Other regional initiatives
Eco village Punta Mona is currently temporarily closed after 27 years of successful operation 😳. Due to government regulations. Whatever that may entail.
Visit the Punta Mona website here and if you want to stay informed, sign up for their newsletter.
Selva Bananito
Off grid Selva Bananito Nature Reserve, an hour's drive from the port city of Limón, half an hour's drive from the Caribbean coast. Only a few kilometers as the crow flies, but the road to the location is a cobblestone road that also crosses a river twice.
The reserve has a perimeter of more than 1500 hectares of tropical rainforest, rivers and waterfalls, meadows with horses and beautiful native birds such as toucans and great macaw parrots.
It was inherited by the owners from their father who bought it in 1974 because of the tropical hardwood. Which has brought in a lot of money so far.
The current owners have tried to stop their father from cutting down trees and they eventually succeeded. The owners started the resort to create a new revenue model. They have 19 ecolodge houses with a capacity for 76 people.
These are the activities of the park
EcoLodges, excursions on foot, horseback and Giroplane air tours.
Re-Forestation, planting new trees
Agro-forestation, biodynamic dairy cattle in the meadows in the forest
Water management, protecting the drinking water of the nearby city of Limón
Flora & Fauna, protecting illegal poachers and tree felling.
The ambition of the owners goes much further. They have close contact with the government and are responsible for protecting drinking water for the nearby city of Limón. That comes from the river Bananito which originates in the reserve.
In addition, they want to set up a 'natural living' project in a specific part of the reserve near the river.
The soil is very fertile and you can grow organically. You can drink the water from the river and there is also a spring.
The owners are struggling to keep their heads above water due to the lack of tourism since the first lockdown in 2020.
As a result, they had to fire 4 of the 6 forest rangers, which has a very bad effect on the protection of the forest and the animals.
Of the 80 cameras, 70 have now been destroyed by poachers.
Living:
You can generate more than enough electricity here by means of solar panels. A toilet is also no problem. They have a lot of experience with septic tanks and eco toilets. The houses are on stilts and made of wood. They are not there yet so if you read this soon you can even influence the construction and layout. Television can be done via a dish and WiFi can be pulled to your house with a cable.
Volunteer work:
You can contribute to protecting the forest in various ways. Your mere presence will make poachers dodge.
The owners are looking for new sources of income. They have a natural water source and have an idea to sell that water in glass bottles to hotels. When I heard that, the brand headlined; Marie*stella*maris in my head. A beautiful brand of water in glass bottles that is served in the better restaurants in NL and the proceeds of which go to a good cause.
If you are good at research & development, business creation or growth hacking, you can make a major contribution to this nature reserve.
Flora & Fauna:
The beauty of the native flora is breathtaking. Coconuts grow year round and are plentiful. The region is a producer of organic coconut oil and you will see various stalls along the road. In addition, the bananas grow along the road, of course there are huge banana plantations in the region, unfortunately not all organic.
The animals in the forest are over 280 species of birds, monkeys and wild cats. The wild cats in particular are threatened by poachers for their beautiful fur.
The advantages of Costa Rica:
You can travel into the country without a test. In the capital San José, people wear face masks everywhere and if you want to go somewhere, you must first wash your hands. The city has nothing else to offer nature lovers.
Costa Rica traded its army in 1971 for better education and social services. This is also noticeable politically and economically. Costa Rica is not a cheap country compared to neighboring Nicaragua or Panama. The people are pleased. They receive higher salaries and better working conditions than nearby neighboring countries. (where, by the way, nothing is arranged for employees)
Climate:
Depending on where you are in Costa Rica, the climate can differ. In general, it is always summer.
You can divide the country into 4 parts.
East: as in the Caribbean coast. Here you will mainly find rainforest and beautiful beaches.
West Atlantic coast. The top is tropical dry forest, here it can be very dry for a long time. Temperatures are on average much higher than in the rainforest. And the bottom is rainforest. Also both with beautiful beaches.
North the border with Nicaragua, tropical rainforest reserve Biologica Indio Maiz
South border with Panama. In the tropical rainforest, by the way, is the largest National Park in Costa Rica, La Amistad
Are you considering emigrating to Costa Rica for a self-sufficient life in nature?
Then this might be a place for you to live where you can also contribute just by your presence.
Take a look at the website and then contact Jurgen or his sister Sofia
They are originally German, born in Colombia and have been living in Costa Rica since childhood.
They speak German, English and Spanish fluently