New 4x4 trails upto Pura Vida Ecolodge from the Costanera Sur (from both Coronado & Puntamala)

With the 'G reen season' well under way in La Zona Sur de Costa Rica, we thought we'd add a splash of design & colour to illustrate the two new routes we have going up to our little retreat... The quicker and shorter entry is opposite the entrance of the village of Coronado but with the season's heavy rains especially, a lot of guests are opting for the less bumpy and smoother, albeit longer and slower route coming up from Puntamala (a couple of KM's further up the Costanera Sur). Don' t worry guests, full directions and photo references included in your welcome packs!

Nature trails, waterfalls & plunge pools on the edge of the Pura Vida Ecolodge reserve...

With the 'invierno' (rainy season) just around the corner, we wanted to share a few photos (taken just a couple of weeks ago) of one of the nature trails on the edge of the Pura Vida Ecolodge Reserve. The path has been beautifully crafted and takes guests winding through primary rain forest before ending at one of the quebradas (streams) of Tres Rios. As the rainy season approaches this stream will get heavier and heavier and while an idylic water hall right now, by the middle of the rainy season, it will be a fast flowing river, that you're probably best to sit and admire rather than taking a plunge!

 If you set off from Pura Vida Ecolodge soon after sunrise (en la madrugada)  or late afternoon,  you will definitely hear the congo monkeys and if you're lucky see them playing in the tall trees above the path. As always, you're sure to enjoy a plethora of colourful birds and pizotes are especially commonly seen on the reserve.

Once you get to the river, it's a real adventure to trek upstream, scaling the rockfaces, dipping under huge fallen trees and of course taking a plunge (how high will you dare to climb and jump from) into one of the many freshwater pools. The temperatures down in the jungle are also a few degrees cooler and a welcome escape from Costa Rica's sticky and humid summer afternoons. This is about as close to a natural 'pura vida' organic spa as you can get...

Special thanks to Zeger (of course), Kika, Angelino and Antonio for help with all the photos... And keep an eye on the blog, website and facebook page for more 'jumping into waterfalls action shots' - coming soon!

Nature trails at Pura Vida Ecolodge - Que rico!

Scuba diving season slowly comes to a close in Costa Rica's Zona del sur...

As 'el verano' (summer season) slowly comes to an end we are sadly having to say goodbye to some of our tours and adventures going to the world famous Isla de Caño. It has been a brilliant first season for Pura Vida Ecolodge with A LOT of our guests having both amazing scuba diving and snorkeling trips to the stunning biological reserve...having been there just a couple of weeks ago I am pleased to say that MINAE (Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Mares de Costa Rica) have been doing a good job maintaining both the island and its surrounding waters, limiting the number of boats and group sizes so as not to disrupt the amazing underwater habitats on offer at this very special place...

Please enjoy the photographs below, taken throughout the last few months - just a a few of the highlights that our guests at Pura Vida Ecolodge have been lucky enough to enjoy.

Special thanks to Kumari at Mystic Dive for all the amazing trips, excursions and adventures and we look forward to working together over the next few months. Keep an eye on both the blog and the website with updates of boat charters and excursions over the coming weeks - the whale migration season is not so far away!

Pura Vida a todos!

Isla de Cano - World famous biological reserve - just an hour off the coast of Costa Rica

Breaching whale

Breaching whale right near the dive boat

Tuna at 18 metres

Our loyal friends at Mystic Dive!

Responsible Travel… Travel like a local

We are very proud to announce our new partnership with Responsible Travel and have just been awarded the Responsible Travel badge for our Pura Vida Ecolodge retreat in Costa Rica.

For those of you that don't know, Responsible Travel have spent the last 12 years carefully choosing remarkable people, local specialists and unique locations, so to be honest, we feel pretty chuffed to have been selected by a platform with such a strong 'eco' philosophy and ethos...

Responsible Travel's dream is that near and far, we can all wonder the globe, discovering the world's most interesting places, encountering all sorts of people and experiences along our path. The emphasis of all Responsible Travel's partners is that they provide richer and more authentic travel experiences that also benefit local communities and conservation as a whole…

For more information on how we are working with local communities in the Puntarenas region of Costa Rica, please do visit our new profile page on Responsible Travel's Sit:

http://www.responsibletravel.com/accommodation/12748/puntarenas-ecolodge-in-costa-rica

Summer arrives in Costa Rica, but the waterfalls continue to flow freely...

Just a quick shot, taken just a few days ago on the borders of the Pura Vida Ecolodge reserve with a couple of our guests. Glad you guys had such a great experience... Keep in touch!

Pura Vida Ecolodge Reserve - Early January and some of the heavier waterfalls still run freely - What a great way to start your holiday. Que Rico verdad.

To all our 'holiday season guests' that have stayed with us at Pura Vida Ecolodge, we invite you to visit our new 'soft launch' profile on Trip Advisor (link below.) Feel free to join the Trip Advisor community, leaving your reviews and experiences of our retreat and hope to see you back at the jungle villa soon!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/PuraVidaEcolodge

The Pura Vida Ecolodge Team

Going LIVE with Trip Advisor & Holiday Lettings...

As 'el verano' (summertime) gets going in sunny Costa Rica, Pura Vida Ecolodge would like to invite you to have a look at our new profile on the Trip Advisor & Holiday Lettings site. I'm sure by now that you are all only too familiar with the platforms, so I'll leave you browse away...

Be sure to take advantage of our special PROMO PRICES for the rest of December and the beginning of the 2013 season while they are still on offer! Costa Rica in the summer season especially boasts some of the most fantastic (and empty) beaches that one can find - and a day trip to Cano Island offers some WORLD CLASS scuba diving...

The jungle villa sleeps up to 6 people, but the majority of our guests are groups of 2 and 4... Almost all of our guests in December & January are coming to Costa Rica for the first time on honeymoon!

Happy Holidays & Pura Vida!

http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/tres-rios/286936

Fishing for snapper at the mouth of the Rio Terraba at the end of the 'Green Season'

Scuba diving at La Isal de Cano, just off the coast of Costa Rica - A great day out from Pura Vida Ecolodge!

Tour launches... as Summer begins at Pura Vida Ecolodge

...Pura Vida Ecolodge is very pleased to announce that we are currently working with a great group of local 'adventurists' and 'adrenalin junkies',  tailor-making some excellent tours and activities on te doorstep of the Pura Vida Ecolodge Reserve. Recent partners include Kayaking, Diving at Isla de Cano, Avionetas in Uvita, Canyoning and of course rafting and Canopy Tours just before Palmar.

A more extensive guide to what is available in the area, including tour locations, lengths, details and prices will all be included on the very new and VERY NEARLY COMPLETE  website, but in the meantime enjoy a cheeky peak at some highlight promo photos...

Canyoning

 

 

 
 Much MUCH MUCH MORE to come... at www.puravidaecolodge.com

Coming soon (dedos cruzados!)

A Rainforest left standing is worth so much more...

A short 'news clip' explaining the importance of keeping things GREEN.

Our first jungle villa at Pura Vida Ecolodge maybe entering its first 'high season', but right from the beginning the very backbone of our philosophy has been to maintain the harmony and equilibrium that is unique to the South Pacific zone of Costa Rica...

A beautiful slice of Pura Vida... Just before December and Costa Rica's 'summer' gets under way!

COSTA RICA PURA VIDA from Naoto Ono on Vimeo.

Costa Rica - A country where organic is just as important as stylish...

"...If we lose the battle against tropical deforestation, we lose the battle against climate change. Please join us in trying to save the rainforests - for the sake of our children and grandchildren..." (Prince of Wales - The Prince's Rainforest Project)

The Prince's Rainforest Project was launched at a WWF event in October 2007. Since then it has focused on two very specific aims. The first, to identify appropriate incentives to encourage rainforest nations to slow their deforestation rates. The second, to raise awareness of the link between rainforests and climate change.

As the maps above illustrate, Costa Rica is one of the few examples that managed to 'buck the trend' of global deforestation. Starting in the 1990's after almost two decades of having one of the highest rates of deforestation (when forest cover dropped to just 21% in 1987 - compared to 75% 50 years earlier) the government (backed by the people) luckily stepped in and launched a sweeping new policy to save the remaining forest and to encourage new planting. Today, forest cover has increased to 51%  proving that with the right policies in place and attractive incentives, deforestation can not only be halted but can indeed be reversed altogether. For more information please click on the link below, where you can download a fascinating online booklet - http://www.rainforestsos.org/book/

At Pura Vida Ecolodge, ever since the beginning, one of our 'backbone' philosophies has been to try to take care of the environment just as much as our guests. We realized early on that there is a great bunch of people that want to travel in style without feeling guilty. Luckily Costa Rica provided us the perfect platform as it's a country where organic is just as important as stylish and the government plans to be the world’s first carbon-neutral country by 2021.

"...Leave the brashness and bling of resorts and hotels behind for a more natural, understated approach - and everyone benefits...

 

View of Pura Vida Ecolodge from the roadside above - showing the original 'palapa style' roof, the lush green valley, the flowing river Terraba and of course, the stunning Pacific ocean views... (Taken mid August 2012 around 10am)

 

 

 

Pura Vida Ecolodge is a very special Jungle Villa: it has been specially designed to exist symbiotically with the surrounding forest, jungle and wildlife, the reserve's fruit trees and colourful plants are maintained using filtered greywater and instead of bringing in bottled water to give to our guests, we rely on the pure fresh flowing water of one of the many mountain streams in the area. The style, finishes and colours of the interior decor compliment the vibrant surroundings: airy open-plan living spaces which provide guests with ample comfort and luxury at the same time as feeling natural and organic - in a nutshell - Eco-Luxury.

The westward facing corner of the Jungle Villa's 'wrap around teak deck' where guests can enjoy dramatic view of both the Pacific Ocean, el Rio Terraba and the Pura Vida Ecolodge jungle reserve.

The Southwest view (from the front balcony) looking over the valley towards the Osa Peninsula and Panama (on the left) and the mouth of the Rio Terraba, the Pacific Ocean (and the Isla de Cano) on the right

Abundant foliage, plants, fruit trees and colours attract a wide variety of birds and wildlife to the retreat

Take advantage of our introductory PROMO prices (via AirBnb - link below) for the coming high season - beginning this December! Pura Vida!

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/720986