It comes down to this- do you want to watch the experience or live it!  Do you want to get a glimpse, a hint, a general idea- or really drink it in, feel it, become a part of it, BELONG!

All too often visitors to Costa Rica see all too little of the rain forest. Or, if they do, it is behind another group, trudging along the same old tired trails the animals have either learned to avoid or, even worse, seek out specifically for the food handouts that, quite honestly, corrupt their true natures and thus such tours should be prohibited.

Most tours to Costa Rica offer canopy experience, calling it Sky Walk, Sky Ride etc. and charge hefty fees for a short walk, short ride, a short experience of the forest. Yes, indeed, most tours to Costa Rica offer some kind of a rain forest experience along with canopy tours, waterfalls and wildlife, all claiming theirs to be the real tropical paradise, yet they have five, eight, at most 20 acres of land to base their claim on.  Not ecologically viable or nearly complete.  An island.  A taste.  A shadow.

Truly a Nature lover's PARADISE!

A true wildlife reserve offers more, allowing you to look out over a vast section of rain forest and all the way to the Pacific Ocean. With 1300 acres of virgin rain forest, 150 acres planted in fruit, flowering, ornamental, and medicinal species, mile upon mile of jungle trails, 10-15 miles of streams and river, countless waterfalls (up to 200 feet) with pristine and inviting natural swimming pools and the purest air & water found upon Mother Earth--- it is only one that can qualify to make this claim: It’s a Jungle Out There Nature Reserve.   

The property front gate is situated about 100 feet above sea level while the rear border, formed by our own mountain, towers half a mile higher. The watershed produced simply bathes the property in life and creates the cascading beauty of living waters bounding about in 6 major streams before falling to and helping to create the Rio Ballena (Whale River), which is the reserve’s front border. The Pacific Ocean is about 3 miles away and can be seen from many locations as the property mostly faces west (toward that magnificent setting sun!) Topographically the nature reserve is a well-defined jewel of Mother Earth.  Spectacular old growth forests tower in predominance and mastery. In short, the reserve is one of the most beautiful private properties in a country of unsurpassed natural beauty. It’s a truly Nature lover’s paradise!

Here a canopy observation experience is about NATURE - both observing and feeling a part of.
There you are - 100 feet up, looking into and out over the glorious green of the canopy. OK, that's normal enough in the standard canopy experience. But wait! you have been there for a couple of hours or more (not a couple of minutes). No one is encouraging you to move along and a bunch or wildlife has made for a most memorable experience.

IMAGINE--- within a couple hundred meters of the guest center a troupe of Howler monkeys sound a daily "wake-up" call.  You will delight in watching them. You will be in awe as they watch you back!  Just 50 meters from the guest center a former duck pond now houses several caiman crocodiles (one about 7 ft), harmless to you; the pond was not created and stocked with the crocs, they found it on their own!

These true "dinosaurs" of the modern age will fascinate. Tracks from jungle cats; ocelots, smaller jaguarondi, and occasionally even full-sized jaguar, are seen frequently and often close by.  Above, the huge, majestic and endangered King Vulture and a variety of raptors soar on the thermals while parrots squawk through the skies.  Marauding packs of wild boar roam free, often seen, their deep, musky smell lingering for days. Other fragrances, from orchids and flowers of all description, come and go as the gentle breeze passes you by. Large Owls are commonly heard at night, less commonly seen by day. Playful mammals, exotic birds, bizarre and incredibly beautiful insects, the plant life - no narrative can give more than the merest taste of the experience of being here. If you are a Nature lover prepare to go into OVERDRIVE! Here an exceptionally rich ecosystem blesses the lands with a pulsation of life energy you will truly feel and be in awe of! 

And we teach you all about it, all easily understood and enjoyable. And the fun and fascination does not stop with the setting sun.  Grab your headlamp and let's go for a night walk! Or sleep out within the forest on one of our elevated platforms. (more...)

Itinerary:

Day 1:

Tour will commence from San Isidro. You will be transported to the reserve, about two hours from San Isidro. After your arrival at the reserve, you’ll enjoy a great river swim when just 100 meters inside the premises. Here, after a refreshing while spent in the clear and drinkable waters, fish swimming around and crayfish playfully nibbling at your toes, we have an orientation and make our way into the property to The Guest Center, your home upon premises. 

After settling in and a little lunch we go to meet some of the locals, with Barney being first on the list. He has been among us since 1999 when he showed up from who knows where, and established himself as our resident "pet dinosaur". Well, not exactly, but with 250,000,000 years of evolution and a form that has changed little in that time Barney (and all ancestral crocodilians) watched the dinosaurs come and go as they continued to flourish. You will get an up close look at this 2 meter long caiman crocodile as we feed him some treats. Barney is quite wild and our ability to do the above is as a result of the 4 years of our gently getting to know this amazing representative of the reptile clan. He was joined by Bernice about a year ago and they seem to be making house. Hopefully little ones will be on the way soon!

After the Barney and Bernice Show we move on to explore the Little Forest, a complete primary rain forest within a hundred meters of the Guest Center (just as is Barney's Pond). It is also the home of at least one troupe of Howler Monkeys and occasionally some white-faced capuchins. Here (as elsewhere) we give you a little introductory Rain Forest Biology (don't worry, no tests!) Your guide is an expert on the rainforest and will always be happy to answer your questions or provide you reading materials to learn yourself.

Our first night is a relaxed time. A great sunset seen from a magnificent open location nearby, the sunset serenade of all the birds and insects, plus the occasional mammal, will say goodnight. This can be a mesmerizing experience as the sun ignites the sky with brilliant hues while making its way toward its daily splash down. Later a great bonfire, great food and friends just sitting around getting to know one another and this amazing location they can call "home", along with the billions of other creatures surrounding.

Day 2:
Cycad Trail takes us to another great swimming location, this one just about 10 minutes from the Guest Center. We'll spend some time getting wet, then go for a hike up the river, most likely seeing a variety of riverine flora and fauna, stopping at Big Rocks, which not surprisingly does have a bunch of large rocks within a great swimming area set totally amidst the glory of Nature and generally under the shining sun.  4-6 hours.

After lunch we go off trail a little, along a wash which can be quite active in the rainy season (June to December). A little healthy climbing up the rocky faces and nearly dry waterfalls with forays in the forest, some additional off trail trekking as the group would like, the Nature being pointed out and explained the entire time. 4-6 hours.

Back at the guest center dinner is waiting.  Guests decide if they like the idea of a night walk, bonfire, sleep out under the stars OR ALL OF THE ABOVE!  Each night you have this option.

Day 3:
Richie's Pond is our first destination, so named for the owner's son who learned to swim in this crystal clear jewel. From here we head downstream making our way along the waterway, looking for the wildlife that often presents itself (wild turkeys, coatis, sloth, hummingbirds, butterflies, river otters...) making our way down a few smaller waterfalls until we reach Hollow Falls where each guest gets to sit atop the falls and look down into the torrent falling 40 feet through the chasm it gradually carved out of the solid granite that is its matrix. 4-6 hours.

In front there is only open, magnificent, pristine forest (and two more waterfalls within the same view!)  It is an enchanting moment spent saying thank you to our Mother Nature for such beauty. A swim in Hollow Falls and then we make our way to the bottom.  

There are a few options here and this will depend on the group's experience and adventurous spirit.  It can be quite easy or quite challenging. Later, back at the guest center, dinner and those same options of bonfires, sleep-outs, night-walks...

Day 4:
We head out to First Waterfall (you can probably guess why it is so named) and then up the Ballena River where its waters give tribute.  The walk up the river is pretty easy and scenically spectacular.  We arrive at The Big Pond which is a magnificent natural swimming hole about 50 X 100 feet, waterfall fed, crystal clear, hundreds of fish to be seen, sculpted granite sides beautiful beyond the abilities of any sculptor other than the original. 4-6 hours.

This is simply a great place to spend a good time swimming, looking at the Nature all around, diving off the top of the waterfall, enjoying a little lunch.  

From here we move upstream where it starts to get a little trickier.  As the terrain gets a little wilder the beauty of additional ponds and the river in general becomes a bit more raw and equally wild. 4-6 hours.

It is easy to imagine yourself as an explorer in uncharted lands.  How far will we go?  Only time and your courage will tell.

Day 5:
We head out through some of the cultivated fields to Banana Wash, an open area along the dry rain wash, wide and inviting with wild Nature beckoning in all directions, ourselves choosing the one that leads to Richie's Pond, a location we have gotten to know, but then onwards to unknown lands--Jaguar Falls! 4-6 hours.

Years ago this was the first location where the present owner saw a jaguar upon premises.  To reach the falls we'll walk down about 500 meters of stream, small waterfalls along the way, each one a picture postcard in itself.  4-6 hours.

Sitting atop the falls provides a vista of the falls dropping 200 feet in several tiers, the forest open all around as droplets bound their way to the river and on to the great Pacific.  

Working our way up the nearby wash and through an area of forest we then make our way to Big Momma, a giant Ceibo tree, so far the largest found upon premises, nearly 40 feet around.  The wash nearby is our pathway to home, providing beautiful views, slightly challenging descents and frequent animal sightings in this area of high mammal activity, especially wild boar (which are NOT dangerous) 4-6 hours.

Day 6:
Up the Hundred Meter Hill, through the forest, out into the open where the mountain looms up in front of us and birds of prey soar on the thermals, we then head on to the Petroglyph I (we will look for Petroglyph II, later), a rock carving dating back perhaps to antiquity. What do you think the author was trying to say? Nearby is the Hollow Tree, a Jabillo where as many as 8 friends have been inside this huge, very much alive but hollow tree, thirty feet of emptiness over our heads and this ancient tree's beating heart surrounding us. A true commune with Nature. 4-6 hours.

From here it is on to Poison Dart Frog Falls. How to describe Poison Dart Frog Falls?  It is almost as one continuous falls, the water bounding along the rock carved based for some 400 meters.  But as we make our way up there are about 8 pronounced locations where some light to moderate climbing lets us use our bodies and maybe the rope we always carry. This trek has been done with young and old, but only those in reasonably good shape.  This is not for confirmed couch potatoes and this is why we have waited and gotten you accustomed to such activities in the preceding days. The climbs vary from about 10 feet to 30, from nearly vertical to more gradual.  When in doubt we have the rope and even rig up a harness. Normally it is not needed or requested. Once again the Nature is pristine, wild and free all around.  At the end of our walk the last falls is about 200 feet with a tier about 40 feet above us, this we can reach relatively easily, enjoy the food we have earned, and look out over the Pacific sparsely seen through the trees to the west.

Day 7:
In the tree tops!  Via our sky walk to our expansive platform 110 feet up we spend the day in a giant and ancient Ceibo looking out over the Pacific to the west and the canopy in all other directions.  This is a gentle day of reflection after the more strenuous day preceding.  Comfort facilities within the tree tops, including gravity fed water make this that much more relaxed and inviting.

Day 8 & 9:
The River Walk---We have come to know about half of the river that borders the property and this the more tame half. Now, a bit more acclimated and in better condition, we head out to know it all and spend the night 6 km up river in a small cabin.  We will be equally challenged by Nature and held in awe of Her beauty.  A half dozen unbelievably beautiful, large, waterfall fed swimming holes greet us along the route. Wildlife possibilities are numerous.  This is a raw experience in untamed areas.  We will swim up the stream at times, grabbing hold and pulling ourselves free of the current as we advance.  We will walk and climb and rest and swim.  But mostly we will be consumed by the wildness and the feeling of true adventure. Finally we arrive at the cabin, our residence for the remainder of the day and night.  The following morning we talk about the possible routes back to the guest center.

Off trail completely?  Should we look for abandoned petroglyphs that were known of a few generations back but are now lost to the jungle?  Spend time upon Giant Rock, a huge megalith the size of a house, a former sacred sight to the indigenous peoples of long ago? Go exploring further up river?  You decide as a group.

Day 10:
A free day. Now that you know your way around and have had the experience to decide what has truly spoken to your heart and mind you decide how you would like to spend this day. 

Day 11:

Departure

What's included and what's not:  

Included in Land Cost:

- Land transportation from San Isidro to the reserve and back.
- Accommodation 10 nights on twin sharing bases in the Guest Center at the reserve.
- All meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, while at the reserve.
- All activities, facilities, and guide.

Excluded from Land Cost:

- Hotel and meals while in San Isidro or San Jose.
- Transportation from San Jose to San Isidro and back.
- International Airport Tax.
- Personal expenses such as drinks and bills anytime outside of the reserve.
- Medical, Evacuation and Trip Cancellation Insurance.
- Expenses if incurred due to political disturbances and natural calamities.
- All other services not mentioned above.