This community of hard-working farmers has organized to protect the local watershed (Palmichal Springs) from unscrupulous water and land use. The eight community members we met and lived with for a couple days brought me back to the heart of rural Latin America (I'm from Venezuela and had lived in Costa Rica back in 1969), and my family (husband and grown daughters) fell in love with everyone and with everything: learning the community stories, picking coffee on a small farm and learning about coffee marketing, milking cows, making tortillas for breakfast with the grandma, making "croquetas" using buttermilk from the local cow and baking them in an outdoor oven, playing with some goat kids and with little bunnies...what's not to love? I do urge you to brush up on your Spanish, though. While the community has some young members who speak English, your relationships with people and the stories you hear depend on your attempting to speak folks' language. …
I traveled to Nacientes Palmichal with a group of young people from the United States who were on a cultural immersion trip. Including Nacientes Palmichal in their Costa Rica schedule was one of the best decisions that was made in planning their unique tip. Our time at this rural lodge was filled with dancing, making our own pizza that was cooked in a outdoor brick wood-burning oven, hiking to a waterfall, watching birds and having lunch with a local family. Our host was gracious and personally accompanied us in each of our adventures. Sleeping with the sound of the river that was close by the lodge was very peaceful! In the future I plan to return to the lodge and reconnect with the friends that we made during our visit.
We stayed at Nacientes with a group from the Costa Rican Birding Club - we all live here so we know the range of options a tourist has in Costa RIca. This a beautiful spot - look at the landscape photo of mine if you have doubts - a beautiful, little known, little visited part of the country. We actually live a little over a half hour away. The lodge is outside the coffee town of Palmichal and has basic but nice accommodations - mostly bunk beds. The staff is extremely accommodating, but there is not much English spoken - this is the real Costa Rica. If you want spa treatments, drinks by the pool, five star dining and having everyone cater to you in English... stay away. If you want to experience a little bit of backwater, rustic , real coffee growing country - put this on your list. The meals were basic but quite good, and the hiking and birding, and seeing local farming and coffee operations give your or your group a taste of life outside of the 'touristy' areas of the country.…
I stayed here with my delegation and had the time of my life. The food is amazing. The people are very friendly and helpful the whole community is filled with good people. Lots to do and is surrounded by beautiful nature.
Nacientes Palmichal is a beautiful location with a good selection of activities to do if you are interested in a rural/local lifestyle. The staff is friendly and excellent. Ultimately, it's too expensive for a backpacker, but good if you want to get away from touristy areas and experience an important part of Costa Rica.
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