Greencoast

Chimuri Beach Cottages:

• Maintain and protect a 12 hector private forest sanctuary—a reserve that is certified with the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE)

• Employ 100% local employees—local employees are important because this means that your tourist dollar stays in this community.

• Have fair rates that Ticos and foreigners can afford.

• Is the perfect model in their solid waste management— they Recycle and train their employees to do so, encourage their guests to do so through signs and separate containers in the cottages and they Compost all organic matter.

• Use NO chemicals in their cleaning—as a matter of fact Chimuri has been a distributor of a truly revolutionary organic cleaning product called EM--Effective Micro-organisms— used in their home, their cottages, their garden, septic, and laundry.(EM is available at Peter's Botanical Garden Finca La Isla, in Black Beach) They also use a locally produced product called Eco-Klin

• Use no pesticides in their fabulous gardens.

• Adorn their grounds with ONLY native plants, they maintain Only local flora.

• Use natural air flow and ceiling fans — their cottages are constructed in traditional Caribbean ways which facilitate natural cooling airflow that makes a polluting air conditioning unit unnecessary.

• Use the low-energy-use hot water shower heads.

• Have a septic system ideal for beach front tropical location. Municipal water treatment is not yet available on our coast, Chimuri Beach Lodge is truly a special establishment that endeavors to take the extra steps to really treat their waste water in a way that is a model for neighboring establishments.

• Were founders of more than one important local NGO in the Puerto Viejo area. They helped to found organizations which fight for the conservation of Talamanca's rich culture and environment. Among the associations they helped to found is ATEC --the Talamanca Association of Ecotourism and Conservation— Mauricio is still on of ATEC’s premier naturalist guides and Chimuri recommends ATEC's 25 other community eco-tourism adventures.

• Have participated in the following community organizations:
•     Founding members of:
•        ATEC--the Talamanca Association of Ecotourism and Conservation
•        ProNino— a non-profit working to provide educational opportunities for area youth
•        ADELA— Action for the fight against Petroleum Exploitation
•        CoopeTalSos— Talamanca's Cooperative for Sustainable Bio-Fuel

• Have been on the board of directors of:
•        The Puerto Viejo Tourism Chamber—CATCAS
•        Puerto Viejo's Development Association
•        ReciCaribe— The Recycling Association for the South Caribbean.

• Use energy efficient light bulbs.

• Provide clear yet efficient outdoor lighting

• Use solar clothes drying when it's not raining

• Encourage guests to support a local neighborhood businesses, including local laundry services

• Is a family run business that makes every effort to help their guests have a safe visit in a new environment

• Use Bio-degradable laundry soap

• Provide only the non-bleached toilet paper

• Mauricio himself is a trained naturalist guide. He offers guided interpretive hikes for Chimuri guests and ATEC clients— tours of their organic farm, amazing bird watching tours, and interpretive hikes through their private reserve and into the KekoLdi Indigenous Forest Reserve.

• Don't own a car or even a motorcycle and recommend that their guests also use bicycles as primary transportation during daylight hours.

• Communicate with their guests about the impact of development like the exploitation from big tourism, oil drilling, marina, etc.

AND Each cottage has:

• a porch
• a hammock
• ocean and jungle views
• wireless high speed internet
• a refrigerator
• a book exchange

Mauricio and Colocha are Tri-lingual, speaking Spanish, English, German.

We highly recommend you come and spend a few days with this amazing family who has worked for decades to promote ecological travel in Talamanca.