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Waterfall at nearby Montezuma. |
Ronald Reyes | Tico Times
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If you live to your 80th birthday, you've been given 29,200 days of life.
How many of those days would you remember? Would you
remember the days that brought you joy, or adventure, or glimpses of
untouched natural beauty, or a sense of accomplishment, or mirth?
Would you think it possible for one single day to provide all of that in eight hours?
A day of adventure, of plowing four-wheelers up hills and
across low-lying streams, of watching packs of monkeys swinging
rhythmically through a sun-streaked jungle canopy, of swimming in a
soothing pool at the base of a 60-foot waterfall, of hiking the side of a
mountain to another waterfall that, if you are up for it, you can jump
off of into another peaceful, serene pool.
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Guest room. |
Ronald Reyes | Tico Times
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Would you remember that day?
Chances are you would.
That day is possible at The Jungle House, a quaint lodge in
Santa Teresa, a small surfer town on the southwest tip of the Nicoya
Peninsula. Here, if you go on the lodge's waterfall tour, that day – the
four-wheelers, the beach, the jungle, the waterfalls, the hike, the
near perfection – is all yours.
“Pretty much every one who's done the day at the waterfalls
has raved about what a great time they had,” says Justin Carder, the
manager at The Jungle House, who leads the tour. “It's impossible not to
enjoy it. It's everything you could want from Costa Rica. It's an epic
day.”
Epic is a good way to describe it, and epic isn't a word to
throw around lightly. The first “Star Wars,” for example, is epic. Bob
Dylan, Neil Young, Marlon Brando, all epic. The waterfall day offered by
The Jungle House, dare I say, also finds its way into that
distinguished echelon.
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Riding four-wheelers to the falls. |
Ronald Reyes | Tico Times
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But there's more to the lodge
than its memorable waterfall tour. It's also an ideal surf spot, and is
often visited by international surfers looking for some of the most
consistent waves in the country. They can find them right out the back
door, as a 50-meter trail from the lodge leads directly to the vast
beaches and endless waves of the Pacific.
“I bought this place knowing that I wanted to some day have
a spot to come in Costa Rica where I could get away from everything,
surf and enjoy myself,” says Andy Behar, owner of The Jungle House.
“It's taken some time to get us where we are now, but we know we have a
great spot here, and we know other people will want to enjoy all this as
well.”
Behar bought the land in 2003. In the years that followed,
his cousin built the large, bamboo home, not knowing exactly what the
next step would be. After some other ideas came and went, Behar opened
The Jungle House last year. While the spot is ideal, entering the
tourism market in Costa Rica proved challenging.
Then, a few months ago, Behar met Carder.
“I was in Florida and looking around on an online surf
forum to buy a futon,” Behar says. “(Carder) was selling one, and we
began talking. When I mentioned Costa Rica, he told me about his history
here and how he's worked in tourism for years. I was at a point when I
was looking to take this place in a new direction, and we agreed to give
it a shot.”
Carder, who has been living in Costa Rica off and on since
1996, worked as a tour guide for years. He knows the beaches, he knows
the surf, he knows Santa Teresa, he knows Nicoya and he knows Costa
Rica. After his serendipitous meeting with Behar, Carder moved down to
manage The Jungle House in June. Since doing so, the upstart lodge is
making a name for itself.
“It has really been picking up around here. Things are full
weeks in advance,” Carder says. “We know that as we grow we're going to
have to be patient, but, as long as everyone who comes here continues
to have a great time, the word will spread.”
The word should spread. Great
surf and tour offerings aside, The Jungle House is cozy and
accommodating, with an upstairs two-bedroom suite with private bathroom,
pingpong table and living area, as well as five air-conditioned
bedrooms on the bottom floor that sleep two to three each. The lodge has
wood floors and wide windows offering a panoramic view of the
surrounding trees, as well as a communal kitchen.
“When you're here, you usually don't spend a lot of time
inside,” Carder says. “It's great and comfortable in here, but people
come here to spend most of there time outside.”
As they should. Go outside. Go where the ocean, the
mountains, the jungle, the monkeys, the waterfalls and the surfing all
await.
And experience a day you may never forget.
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