Los Campesinos

The people of the Quebrada Arroyo community are the guardians of Los Campesinos Reserve, located in the basin of the Savegre River. The reserve consists of primary and secondary forest that is in the process of regeneration and is protected by the Association of Vanilla Producers (ASOPROVA). The Quebrada Arroyo community felt that not only was the reserve not fulfilling its potential for tourism, they also never saw any benefit from the little tourism the reserve did bring in. With the support of the Small Donations Program (PNUD), the Association built and maintained small shelters for walkers and trails and facilities for ecological tourism.

However, not all of the members of the community are directly involved in providing quality and family-oriented service to visitors. The Association was also formed to ensure that the extra money from tourism brought in would enable community members to experiment with initiatives to sustainably manage their natural resources such as vanilla, cacao and cinnamon, to reforest the region with native species and to protect the forest by conserving soil, water and biodiversity.

A day at the reserve is not just a chance to spend time surrounded by exquisite natural beauty. The community have built up options that enable you to take far more away from your experience. You will be shown the village of Quebrada Arroyo as well as led around the reserve trails by one of its members, who knows the reserve and all its secrets better than any outsider. The most popular trail is the Mirador el Pacifico, around 3.6km or approximately 2.5 hours, where your local guide will be able to tell you all about the local flora and fauna as well as the many traditional uses of the native plants. When you return from your trek, they also provide visitors with traditional snacks and a freshly prepared meal, giving you a taste of traditional Costa Rican campesino food.