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Meet the new generation of pioneers taking green tourism to the next level.
Jake Naughton
Sunlight filtered through the treetops as I surrendered my body to the harness.
Sunset on Santa Teresa beach.Credit:Jake Naughton
He gestured to the sea of bromeliads that had taken root on the tempisques mossy branches.
It is like being in a coral reef.
As I began my descent, a blue-throated mountain-gem hummingbird darted into the foliage in an iridescent blur.
The suspension bridge at Savia, a private nature reserve in Monteverde.Jake Naughton
In the distance, sheaves of mist swirled through the treetops.
We use awe as a catalyst for change, Valverde said.
He must have seen the look of wonder on my face.
The rooms at Lapa Rios Lodge are connected by a wooden boardwalk that winds through the forest.Jake Naughton
With 17 acres, Im not saving the world.
The phrase has been part of Costa Ricas vernacular for decades, as both a greeting and a goodbye.
Its an expression of thanks, a way to say No problem!
A private plunge pool at Lapa Rios.Jake Naughton
and a reminder to be present and live simply.
For Costa Ricans, pura vida is a way of life.
This concept partly explains the countrys commitment to conservation.
From left: The Osa Peninsula, as seen from the air; Edwin Villareal, a guide at Lapa Rios Lodge, leads a hike to a waterfall near the property.Jake Naughton
Prioritizing people and nature has made Costa Rica an attractive destination for international travelers.
In the 1960s and 70s, those travelers were mostly scientists drawn by the countrys biological riches.
But there was a caveat.
From left: Oscar Gabriel Morera Vega, who leads Hotel Belmar guests on horseback rides at nearby Finca Madre Tierra; Hotel Belmar, in Monteverde, a town at the edge of the cloud forest.Jake Naughton
Early each morning a pale-billed woodpecker came rat-a-tatting at my window.
Green parakeets produced a cacophony of squawks from the nearby trees.
If Costa Rica has become a global model for sustainable tourism, Monteverde is where that model began.
Playa Carmen, near the town of Santa Teresa.Jake Naughton
In 1951, a group of Quakers arrived from the U.S. after refusing to register for the peacetime draft.
They purchased 3,400 acres of land and divided it into individual homesteads for dairy farming and agriculture.
When we first came here there was just a little Quakerpensione, she said.
From left: A private plunge pool at Nantipa; wood furnishings and floors in a villa at Lapa Rios, an ecolodge on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula.Jake Naughton
Thats where I learned how to make bread, granola, and cheese.
Everything moves in circles here, Zeledon said as we snacked on homemade tortillas with eggs and fresh cheese.
When people come to visit, we spread the seeds of ecological consciousness around the world.
From left: Passion-fruit cheesecake at Lapa Rios; the Canopy Room at Hotel Belmar.Jake Naughton
The Nicoya Peninsula, on Costa Ricas northwestern coast, is one of those places.
My next stop wasSanta Teresa, a bohemian beach town on Nicoyas southernmost shore.
Though I didnt go for the swells, the ocean beckoned.
From left: Inside the top-floor Canopy Room at Hotel Belmar; a beachfront villa bedroom at Hotel Nantipa.Jake Naughton
In the water, surfers straddled their boards, eyes on the horizon.
On the shore, dogs splashed and chased.
I ran until the sky streaked pink and then threw on my bathing suit for a sunset swim.
From left: Banana plants at Lapa Rios Lodge; a monkey outside a villa at Lapa Rios.Jake Naughton
Santa Teresa has something magical to it, said Harry Hartman over dinner at the hotels Manzu restaurant.
Only six trees were removed during construction, despite permits to cut down 80.
Later, Hartman and Mikowski developed robust sustainability standards that extend far beyond eliminating single-use plastics.
From left: One of Hotel Nantipa’s two-story beachfront villas; sunbathers on Santa Teresa Beach, in front of Hotel Nantipa’s Manzú restaurant.Jake Naughton
They have forged relationships to ensure tourism dollars go directly into the pockets of local producers and providers.
Overhead, the birds swooped and soared.
On off days, he fishes with his wife.
Theres never a shortage of fresh fish for his family, he told me.
At a little family-owned restaurant called Soda Tiquicia, I met Camila Aguilar, Nantipas concierge, for lunch.
Between June and December, hundreds lay their eggs on the beach.
Peraza tipped the bucket on its side.
The hatchlings tumbled out and began their pilgrimage to the sea.
In late December, just six weeks after my visit, an arson attack destroyed the hatchery.
Some people feel territorial about this beach, Peraza told me over the phone.
They dont like what were doing.
But with limited staff and resources, they cant do as much of that as theyd like.
Costa Ricas leaders knew they had beautiful, remote places full of tropical biodiversity, Karen told me.
But when we told them what we planned to do, they said that nobody would ever come.
Sustainable tourism as a concept didnt exist back then.
The rainforest reverberated with the chirps of thousands of nocturnal creatures.
Then I spied a pair of scarlet macaws feasting on beach almonds.
They dropped the thick husks onto the path.
The days I spent at Lapa Rios felt like rainforest summer camp, albeit with a dazzling wine list.
You see how everything is connected.
Inspired, Artavia studied biology and conservation basics with Danilo Alvarez Seguro.
Now he volunteers with other members of the Lapa Rios staff to teach environmental education in the local schools.
Artavia slid my mojito across the bar.
Pura vida,Gina, he said.
I watched a pair of macaws glide over the ocean and disappear into the canopy.
I heard the guttural calls of howler monkeys.
Raising my glass, I smiled and took a sip.Pura vida,indeed.
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