More farm than yoga, this eco-oasis provides an entirely off-grid experience

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EDMONTON'S 100% INDEPENDENT
NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

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Week of April 23, 2009, Issue #705

GREAT OUTDOORS

Costa Rica: Going eco in the jungle

Mike Garth / michael@vueweekly.com

It looks as though our plane is landing in the middle of a sea of active volcanoes. The only things visible at this late hour are streams of light trickling down the dark, jagged terrain like lava. Gone are the grids of farmland and cities familiar to North America. My brother and I have arrived in Costa Rica.

Equipped with only our backpacks and a guidebook, we have a full month to trek around the safest, most ecologically-protected part of Central America. We end up staying at 10 different places in 30 days, hitting all four corners of the land by way of public transportation—splurging on the occasional boat ride—while staying in clean, well-maintained hotels for $10 – $20 per night. Though each destination boasts unfettered hospitality, warmth and endless activities, the gem that shines brightest for us is the southernmost tip of the country: the Osa Peninsula region.
Each region of Costa Rica is distinct from the next—the differences within the tiny nation, about the size of New Brunswick, are surprising—and the Osa is no exception. Nowhere else on our trip is the concept of eco-tourism so forthright.

The notion of sustainability is new to this part of the world and more often than not takes a back seat to development and tourism revenue. La Leona Ecolodge (laleonaecolodge.com) breaks this trend in a wonderful way. To get there you need to allow plenty of time as it is situated on the doorstep of Corcovado National Park, world-renowned for its wildlife and about as far away as you can get from Costa Rican civilization.
After riding in the back of a truck down a long, bumpy road—rated the worst in all the land—we're let off at the beach. It's a three-kilometre walk to the lodge. The hardcore backpackers put us to shame by pushing past our destination for another 17 km hike to La Sirena Ranger Station, a bare-bones campsite in the middle of the jungle.

"A different kind of tourist visits this place," remarks Adrian Morales, co-manager. "Now and then we have instances where people turn around and leave because there's no TV or air conditioning. If that's what you are expecting out here, you will be very disappointed." Morales is part of the Costa Rican family operation that keeps the place running. Solar panels provide the minimum electricity requirements, powering only the kitchen and a small office.

Once night falls, everything is illuminated by candlelight. Internet is available at $10 per half hour but given the cost and your surroundings—on a cliff overlooking the Pacific—you might think twice about its necessity. Though the food looks and smells delicious, at $20 US a plate we opt to bring our own groceries, a common practice for budget travellers.

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After our stint at the tent lodge, we are inspired. Not entirely sure what we're in for next, our eyes are about to be opened even wider to the possibilities of the sustainable eco-tourism concept.

But first it's back down the punishing dirt road. After a boat ride across the Golfo Dulce, some hiking, a bus ride, a river ferry, a voyage on a rusted-out school bus and yet another trek in the back of a truck we find ourselves 10 km from the Panama border at a place called the Yoga Farm (yogafarmcostarica.org).

More farm than yoga, this eco-oasis provides an entirely off-grid experience; solar panels, composting toilets, two natural water springs, an organic garden and a staff that includes a local indigenous family. The price is right too: $35 per person per day, which includes three vegetarian meals and a 70-minute yoga class.

The people staying at the Yoga Farm are among the most gracious we encounter on the trip. (We are instantly greeted and given the grand tour by someone who is just staying there for a few days.) Most are staying for weeks and months on end. Everyone takes turns in the kitchen, tending to the gardens and doing whatever else needs to be done. On our first night, we bend the vegetarian rules slightly to feast on fresh caught tuna and mackerel.

Built eight years ago by a Montréal entrepreneur, the structure itself is a masterpiece. Sitting atop steep hills that tower over beautiful beaches, materials were brought up on horseback and constructed by locals. Timber frames and impressive stonework comprise a main floor of dorm and bath rooms. Upstairs boasts a huge open-air yoga studio with a serene view of the ocean only mildly obstructed by the gentle sway of the tops of palm trees.

"On days when it's cloudy, you gain an appreciation for electricity," laments manager Klaus Fronius, who hails from Austria. "On days when it's exceptionally hot, you gain an appreciation for running water. If you stay here long enough, this place forces you to take a good look at how easy we all have it back home and how much we take for granted."

As far ahead as the Yoga Farm is in its earth-friendly operations, its surrounding countryside is decidedly not so. Little if any knowledge of sustainable farming exists. Large swaths of land are clear-cut for the harvest of lucrative palm oil; the unthinkable act of poisoning perfectly healthy palm trees and leaving them to die once their branches become too tall to reach is commonplace.

"It started with bananas and coffee. The same devastating farming methods continue today," explains Fronius. "At least hospitality in our part of the country has not gotten nearly as bad as it is up north [in the Guanacaste province] where gigantic resorts are being built with absolutely no forethought. Every single room has air conditioning." He has to stop himself as the sheer excess of the situation gets the best of him.

After an all-too-short three-day experience at the Farm, my brother and I leave the Osa region in tranquility and harmony with the land. As we make our way back to the bustling capital of San José to conclude our adventure, we prepare ourselves for the shock of returning to civilization. V