Community-based ecotourism:
Some of the destinations included in CONSERVacations, green tours designed by the author of The New Key to Costa Rica

Thanks to funding from the United Nations Development Program and other NGO's, small rural communities are the owners of exciting new tourism projects. They are proud to share their beautiful waterfalls, their rainforest reserves, and their delicious country cuisine with visitors. In turn, ecotourism allows them to supplement their farming income while protecting their watersheds and providing meaningful employment near home. Now you can visit these great destinations with your own bilingual naturalist guide/driver.

Below you will find information on community tourism destinations in Palmichal de Acosta, in Turrialba, in Quebrada Arroyo near Quepos, on the Osa Peninsula, on the Nicoya Peninsula and in Guanacaste

Read about our adventures at these great places 

Nacientes Palmichal

Palmichal is a small mountain town with hiking and horse back trails to the cloud forest reserve which protects the community’s watershed. The town is untouched by tourism and is very much like the Costa Rica of years ago. The community is conservation-minded: several families use biodigestors to produce methane for cooking. They have a chalet-style lodge and meeting space for up to 30 people.
They can pick you up at the airport, just one hour north. Palmichal is a great place to begin a trip to Costa Rica ($20 per person, including breakfast).
Contact Hernan Ramirez, 418-4335, sanjoserural@racsa.co.cr, www.nacientespalmichal.com

Reserva Los Campesinos

    This welcoming agricultural community has several gorgeous waterfalls. You get close to the largest one on a 127-meter hanging bridge across a canyon. In two-hour guided hike, your hosts teach you about the riches of the rainforest as you climb to a  mirador, with views of the Pacific coastline. Halfway up the trail, a pulley-car zips you across a gorge.  When you get back from your hike, a pristine waterfall pool offers a refreshing dip. Spacious cabins have views across the canyon. Their rustic dining room serves delicious country cooking ($45 for meals, lodging and hikes).
     Reserva Los Campesinos is in Quebrada Arroyo, about an hour (25 km) inland from Quepos and Manuel Antonio. It's best to have 4WD to drive there yourself, or you can hire a 4WD taxi to take you there for about $50 round trip per taxiload.  Contact ACTUAR: actuar@racsa.co.cr or Simbiosis Tours: cooprena@racsa.co.cr

El Copal Reserve and Lodge

   The 190-hectare El Copal Reserve, between Orosi and Turrialba, has beautiful primary forest, home to almost 400 species of birds. In nearby El Humo de Pejivalle there are several trapiches, where visitors can observe the fascinating process by which the local hard brown sugar is made.
    Other attractions in the area are Guayabo National Monument, Costa Rica's largest preColumbian archaeological site; Irazu and Turrialba volcanoes; Tapanti National Park; the famous orchid collection at Lankester Gardens; the charming Orosi church; Cartago's Basilica, home to Costa Rica's patron saint, La Virgen de los Angeles; whitewater rafting and kayaking.
    There is a rustic lodge at the entrance to the reserve with room for 20 guests ($25 including meals and entrance to the reserve). Contact Leonel Delgado, 249-4541, Gerardo "Beto" Chavez, 535-0047, elcopal@racsa.co.cr, or ACTUAR (actuar@racsa.co.cr).

Tesoro Verde

The women of Los Planes, a small community four kilometers uphill from Drake Bay, turned a former Park Headquarters into a charming inn with room for 15 guests. They will take you hiking in Corcovado National Park, in their own rainforest reserve,  to nearby waterfalls or snorkeling at Isla del Cano. 

Contact Mayra Salazar, 770-8209, tesoroverdedrake2003@hotmail.com, www.ecolodge-costa-rica.com