Our Journal
Journal Entries from the Frontier of Regeneration
Living on the edge can be scary, but it’s where the action is. At the edge of new technologies, at the edge of new forms of art, at the moving edge of the unknown – that’s where you find the most creative expressions. That’s true in Nature as well, as scientist speak of the “edge effect” to explain the playfulness of life that is forced to straddle ecosystems.
We at Finca Luna Nueva are straddling ecosystems and edging into the unknown. We exist at the fluid edge of forest and farm, and it is our goal to honor the integrity of the rainforest as we create abundance from the our fields. We appreciate that the thin layer of topsoil supporting all human societies is disappearing rapidly, along with it water security and biodiversity. We are resolved to test farming practices to see if we can regenerate topsoil and biodiversity while producing food abundance. That’s the critical unknown that must be explored. We’re at the dawn of a world regenerative movement; welcome to the frontier!
Hiking the Children’s Eternal Rainforest!
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Finca Luna Nueva Lodge is proud to be the neighbor of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest, the largest private reserve in Costa Rica and the anchor of the 250,000 acre rainforest system that defines our region of the Caribbean slope. The Children’s Eternal Rainforest connects a series of smaller national parks, preserves, and forests, and together […]
Flanders, Fields, and Farming
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Finca Luna Nueva Lodge is hosting a gathering of more than 50 students and faculty from The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), a famous research university in Leuven, a city in Flanders, Belgium. These visitors are all classical musicians, and music surrounds us during their visit. The brass sections are rehearsing up in Casa Valiente, […]
Sloths in Paradise!
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Nature guides declare that two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths share common territories in the Costa Rican rainforest, and we now have photographic proof! Yesterday, a Hoffman’s two-toed sloth, Choloepus hoffmanni, parked herself in an acerola cherry tree near our reception area. She calmly (of course!) posed for our guests and spent a leisurely day with […]
A Glimpse of Regeneration
Posted by: Tom Newmark
The answer is soil: the question is irrelevant! That’s our deepest belief at Finca Luna Nueva. How do we satisfy the bottomless hunger of the mounting human population? How do we remedy the loss of up to 70% of the planet’s topsoil? How do we maintain productivity in the face of climate extremes, including […]
There’s a New Sloth in Town!
Posted by: Tom Newmark
We’ve watched this mama sloth raise her baby girl, and for those of you who follow our journal we’ve documented some of her tender care. As Carlos Rodriguez from our reception team has said, she’s a very good mama, and for months she’s put on a show of her mothering skills right in front of […]
Special Package for our Green Season!
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
Green Season Special! Price: $1000 per person Add an extra night for FREE! Whats included?: 5 nights 3 On-site Tours 2 Off-site Tours Hotsprings Entrance All Meals (Fresh from our organic farm) All Transportation All hotel taxes included (13%) Rates good through 2018 Valid from September through November 2018 Minimum 2 people For […]
A small “tents” builder
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
When we think of bats we usually imagine that they spend their days sleeping in caves or inside old churches and castles. This is part of our collective culture but it is not the usual thing. The reader will surely be surprised that of the more than 1,100 species of bats known (Simmons 2005), approximately […]
It’s a Wonderful Day to Pollinate!
Posted by: Tom Newmark
“Birds do it, bees do it… People say in Boston even beans do it. Let’s do it, let’s fall in love.” Cole Porter, Birds Do It, Bees Do It We at Finca Luna Nueva agree with those Bostonians: beans do it! Vanilla beans, that is. Abundant vanilla vines produce large displays of orchid flowers, […]
Baby Sloth’s Great Adventure!
Posted by: Tom Newmark
We love our three-toed sloths at Luna Nueva, and the good news is that more and more are arriving. Over the past few years we’ve welcomed many baby three-toed sloths into the Luna family, and our guests often develop quite an attachment to the little ones. We estimate that there are dozens of three-toed […]
I tawt I taw a putty tat! Ocelot!!!
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
Yesterday in a night tour we were lucky to meet the wonderful animal that can be seen in the video (Video 01). It is an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), one of the cat species we can find in Finca Luna Nueva. The ocelots are felines of medium size, mainly nocturnal habits and strict carnivores. They have […]
NEW! 2018 Special Packages for families and couples
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
We are happy to offer our New Special Packages for the upcoming 2018. Family Rainforest Adventure! Price: $2990 Applies for 4 family members Whats included?: 6 nights 3 On-site Tours 2 Off-site Tours All Meals (Fresh from our organic farm) All Transportation All hotel taxes included (13%) Rates good through 2018 For inquiries please […]
Confessions from a Christmas Bird Count in Costa Rica
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
CONFESSIONS FROM A CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT IN COSTA RICA December 09, 2017 Patrick O’Donnell A blog is a place to express ideas, thoughts, recipes, and whatever floats your personal boat. At 10,000 Birds, readers who haven’t been here before might correctly surmise that this platform talks about anything bird-related. As for myself, since I live […]
Ever wonder what a Chocolate Tour at our farm would look like?
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
We want to thank our Dear Guest for writing this beautiful review. “Literally a taste of chocolate history “ yesterdayReviewed by p3as RESERVATIONS Found this place last minute, we contacted reception and normally they only take reservations for tours at least one day in advance but Ernesto was super helpful and welcomed us to stop […]
The most painful caretaker
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
Insects comprise the most diverse group of animals on Earth with about one million described species, more than all other groups of animals together, and estimates of up to 30 million species not described. Thus they represent over 90% of life forms on the planet. Insects are terrestrial Arthropods such as centipedes, millipedes, spiders, scorpions […]
This is the experience Finca Luna Nueva Lodge is seeking to offer every day!
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
“Finca Luna Nueva was pure bliss in the Costa Rican rain-forest!” Reviewed by daliaratner It’s been my dream to visit Costa Rica for over 20 years and I finally traveled there a few weeks ago with two of my kids (ages 10 & 13). It was the BEST decision ever to spend our entire 10 […]
A tiny and bright inhabitant of the forest
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
What is that sound? A persistent buzz, perhaps? Mechanical? It’s coming from a particular location, and you hear it there, in that same place, in the daytime. Is it an insect? A power tool? Or maybe it’s the sound of one of the rainforest’s tiniest citizens, the Blue Jean Poison Dart Frog. Scientists call this […]
The Best Insecticide
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
Surprising invaders greeted us this morning. From Photo 1 you can see what are known as warrior ants or soldier ants, and they streamed into our office. Their way of life is to move through the rainforest, in columns like the Roman armies. For that reason they are also called legionary ants. You can see them moving […]
Insight of our guests experiences
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
“A friendly, peaceful getaway on the jungle’s doorstep” – Reviewed by ericasullivan18 on Trip Advisor As visitors to Costa Rica on a tight schedule, we knew we wanted to focus on one area. I found Luna Nueva first, and it looked like such a great place that I planned our entire trip around it. We […]
Vanilla and its conservation problems
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
The spice known by the name of vanilla has historically been obtained from various species of orchids. These species belong to the genus Vanilla, and some of the more common are: V. planifolia, V. Cribbiana, V. insignis, V. odorata, and V. pompona. V. planifolia (Photo 1) is the most cultivated species in the world. All of […]
Translocation of eggs
Posted by: Kimberly Barquero
Hello everyone. This morning when we arrived at the farm while we were reviewing one of the ponds of the property we found a strange foam floating on the water (Photo 1). This is a manner of egg laying by an amphibian Photo 1: Amphibian egg laying, foam reduces predation. The central rectangle is a […]
