Conservation in Guanacaste, Costa Rica
We know our location is privileged at the foot of the magnificent Rincon de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste, Costa Rica — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For this reason, our family has taken great care of our ranch land and surrounding forest for nearly half a century. We know that our efforts in conservation can have far-reaching effects, both in our little corner of the world and beyond.
We are committed to sustainable tourism in Costa Rica and are proud that Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin holds the Elite level of the strict Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) program by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT). We are always working to improve our practices.
Respecting our surroundings means we strive to ensure that the environment and wildlife surrounding Hacienda Guachipelin are preserved and that we operate our hotel and ranch as eco-friendly as possible.
Think global. Act local.
Our Restaurant
We follow a farm-to-table philosophy in our hotel restaurant, producing much of the food that we serve on our ranch. What we don’t grow or raise ourselves, we buy from sustainable local vendors.
- Fruits, vegetables, and herbs grow in our hydroponic greenhouse and gardens by the restaurant and in outlying fields.
- Eggs come from our more than 350 free-range chickens.
- Our cows are milked daily; that fresh milk is brought to our restaurant kitchen every morning to be processed and served at breakfast and also enriches our homemade farmer’s cheese and desserts.
- We raise cattle, pigs, and turkeys for meat and bees for honey.
- Only farm-raised tilapia and shrimp are served in our restaurant to avoid the environmental destruction caused by overfishing and many commercial fishing practices.
- We serve coffee grown on a small family farm in Naranjo, Costa Rica.
More Ways We Help Preserve the Environment
- Our guest rooms receive hot water on demand from solar-powered heaters on the roofs.
- Our restaurant kitchen uses a high-tech energy-saving system for hot water involving recycling the condensation and hot air byproducts from our refrigerated food-storage rooms.
- The drinking water at the hotel, and also in our swimming pool, is natural spring water produced on the property.
- Organic waste is used to feed our farm animals and as a natural fertilizer to enrich the soil of our herb and vegetable gardens.
- Gray water is treated and recycled for use in the gardens, allowing us to avoid using drinking water to maintain our landscaping.
- We recycle our trash and encourage our guests and visitors to do the same with recycling bins placed in several locations.
- We engage in reforestation and conservation of native tree species in our dry tropical forest.
- We do not feed wild animals or interfere with migration habits. We keep natural forest corridors around Hacienda Guachipelin so that animals can migrate and live freely. We prohibit hunting on our ranch.
- Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin hires only local staff, providing the community with more than 130 jobs. Along with responsible employment practices, we partner with our community in social support programs for further positive impact.