Eco Lodge Itororó is located in its own idyllic, truly privileged and quiet location. Tucked away in a beautiful secluded valley, this retreat overlooks surrounding pristine rainforests of the Serra dos Orgaos mountains. The Eco Lodge Itororó harbors its own network of trails, providing its guests with the opportunity of seeing many tropical species of flora and fauna within a short walk from their accommodations, ensuring a harmonious blend of tranquility and adventure at an altitude of 1200m above sea level. Located at 2.5 hours from Rio de Janeiro, the Eco Lodge Itororó provides a refreshing climate and mosquito-free bedrooms, ensuring a comfortable and peaceful stay for birdwatching, hiking, bird and mammal photography and many other outdoor activities for anybody interested in natural history, or just wanting to escape to somewhere peaceful for a few days. Our cozy dining area, porch and deck are ideal to enjoy our freshly made meals whilst watching our busy bird feeders which attract many species of colorful tropical birds. Wi-Fi is available in all of our rooms, dining area, porch, and deck. The fire bowl on the deck offers the perfect center piece to sit around and relax during the evening, whilst watching the stars and listening to the sounds of the rainforest.

The history of Itororó started in the beginning of the 1960’s with Dr. Fritz Dungs and Gisela Maria Dungs. Together, they purchased the area of land where the Eco Lodge Itororó now stands. The former owner had planted manioc, corn, and other crops, for his livelihood, clearing large areas of forest in the process which were planted with a monoculture of eucalyptus and Japanese pine.

Dr Fritz Dungs then decided to build a small log house, which the family used as a summer retreat, away from the heat of Rio de Janeiro. When our family purchased the land, there was no electricity and the road up to the lodge was regularly impassable during the heavy summer rains, due to the deep mud. With no electricity or telephone, it was all very rustic and spending time at the house was always great fun. Urban life seemed extremely far away from here. For us kids, it was a pure adventure!

During this same period, Dr. Fritz Dungs started his research in Brazilian orchids with one of his friends Dr. Guido Pabst with Itororó becoming their research base. They undertook research for more than 20 years and the result was the publication of Orchidaceae Brasilienses, still considered the most complete work on Brazilian orchids. Shortly after the book was published, Dr. Fritz Dungs passed away.

In 1998, we embarked on the plan to make an eco-lodge from Itororó. It all started with truly little money but with a lot of passion and enthusiasm! We started by cutting and selling the non-native trees from the monocultures as the plan was to revert the property to its former beauty and for the Atlantic Rainforest to return and thrive!

The Eco Lodge Itororó started out with two rooms, which sustainability was not viable with the few guests that would visit from Rio. To make ends meet Rainer was also guiding some foreign botanical and hiking groups around Brazil. At times he would travel abroad for work and to earn money, all of which was invested in contacting foreign travel agencies and renovating and improving the lodge. It was an uphill struggle, but it was worth it. In May 2014 Rainer met Andy and Cristina Foster, owners of Serra dos Tucanos, who were looking for a lodge in order to accommodate their birdwatching groups. We started to receive guests looking for nature and wildlife, who really were enthusiastic about birds and nature as a whole. We had to adapt fast, and Rainer decided to build six new rooms to be able to receive the groups well. With a lot of help from family and friends, especially Andy and Cristina, we were able to have the rooms ready in the beginning of 2016. From then on, we soon became a well-known eco lodge for birdwatchers and nature related guests.