating two to six people.

• The one-bedroom bungalows are numbered 2 through 12, there are eleven in total. By viewing the pictures and reading a little about the bungalows, you will be able to find the bungalow that speaks to you and meets your needs.  Most of the bungalows are situated in the forest, walking distance to each other.
• The two-bedroom bungalows accommodate couples traveling with children or groups traveling together. These bungalows are also decorated with colorful bedspreads and offer more space. The two-bedroom bungalows are numbered A-1 through A-6.
• Four-bedroom bungalows accommodate groups of six comfortably. There are only a couple of four-bedroom bungalows, B-2 and B-3.

Chalets: Selva Negra offers four chalets, each with their own individual history and environment. The story behind each chalet, their location and decoration make them stand out above the bungalows.

Chatel Alsacia is close to the coffee facilities and overlooks the mountain ranges. From the back porch, you can enjoy the view among friends. The Chalet Alsacia is a newer chalet; it was built primarily for the purpose of renting out to retirees. It's very accommodating for retired couples as a home away from home, because of its quaint decorations and easy access to the driveway. It's not secluded in the woods as some of the other chalets and bungalows, so it's easily accessible. Yet it's peaceful in it's elevated setting. Families or groups traveling together most often use the Alsacia chalet.

Chalet Gretel is set near a running creek on the top of a hill overlooking the mountains. It has a great view and decorated with the Hansel and Gretel theme. The Gretel chalet is named after one of the daughters of the Selva Negra Mountain Resort owners after constant nagging to be recognized.

Chalet Gretel is pictured to the right, built in its German style it is often photographed by the guests. It's setting is quite picturesque. Along the side runs a small creek into the pond it's set upon.

Chalet Viejo Otto "Old Otto", pictured to the left, is a two-story chalet and like the Bosche chalet accommodates large parties comfortably. It has a large family room and master bedroom downstairs with a full sized bed. The upstairs is all bedrooms with a loft situated with twin beds. Viejo Otto is located across from a lake and has luscious forests in the back. Hiking trails start from a short walk away.

The story behind Viejo Otto is it was the first. Yes, Chalet Viejo Otto was the first house build for the hotel in 1975.

Hotel rooms: Selva Negra also offers hotel type rooms, the Karen and Laguna "Lake" rooms. Both of these room types are located near a lake and the restaurant. Also adjacent to these rooms is the one of the conference rooms. Both of these room types are great options for guests attending events hosted at the conference hall and reservations at the restuarant.

Karen and Laguna rooms are accommodated with two full sized beds sleeping two couples comfotably. However, additional beds can be brought in to accommodate up to six guests.

DINING:
Selva Negra offers restaurant services at the lodge which is within easy reach to all the bungalows and chalets. It is located on one of the resort's small lakes and offers a large deck with a wonderful view of both the mountain and the lake. At the restaurant, you may choose from a variety of both local and international foods, including authentic German cuisine.

BAR:
Full bar services are also available. You may sit and enjoy a stein full of beer while sitting in the marvelous hand carved wooden bar.

ACTIVITIES:
What can you do while visiting Selva Negra?

• Experience 14 Mountain Hiking Trails with varying lengths and difficulty levels
• Enjoy the relaxation of a Horseback Ride through the resort
• Listen to the sounds of over 100 known birds with Bird-watching
• See the internationally known Selva Negra Estate Coffee from growing on the plant to being roasted and packaged on a Coffee Plantation and Beneficio Tour
• Discover the beauty of flowers with a Greenhouse Tour
• Visit the Estate's horses, pigs and cows on a Stable Tour
• Observe nature at its finest including many identified Orchids and Reptiles
• Relax!!! What is more important in a vacation than going home feeling Relaxed?
• Explore the area, the Highlands of Nicaragua are beautiful and history filled. It is an area deserving to be explored.

HIKING - FOURTEEN TRAILS:
Hiking in Selva Negra is a lot more than walking in the woods. You hike into virgin rain forest where you experience nature at its purest, the sights and sounds of the forest will amaze you as they have done many of those who have already had a chance to visit us. Click here for  trail map.

Selva Negra offers you a wide variety of hiking trails to experience. From the slow pace of a walk around the lake, where you can watch the ducks go about their daily life, and listen to the hummingbirds as they busily buzz around you to get the nectar of their favorite flowers.

To the strenuous and time consuming venture into virgin rain forest. Here you will see plants that are found in very few other parts of the world, you could also be surrounded by the all-powerful howl of the resident howling monkeys. This is an experience worth the muddy boots, and the soar legs. You will go through parts of the trail that will require the aid of roots and trunks to get you moving and continue on your 45 degree climb to the ridge.

Each of the Selva Negra trails has a little something special that makes it a worth it trip, and its name that has been derived for very special reasons. You may have the urge to experience each and every single one of them. All you need is time, and a desire to experience nature at its finest.

Lets talk about the trails in three categories; the strenuous and most challenging, the middle of the road trail to enjoy an afternoon in nature, and the enjoyable and non-challenging walk. The trails are not circle trails, in order to come back to your starting point, you will need to take different trails. For example, piecing together the Atajo, Indiana Jones, Las Pilas, and Cody trail you will start and end in the same spot. The trails all very in difficulty, please refer to the trail statistics for more information of each trail.

HORSEBACK RIDING:
Horseback riding is the best way to discover the mayority of the estate and all it has to offer. You can take your horse to the coffee plantation, the greenhouse area, as well as to the stables. Although the horses are not allowed in all the mountain hiking trails, all the roadway system in the estate is open to the horses. Horses are rented by the hour, and arrangements can be made at the lodge to pick up the horses whenever you would like to schedule them. On Sundays they are always stationed near the restaurant and the youth hostel.

BIRDWATCHING:
Located in the northern highlands of Nicaragua the Hotel Selva Negra is in a prime location for observing some of the most beautiful birds known to the rain forests. Our Bird List that contains almost 230 birds sighted at our estate including Nightingale Wren, White-eared hummingbird, Philadelphia Vireo, Baltimore Oriole and the Resplendent Quetzal.

COFFEE PLANTAITON:
The coffee tours at Selva Negra are an excellent opportunity for you to learn all about the most popular morning drink in the world. You will be amazed about how much goes into delivering that fresh cup of morning coffee. Guests can jump in a truck with Eddy or Mausi Kühl and visit the plantation to see the coffee trees and how they grow. Selva Negra is what is refered to a "shaded coffee plantation". In general this means that coffee grows within the protection of the shade of the trees, at Selva Negra the trees that protect our coffee is mostly made up of old indigenous trees of the area.  The coffee harvest season at Selva Negra is from mid-November to mid-February. If you visit the resort during this time, you will be in great luck.