Embrace Costa Rican Culture: A Day at Finca La Estancia

Located just two minutes from Las Catalinas, Finca La Estancia offers an immersive Costa Rica farm experience to its visitors. This charming, sustainable locale also plays a pivotal role in advancing town’s sustainability endeavors, contributing to a closed-loop food system, fostering the community’s access to sources of organic produce, and providing an exceptional plant nursery and plant services, while actively supporting a range of local community projects.
 Days in La Estancia are beautiful in their simplicity, comprised of joyful rituals that become moments to cherish. As you explore the farm, you will be greeted by abundant fruit trees, native flora, and a thriving bee population. Whether meandering through the farm chores and exploring the chicken coop, or horseback riding through the tropical dry forest on the farm to the ocean below, there is a sense of wonder all around. For sports enthusiasts, pickleball and basketball reservations and pick-up games are available at the farm.

 
 Your visit to La Estancia is not just about enjoyment; it is also an opportunity to actively participate in Las Catalinas’ regenerative cycle. Let’s explore the myriad ways to immerse yourself in the farm and support its sustainable initiatives. 

Vivero La Estancia Garden Center   

A beautiful, welcoming gateway to Las Catalinas, this open-air shop is where the most elegant plants from the nursery are brought to be sold to the public, along with rich topsoil. This is the community composting drop-off point where both residents and businesses can bring compost waste five days a week. They are rewarded for their efforts with delightful gifts like eggs from their 180 free-range chickens, honey from the farm, or free pickleball reservations. 

Vivero La Estancia Plant Nursery 

Vivero La Estancia is a plant nursery in Finca La Estancia. Karina Lios, the gardening manager, and an avid plant lover, helped create the nursery impressively using only recycled materials like old construction equipment such as safety nets and discarded furniture. Vivero la Estancia sells plants, designs gardens, offers replanting and pruning services, and takes care of town’s composting program. 

The composting program manages up to 200 kilos of daily food waste, offering simple solutions to reduce waste like replanting pineapple tops, and specialty food scraps from restaurants to create farm animal feed. If you are dining in town, restaurants like Pots and Bowls will be using Las Estancia's eggs that they donated scraps to for feed, creating a closed-loop cycle.

There is a more intricate composting system using compostable materials from residents, construction waste like sawdust, restaurant compost, leaves, and dried matter from garden maintenance to create high-quality organic compost soil, rich in nutrients. This nutrient-rich compost is then used within the farm, at the plant nursery, and generously donated to support local community projects, turning one person’s trash into a gardener's treasure. 

A Bee's Paradise 

The apiary stands as another example of town’s commitment to regenerative agriculture. Twenty carefully managed bee boxes, nestled behind the nursery, create a haven for these industrious creatures. Here, bees thrive as native pollinators, contributing to the flourishing flora and preserving the ecosystem’s delicate balance. 

Efforts do not stop there. La Estancia takes meaningful steps towards the repopulation of the endangered mariola bee species. These stingless bees, native to Costa Rica's Guanacaste region, produce a distinctive and highly sought-after honey with remarkable antibiotic properties. By fostering their growth and well-being, the farm is preserving a unique species and nurturing the Guanacaste region’s biosphere. 

You can support these initiatives by purchasing La Estancia’s honey produced by these dedicated pollinators. Simply reach out to town’s concierge. 

Equestrian Escapades 

Let La Estancia take you exploring, with a horseback adventure that trumps an ATV ride any day. Meet the joyful, free-roaming horses—Canela, Luna, Cangrejo, Palomo, Lucero, Juancho, and Jalapeño—who spend their days enjoying the farm freely and finding tranquility in well-maintained stables at night. A blend of adventure and education, tours offer glimpses into sustainable farming practices and a visit to the chicken coop which supplies town with free-range eggs. Afterward, enjoy refreshments and embark on a scenic ride through the tropical dry forest, culminating in the pristine beaches below. Please inquire about riding lessons, and customized experiences like combining a horseback riding experience with a private, beachfront dinner, events, and more. 

Empowering Guanacaste's Sustainable Future 

La Estancia acts as a philanthropic arm contributing to regenerative agriculture, tourism, and climate change efforts in the Guanacaste region, collaborating with schools for after-school programs to engage local students, aiding in maintaining green spaces in the community, and collaborating with other farms to offer a wider selection of organic produce to the community.

There is a Community Outreach Fund that will continue to be a strategic partner in identifying opportunities that align with Las Catalinas’ philosophy, overseeing the proper use of donated funds, and facilitating tax-deductible donations in both Costa Rica and the United States.  

The Simple Life 

La Estancia’s dedication to harmony with nature, its unique experiences, and its community-driven initiatives make it a truly exceptional place to visit, just minutes from Las Catalinas. These authentic experiences help visitors enjoy the true expansion and personal connection through a rustic, Costa Rican farm experience. Pause, and take an opportunity to embrace sustainable living and adventure with a moment of connection to a simpler way of life.