Renewable Energy, Conservation & Community Enrichment: Lapa Rios Looks to the Future
Lapa Rios is a Costa Rican-owned luxury rainforest lodge and 1,000 acre conservation easement on the Osa Peninsula with a long legacy of environmental protection and community partnership. Recently they enhanced their already considerable sustainability initiatives, upgrading their technology to allow 100% reliance on renewable resources and finding new ways to combine economic initiatives for the local community with protection of the Osa’s rich wilderness. Despite the disruption in international travel, Lapa Rios’ mission remains to offer travelers and adventure seekers the opportunity to experience Costa Rica’s most stunningly beautiful natural places through a lodge concept that is truly luxurious, immersive and driven by conservation.
Rainforest meets wild beaches at Lapa Rios on the Osa Peninsula
Sustainability is a core value of Lapa Rios. The property has been single-use plastic free for nearly two decades, uses biodegradable & environmentally friendly cleaning products, provides a critical protected corridor for wildlife within its 1,000 acre private rainforest reserve and carefully sources food from local producers & fishermen. Recently the property converted to 100% reliance on renewable sources of energy, utilizing a powerful system of solar panels and nano turbines to collect solar and hydro energy to power the entire lodge. This was based on the hydro-power systems already in use at Lapa Rios’ sister property, Pacuare Lodge.
Alongside these sustainable energy property-wide upgrades were extensive room renovations. In addition to six stunning brand new villas - all with luxurious, modern interior design but low-impact construction - Lapa has revamped the existing Deluxe Bungalows, adding high power, energy efficient ceiling fans and low-flow toilets to conserve water. Far from the closest public utility, water at Lapa Rios comes from a natural spring on the property, which is filtered on-site and safe for guest consumption. Guests are given refillable, stainless steel water bottles to use during their stay.
Immerse yourselves in the lush rainforest canopy at Lapa Rios.
Lapa Rios also recently initiated a Conservation Fee for all guests in order to expedite further environmental efforts within Corcovado National Park. The fee is $25 per guest per stay and 100% goes towards different projects that Lapa Rios is helping to pioneer and launch throughout the Osa Peninsula. Projects include hiring two full time administrative staff for Corcovado National Park (allowing the spread-thin park rangers to focus on patrolling and visitor education), funding environmental education for children throughout the Osa Peninsula, building a research lab station for university students to study rainforest biodiversity, rebuilding the local waste collection and recycling centers in Puerto Jimenez and further surveying surrounding national parks and nature reserves with infrared cameras to monitor wildlife and help protect the environment from illegal poaching, mining and logging. Lapa Rios also worked with the local community tourism collective in Puerto Jimenez to purchase a new, state of the art boat to provide rapid transit directly from Lapa Rios to Corcovado National Park. What was once an arduous all-day car journey is now a 90 minute scenic boat trip in each direction. By eliminating some of the logistical challenges and promoting intelligent and sensitive travel to Corcovado National Park, Lapa Rios is helping to protect the “jewel of the Osa” while simultaneously benefiting the local community with employment that is rooted in preservation as opposed to extraction.
Some of these initiatives have been on hold during the global pandemic, but as tourism begins to open up again, Lapa Rios will continue to push forward in sustainably developing their property, expanding their conservation easement and further engaging with the local community. With a legacy of pioneering the ecotourism movement in Costa Rica, these new initiatives at Lapa Rios ensure that the property remains a leader in conscious, conservation minded travel, which we hope becomes the new normal in the future.
This blog was written by Olivia Winck, daughter of respected Travel Advisor Leah Winck, owner of Journey On Travel. Olivia is a rising junior at the University of California, Berkeley, studying environmental sustainability in the realm of hospitality in hopes to pursue a career in ecotourism. She is planning on furthering her knowledge in sustainability this spring while studying abroad in Hobart, Tasmania. With travel in her heart, Olivia is passionate about seeing the world and ensuring ways to protect it.
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