Located in the south of Costa Rica, nestled in the remote Piedras Blancas National Park, lies the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge.

What makes this lodge and its surrounding 14,000 hectares of primary jungle so important, is that its lush mountains, dense evergreen forests and watersheds situated in the Esquinas and Piedras Blancas rivers, provide the perfect eco-climate for a number of rare tropical trees and endangered species to flourish.

 

 

Thanks to essential support and funding from the non-profit charitable organisation, Rainforest of the Austrians (Regenwald der Osterreicher), and generous donations from travellers staying at the lodge, the resilient local workers at the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge have successfully protected this natural rainforest reserve against poachers and deforestation, while becoming one of the only lodges in Costa Rica that’s completely 100% carbon neutral.

As a business, Exodus passionately seeks to improve life through travel and are proud to be the first ever adventure travel company to bring guests to the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge over 20 years ago, and continue to bring travellers on our Discover Costa Rica adventure. As they prepare to mark 50 years of celebrating the modern environmental movement on Earth Day, 22nd April, they’re looking to shine a particular spotlight on the remarkable sustainable projects the Esquinas Lodge created that effectively saved this spectacular area of primary Costa Rican rainforest.

 

 

Back in the early 1990’s, the people of La Gamba saw that the future of Piedras Blancas National Park (which was previously part of the Corcovado National Park) was increasingly threatened by restrictions set up by the Park Service, so a group of local farmers and former lodgers decided to take matters into their own hands.

Instead of this beautiful forested region being exploited and torn down for commercial reasons, they worked together with the Rainforest of the Austrians to help complete the construction of the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge in 1994, as part of a wider, award-winning environmental project.

 

 

The Esquinas Rainforest Lodge’s gives travellers’ the perfect opportunity to unwind while also discovering untouched sections of primary Costa Rican Rainforest in Piedras Blancas National Park. Not only does the lodge produce their own organic vegetables, fruit and chocolate on site, they use biodegradable products and energy-saving methods in an effort to further minimise their carbon footprint. Visitors can also enjoy the use of their saltwater-based pool, which is an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to chlorine.

Aiming to minimise their impact on the surrounding environment at all costs, sustainable tourism and community development lies at the heart of the Esquinas Rainforest Lodges’ values and philosophy.

 

 

This unique eco-lodge set in the rainforest on the periphery of Piedras Blancas National Park just 2 km from La Gamba Village, not only aims to protect the rainforest’s rich areas of biodiversity, but also has single-handedly created a number of sustainable projects including tree planting to help remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Visitors at the Esquinas Lodge can purchase an “Adopt-a-Tree” certificate. These generous donations are given to La Gamba Field Station and research institution, to help plant trees and purchase land. Regaining land in this area is essential for wildlife and ecosystems to thrive as it helps to reconnect the lowland rainforests of the Golfo Dulce region with the upland rainforest of the Fila Cal mountain range, which is exactly what the La Gamba Biological Corridor (COBIGA) project is trying to achieve.

The reason behind why this piece of land is called the” biological corridor” is because of its abundancy of wildlife. Hidden between the Corcovado and Piedras Blancas National Parks, lies a 300 square mile protected zone, called “The Osa” that’s simply brimming with biodiversity.

 

 

Home to more than 124 mammals, 40 species of freshwater fish, 375 species of birds and approximately 117 different kinds of reptiles and amphibians, The Osa represents up to 50% of species that are known to exist in the whole of Costa Rica. And today, thanks to the hard-working lodge staff and the COBIGA project, most can be found wandering through the surrounding forests of Esquinas Rainforest Lodge.

Over the decades, this prime piece of jungle was at risk, being replaced with pastures for meat production and exporting of bananas and pineapple crops, at the expense of biodiversity. But, thanks to the help of the lodge and their travellers, three farms have been reforested by planting 20,000 trees from 100 different species. The Esquinas Rainforest Lodge has also personally donated more than $80,000 to the COBIGA project, enabling the planting of around 4,000 trees in an effort to reduce its low residual CO2 emissions from the atmosphere. But their reach doesn’t stop there.

 

 

The lodge is also integrally connected with the people of La Gamba, employing all of their workers locally and reinvesting the profits they’ve made at the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge back into community.

They’ve effectively helped to raise the living standards of La Gamba, by contributing more than $200,000 for community-based projects, including renovating La Gamba’s water system, community town hall and schools, as well as the construction of a playground and police station.

So, there you have it. The sheer compassion, determination and will power of just 15 people working at the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, who initially set out to save a section of the rainforest, ended up protecting acres of primary Costa Rican jungle, the unique wildlife brimming inside it and everyone in the community of La Gamba. We couldn’t be more humbled to show our travellers’ the momentous steps they’ve achieved towards a more sustainable world.

Stay at the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge on Exodus Discover Costa Rica Exodus trip. For more information, please go to exodustravels.com

Stay at the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge on Exodus Discover Costa Rica Exodus trip. For more information, please go to exodustravels.com

 

 

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