Come visit and/or stay on an amazing farm in the Caribbean Highlands
Costa Rica, Pura Vida!
Contact us: fincarioperla@gmail.com
 One of our many beautiful waterfalls
Finca Rio Perla (FRP) is a 250 acre (100 hectare) farm located in a countryside paradise on the slopes of Volcan Turrialba in the Caribbean Highlands of Costa Rica, with elevations ranging from about 1,000 feet to 2,250 feet (350 to 750 meters). Being next to the Rio Perla, with this height difference, we have several amazing waterfalls and natural pools. Being high in the Caribbean we are blessed with moderate temperatures, great breezes, amazing views, and a relative lack of nasty insects (like mosquitoes).
We are located off the main road between the capital San Jose and the Caribbean port town Limon, about 60 miles (100 km) east of San Jose and about 40 miles (60 km) west of Limon. We are about 2.5 hours from San Jose and 1.5 hours from Limon (by car and/or bus/taxi). Finca Rio Perla is close (about 1/2 hour) to Siquirres (a major transport and commercial hub) and nearby a town called Alegria. We are also close to Pocora and Earth University, and to rafting on the Pacuare River. We also have good access to transport links to Caribbean beaches (Cahuita and Puerto Viejo) and Torteguero via the bus station in Siquirres and/or car. Finca Rio Perla has all the basic amenities such as municipal water, electricity, telephone, and internet access. Thus, we are accessible and connected, yet remote and independent. Accommodations are rustic and scenic, with ample bathrooms and showers, and great views of the surrounding farm and natural beauty. At Finca Rio Perla we have horses, dairy cattle, work oxen, chickens, tilapia fish ponds, several vegetable gardens and greenhouses, and lots of nature related activities such as horseback riding, hiking and just "being with nature". We have been reforesting by planting coffee trees at our highest elevations (in the macadamia orchard) and planting cacao trees at the lowest elevations, and mixing them at our mid-elevations. We are also planting fruit trees and trees for wood and shade. We have a 150 year-old sugar cane mill (trapiche) to make freshly squeezed sugar cane juice (yes, you can mill your own sugar cane juice), and also a smaller trapiche at the Super-Mini La Perla, our small grocery store (pulperia), where we also have an adobe oven for baking. Using cow manure, we have a worm composter (lumbricompost) to make new soil and a biodigestor that generates gas that we use in the kitchen to pasteurize milk and for cooking. We also have some fermentation tanks where we brew natural foliar fertilizers. The biodigestor, worm composter, and natural foliar fertilizers are based on technologies adopted from nearby Earth University. Our many amazing (yes, MANY and AMAZING) waterfalls and natural pools are breathtaking and fun. Go horseback riding (we have horses for riders of different sizes and experience), hiking to waterfalls, swim in the natural ponds, take a walk through the fields and forests, see the birds, or just sit back and relax. That's PURA VIDA. If you want ... join us for a farm stay (see activities/accommodations). Finca Rio Perla is an equestrian paradise!!! Our diet at Finca Rio Perla is based on healthy vegetarian cooking that includes our dairy products (from cows) and eggs and home-grown organic vegetables, fruits, and macadamia nuts. We use vegetable rennet in our dairy products (unlike most places in Costa Rica), and we use biogas produced in our biodigestor to pasteurize our milk. We also have tilapia ponds, and sometimes prepare fresh fish. As such, we combine traditional Costa Rican cooking with international vegetarian recipes with food from the farm. Our approach to being vegetarian (or pescatarian) is that it this diet is INCLUSIVE and not exclusive, so that vegetarians and vegans can feel comfortable and our food can also be eaten by persons who have kosher and halal dietary restrictions. We also can cater to other special dietary needs. Meat eaters are most welcome, and we are happy to provide this unique and alternative cuisine. Our farm activities are based on both traditional and new practices and technologies that maintain and nurture the environment. We are striving toward organic and natural production and processing. We call our balanced and eclectic approach to sustainable living: Agro-Eco Practicalism. We challenge ourselves to think and act locally and globally and to act in a practical manner. We do not pretend to have all the answers, but we are trying to ask the driving questions about the relationships between humans. nature and development. Contact us at: fincarioperla@gmail.com We also offer: Volunteer/Intern is an option if you are interested in working on our farm. The Finca Rio Perla Farm adventure offers a hands-on experience that will be tailored to your interests and skills. If you have special farm-related skills please let us know. The Finca Rio Perla Volunteer/Intern Program provides a true Costa Rican farming experience in a beautiful natural setting. This is also a great opportunity to learn Spanish. Retreat and Workshop Center: in addition to our own activity/lodging packages, Finca Rio Perla is an excellent place to host retreats and workshops. We can provide great support infrastructure and services for a wide variety of retreats and workshops, with several houses and several kitchen and eating areas that can host about 20-25 people with lodging. The Salon La Perla is also an excellent open-air classroom and/or yoga center. We can host about 30-40 persons for day activities. 
Our affiliate
tour operator, The Costa Rica Caribbean Experience,
can help you plan the itinerary and logistics for your visit to Finca Rio
Perla, along with other areas of the Caribbean and other parts of Costa Rica.
==> Specialized packages are available for individuals, families and groups. 
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 November 2013
Updates at Finca Rio Perla We are planting more fruit, coffee, cacoa, and other trees, and maintaining existing trees (including the macadamia trees). We are "curing" the new adobe oven at the Super Mini La Perla, and we hope to try it soon. We are finishing fixing up Casa Verde.
Contact us today to reserve your visit to Finca Rio Perla
Please communicate with us by email: Email: fincarioperla@gmail.com Other Contact Information: Finca Rio Perla (farm) English and Spanish Spoken (506) 2765-1896 or 2765-2003 Costa Rica Office English and Spanish spoken (506) 8997-9463 USA Contact Numbers (202) 341-9187 or 305-775-0328 Finca Rio Perla in the Press: check out these articles!
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