La Anita Rainforest Ranch

I flew into Liberia and took the 90 minute drive to the property. I stayed in one of the recently built, cozy log cabins. As a life-long "city slicker", I found myself enjoying the privacy of the location and the ecology of the area (rainforest, birding, tropical plants and animals). Not only did I hike up to the nearby volcano, I went to a (mock) bull-fight and the market in a nearby village. I found the staff at Finca La Anita to be most accommodating and the menu of local food prepared on site to be unique and delicious. I look forward to returning with my wife in the near future.

Wow, I don't really know where to begin. I spent two very memorable days and nights here with my family in late August... and our only regret is that we could not stay longer. My kids are ages 4 and 10... and my wife and I had taken them on a 35 day journey overland from Guatemala to Costa Rica. This was one of our last stops... and probably one of the most memorable. When I first researched places stay at the start of the year, there was only one post here.... and it simply sounded almost too good to be true!! But, we were not let down. From my first communication by email...everything was handled in such a professional manner with such a personal touch. There is really nowhere else like this in Costa Rica.

The young owners are Pablo and Ana...and they run this place with true love and passion. This is the real eco-experience that we wanted... something different from the mass-tourism/sun, sand and surf/foreign run properties found throughout CR. We chose this place because of it's size and location...and for the fact that it offered something different. The cabinas have been carefully crafted and are lovely. The food is all fully organic and grown on the farm here...the coffee is harvested on site and roasted fresh...the juices/deserts/salads/ etc are all fresh. We toured the farm (macadamia trees/exotic flowers and palms/herbs and spices/medicinal plants/coffee). Ana & Pablo arranged assorted excursions for us including a visit to some nearby hot springs and mud baths...and a waterfall hike! But, if you are looking for a place to just relax and chill out then this place would be perfect. Please...be sure to give yourself 2 nights here...but maybe try for three. You can see two volcano's from your breakfast table...count dozens of species of birds.. spot stick bugs and the occasional leaf-mimicking mantis...and learn all you want about real organic farming from Pablo and Ana. These two great people really have something special here.. and my family had such a great time. I would go back in a flash.

I have spent the bulk on my life traveling the world and La Anita Rainforest Ranch is truly the most spectacular place I have ever been. Its location nestled deep in the rainforest where so many unique bird and plant species collide is amazing in and of its self. But the place is run by a wonderful, loving local family who have obviously put a great deal of love and care into sharing their special place with outsiders. I learned so much about local biology, culture, eat incredible food and just had a great time relaxing in such a magical place! A couple visiting at the same time I was there put it best, explained how they had been visiting Costa Rica for many years, but not until coming to La Anita Rainforest Ranch did they truly understand Costa Rica.

We booked our stay at near the Rincon de la Vieja because we wanted to explore Costa Rica's cloud forests and we wanted to avoid the more crowded Monteverde and the Arenal areas. We found Finca La Anita after reading the wonderful reviews posted here on tripadvisor.

The plantation is beautiful - thoughtfully planned and maintained. The food and hospitality were absolutely wonderful - freshly squeezed juices, vegetables and herbs picked right from the garden. The cabins were designed well, spacious and extremely clean. The screened windows allow you to feel close to all the noises of the farm.

The hosts, Ana and Pablo, went out of their way to make us feel comfortable and welcome. They helped plan special trips and catered to our schedule. It was a pleasure to get to know them and listen to all that they so generously shared. Finca La Anita is the one place in Costa Rica we are sure we'd return to.

It was easy to find thanks to the great directions Ana and Pablo provided. The roads getting to and around the plantation were definately part of the adventure! You will be able to explore more with a 4 wheel drive vehicle, so bring one.

I have visited La Anita Rainforest Ranch 3 times and after the last trip decided it is definitely my favorite place in Costa Rica. Everything about the experience is wonderful - from the amazing and luxurious rainforest cabins to the delicious food and abundant wildlife.

The ranch is the perfect place to experience all of the nature and hospitality Costa Rica has to offer. There are so many fun activities close by - a zip-line canopy tour, artist shop, volcano hikes and the city of Liberia - that is if you can find time after you take beautiful horseback rides of the farm, swim in rainforest streams, sample macadamia nuts, and visit the town of Colonia Libertad.

I recommend to all people who want to see what Costa Rica really has to offer to visit La Anita Rainforest Ranch!

Finca La Anita Flower & Macadamia Plantation

Date: May 18 to May 25th

This planation which is a two hour drive from Liberia through two microclimates(from the dry forest of Guanacaste to the Tropical Rainforest and cloud forest on the east side of the Rincon Volcano is a surprising adventure I never would have guessed possible. They have ten cabins that are almost open to the outside so you get the sounds and smells and breezes from the rainforest coming right into your cabin, it is heaven. I would say the overwhelming advantage of this place, compared to any place else I have been in Costa RIca(I have been traveling to Costa RIca for 20 years), is the educational component of a stay at Finca La Anita. You can learn more about rainforest and nature and biology in one day than you ever even have a chance of at any other place I have been. The meals are gourmet

(better than most gourmet restarants) and are incredibly cheap and are made from organic produce from the plantation(I am not an organic food person but this stuff is incredible). The plantation produces macadamia, exotic tropical flowers, tropical fruits, cacoa for chocolate, cardomon, hearts of palms and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember. Some of the hikes or horseback rides in this backwoods remote place are just incrdeible like a hike deep into the forest where there is a pool with both a hot waterfall and a cold waterfall that cascade intro the pool where you can spoend hours. This place is really great.

Our tour was arranged by Laurie Hernandez of Worldesigns, Chanhassen, Minnesota. Laurie is a wonderful tour leader, who has been to Costa Rica numerous times and thoroughly familiar with the area.

La Anita Rainforest Ranch is located in a remote zone of the humid tropics of Costa Rica. Centered between three volcanoes and three microclimate zones, this rare spot on the planet offers an abundant explosion of biological wonders. At La Anita Rainforest Ranch you will find adventure, stunning scenery, and tranquility.

If you are looking for outstanding hospitality while touring Costa Rica, you have to spend a few days at La Anita Rainforest Ranch at Finca la Anita, near the village of Colonia Libertad, which is north of Rincon de la Vieja volcano region. The closest international airport is Liberia, Costa Rica.

The hosts; Pablo and Ana Cespedes, formally educated Agronomists, have opened-up their operating 740 acre Macadamia Nut and Tropical Flower farm (finca) to visitors by building nine cabins with large polished wood decks where you can relax in a hammock, wood rocking chair or a love seat for two. Breakfast, lunch and gourmet dinners are served on the open air deck area near the macadamia nut processing plant, where women from the adjacent rural village process and sort macadamia nuts. Pablo and Anna are the most attentive hosts, greeting us every morning, providing activities for the day, tours of the working farm, cooking lessons (first time I had palm heart ceviche), nature walks, etc.. Activities range from visits to the Arenal Volcano, zip lines through the forest where you can hang out with monkeys and agouti, river boat or raft tours to see a range of aquatic life (including crocodiles at a safe distance) and bird life which thrilled avid ornithologists, a visit and lunch with local farmers Aracelly, Alfredo and their daughter Maria Alejandra in the adjacent village. Lunch consisted of Caribbean style rice & beans with mild chilli, coconut chicken, mashed plantain and rice pudding with cloves cooked on a wood fired home made stove.

The staff are warm and attentive, catering to all our needs. After dinner at La Anita Rainforest Ranch Pablo and Anna provided us history of the area where Ana’s father, Don Tino, started a cattle ranch at the La Anita Rainforest Ranch over 30 years ago. The respectful way Pablo and Anna speak with their staff is reflected in the way all the resort and farm workers deal with guests. The individuals in our group ranged from 30 to 70 years old, all of whom were busy from dawn to dusk.

This is not the type of resort or countryside for couch potatoes who expect a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, gym, TV’s and telephone service to their rooms, although interesting enough the farm has a free wireless internet connection. One must wear rubber boots when walking in the tall grass to protect against snakes, which is a risk in all of Central America, and as a result is not suitable for families with young children (under say 5 years old).

I could go on and on about this wonderful resort, better still; see for yourself.

We had a fabulous half day at Finca la Anita. We were the only ones from our hotel who signed up for our tour, so we had a private tour of the plantation. The friendliness of the owners was overwhelming... They took us on a really nice walking tour of the rain forest, treated us to macadamia nuts and lunch, and we ended up buying 4 pounds of the nuts (at a fabulous price) to take home. The only negative was the insects.... we put on repellant, but we should have saturated ourselves with repellant, as we ended up with quite a number of bites. But the trip was worth it. The way they grow things in harmony with nature is a lesson to us all.

If you are up for an adventure really want to see something simply beautiful, be treated so kindly, have photo opportunities galore--I urge you to make the simple effort to visit the very unspoiled Miravalles Volcano area of Northern Costa Rica. It is an excellent side trip if you need to come off the beach for a day or two and has so many places that are still untouched. The highlight of our trip was staying at Finca la Anita, a sustainable macadamia nut and flower farm nestled right at the edge of the rainforest and surrouned by three volcanoes. Homemade Costa Rican Lunch on a finca veranda--sugared macadamia and macadamia brownies for dessert, the tour of the gardens and farm and a wonderful stay in a gorgeous cabin made just one of our important memories. While there we had a 14 platform canopy tour and more excellent food--and a double rainbow, visited the art gallery of tony jimenez and played in a mudbath at the active crater called hornillas. There is so much to do here and it is so welcoming. Fabulous! Fabulous!