Rancho Mastatal is an environmental learning and sustainable living center, retreat and lodge located in the last virgin rainforest of Costa Rica’s beautiful Puriscal County.

We practice and promote living responsibly in the Tropics, while educating our visitors about the significance and majesty of the world’s disappearing tropical forests and are leaders in local conservation, education and community growth.

Our site encompasses 550+ acres of picture-perfect waterfalls, crystal-clear rivers, impressive trees, and pristine habitat in the transition zone between humid and pre-montane rainforest in one of Costa Rica’s most undiscovered regions.

Stomping and making cob

A Natural Habitat

The property shares a significant border with the splendid La Cangreja National Park, a protected area providing habitat for a number of endangered animals and flora, and containing some 2,000 plant species and varied fauna such as 2-toed sloths, trogons, scarlet macaws, boa constrictors, toucans, poison-dart frogs, blue morpho butterflies, motmots, white-faced capuchin monkeys, coyotes, and anteaters. Rancho Mastatal maintains 15-kilometers of rainforest trails, connecting to a network of footpaths in La Cangreja.

The hospitable and attractive agricultural community of Mastatal sets this area aside from others in the country, and provides the visitor with a glimpse of "tico" campesino life. The locals invariably spawn the fondest memories for those taking the time to interact with them and are what truly make this corner of Central America a special and exceptional destination for conscientious visitors.

Applying a mud-manure plaster onto the walls of the new house photo by Delfino Cornali

Living Sustainably

On site and in the community, we build using natural building techniques, including the use of bamboo and cob, and support the use of renewable energy systems. As our ongoing commitment to education and instruction, we organize and sponsor a wide array of workshops ranging from alternative design and construction to Wilderness First Response Certification, and work with schools in both the United States and Costa Rica in offering customized educational programs on rainforest ecology, Latin culture, and Spanish and English as a second language. We welcome volunteers, graduate students, interns, and all others in search of a memorable and unique tropical experience.

Please contact us directly for additional information regarding work and study opportunities, what to bring, how to get to us, and other relevant facts regarding your visit to Rancho Mastatal.

Pura vida y nos vemos.