Peace of Mind
Experiencing true pura vida in Costa Rica

I’ve been plotting a trip to Nayara Tented Camp in Costa Rica for years now, having first heard about the property nearly five years ago while writing a piece on the world’s finest sustainably-minded hotels. In an odd turn of events, I would first end up traveling to Easter Island and spending a week at one of Nayara’s sister properties, Nayara Hangaroa, before finally making it to the much easier to reach outpost in Costa Rica. This year it felt as if the stars had finally aligned – those stars being my 50th birthday and the fact that this year my birthday would land the day before the U.S. presidential elections. Anticipating the double-whammy anxiety of these two events, I figured why not just vote early and get out of the country for a few days, choosing to spend the time distracting myself with volcanic vistas, sloth-filled trees, and lots of exotic birds. 

Nayara’s tented camp, perched high in the rainforest with a parallel view of the Arenal volcano, is actually part of a trio of properties (along with Nayara Springs and Nayara Gardens), all of which are connected via a winding path of narrow paved roads and walking trails. Amenities on all three properties are available for all guests, though Nayara Springs is designated as a quieter, adults-only enclave. The tented camps are the company’s most high-end offering, taking a cue from the luxe tented camp experiences in Africa and neatly transplanting them in a rainforest setting. The tented suites are so incredible that one forgets that they are, in fact, giant tents. Our suite not only offered a massive bathroom, walk-in-closets, an outdoor shower, and a truly unbelievable view of the Arenal volcano, it also featured a perpetually warm plunge pool, which itself was fed by one of the many hot springs on the property. After our flight from NYC and a three-hour drive from the Liberia airport (which didn’t feel quite that long, given the landscapes on view as you head higher into the forest), soaking in the plunge pool was not only incredible, it felt deeply surreal. We counted hummingbirds flitting around our patio and spent at least an hour just staring at the volcano in front of us, watching a small wisp of steam emerge from its peak. 

Costa Rica is famously home to one of the world’s five “blue zones” — areas in which people tend to live exceptionally long lives, have low stress levels, are more physically active, eat healthier diets, and tend to have strong social connections. After spending time at Nayara, it’s easy to see how this is true. The property offers no shortage of activities geared to show off the amazing the natural landscape — zip lines, volcano hiking, rafting, boat trips across Lake Arenal, treks to the cloud forest, excursions into the nearby village of La Fortuna — but we spent most of our time simply soaking in the various hot springs and exploring the various paths within the property, which lead through botanical gardens and serve as one giant sloth habitat, several of whom have made Nayara their long-term home and can be seen hanging around in the treetops. Nayara itself was originally created not only as a hotel, but as a very ambitious eco-project conceived to help rebuild a part of the volcanic rainforest that had once been lost to forestation. As a result, it’s easy to wander through the lush property — which itself is a part of Arenal Volcano National Park — and occasionally lose sight of just where the property ends and the rainforest begins. Everything is green on top of green surrounded by even more, deeper green.  

Since we only had a few days at Nayara, I was actually loath to stray too far away from the property as I wanted to literally soak up as much time in the hot springs as humanly possible. (There are also half a dozen restaurants on the property, as well as an ice cream shop) Still, I was happy that we took an afternoon to visit the famous Arenal hanging bridges in nearby Mistico Park. The three hour guided hike, which takes you up into the forest canopy, includes traversing a series of massive suspended bridges, each offering unbelievable views of the forest below. As we walked the winding forest trails, our guide stopped to point out the beautiful (exotic birds, the occasional sleeping sloth, families of spider monkeys swinging overhead, a hidden jungle waterfall) and the occasionally less beautiful (a sneaky tarantula peaking out of a hole, a tiny yellow pit viper, curled inside a leaf). The hike ended with a picnic lunch, packed courtesy of Nayara, which we consumed at a table overlooking a vast ocean of green forest below us. 

One of the great things about spending your 50th birthday in an obscenely beautiful place is not only that it distracts you from your age, it actually makes you feel so much younger. I was thinking this as my husband and I sat soaking in one of Nayara’s many secluded springs, shrouded by dense forest and without another person in sight. Sitting in the steamy water, the sky abruptly gave way to a brief but torrential bout of rain (a pretty normal thing in the rainforest), and for a few minutes it felt like being transported into some alternate universe – cool rainwater flooding down through the green canopy as we floated in bubbly hot water and listened to the sound of suddenly awakened tree frogs. I couldn’t help but think – If the next fifty years are even half as lovely as this moment, growing older can’t really be all that bad. 

 — T. Cole Rachel