Rancho el Rio: Nature, Riverside & Farm

Set amongst a peaceful rural farming community and in the heart of tranquility, Rancho El Rio offers a lot of privacy while at the same time providing you with a home base with easy access to Monteverde for day trips, which is just 17km away. Experience our whole 42 acre farm and surrounding forest: over half a mile of river front with natural pools, forested walking trails, mountains with beautiful river and tropical forest views, cattle pastures, and orchards.

Rancho el Rio is a peaceful sustainable farm and wildlife paradise by the Guacimal river and is perfect for families or larger groups. Rancho el Rio is a spacious, rustic cabin overlooking a tropical river and surrounded by a lush forest. The furniture is mostly handmade– even the flooring on the large porch overlooking the river was hand-milled. Overlooking the river, your days here are filled with the natural sound of rushing water which provides a peaceful setting for your vacation. We provide you with free organic coffee from our sister farm in Monteverde for the first morning of your stay for you to settle in and enjoy the beauty of our farm.

The large covered porch overlooks the river, and our guests love relaxing in the hammocks, porch swing, and outdoor sofa bed. There is also a wood stove for cooking outdoors and a large wood grill (we provide you with free firewood). Our large kitchen looks out onto the porch and river, and is a great place to cook your own meals, or enjoy traditional Costa Rican meals cooked by our neighbors from the local community and delivered to you.

Rancho El Rio has been remodeled to suit the needs of families and large groups. With a spacious master bedroom, cozy bunkroom, and option to convert the large futon couch, the cabin easily sleeps 7 people. There are two full bathrooms to accommodate larger groups, one with gorgeous slate floor and the other with hand detailed walls. Both showers have hot water. The living room is also a comfortable place to relax– feel free to enjoy our library collection of children and adult books, Costa Rican guidebooks, and books on local flora and fauna.

We have a variety of animals on our sustainable farm, including rescue dogs and cats, donkeys, horses, cows, water buffalo, sheep, goats, pigs, geese, and chickens. We grow a variety of fruits and vegetables, and encourage our guests to try the fresh mangoes and starfruit just outside the cabin. Our farm animals are very friendly, especially our dogs and cats, and they may follow you around when you adventure through the farm or go for a swim in the river!

This is a working sustainable farm in rural Costa Rica, meaning that your stay with us will be close to nature and certainly a unique adventure-- please consider this before you book a farmstay with us, as this experience is not for all travelers. If you are looking for luxury accommodations or a place without bugs and critters, this is not the place to stay. If you are looking for a chance to reconnect with nature and experience authentic Costa Rican beauty, this will be the highlight of your trip! Our farm animals are very friendly, especially our dogs and cats, and they may follow you around when you adventure through the farm or go for a swim in the river.

We provide guests with the option of ordering homemade meals that are delivered straight to your doorstep! Please arrange with us ahead of time if you would like meals (breakfasts, lunches, and/or dinners) prepared throughout your stay.