The Choreography of Life
Welcome to The Choreography of Life at Finca Luna Nueva. Choreography? Life as a dance? Indeed, that’s how it feels here in the neotropical rainforest, where our proximity to the equator makes it feel like every day is the first day of spring. Our months gently progress through cycles of more and less rain, but it’s always balmy, always productive, always go! Trees here may not even have rings, as there’s no distinct dry season. We are, in the words of the great ecological observer Allan Savory, the ultimate non-brittle environment. The laws of nature are powerful here, but there’s a softness in its manifestation. And living in a volcanic neighborhood, our soils are deeper and richer than in many tropical forests.
Charles Darwin was astounded when he first observed the great Atlantic Rainforest, wondering “why the riot?” Why are so many species crowding into this thin band of life around the globe? Scientists today still ponder “the riot,” asking why is there such a profound longitudinal biodiversity gradient? Our guests, whatever their backgrounds, get to wrestle with this same question. How can so many bird species fit into such a small little place? How come there are thousands of species of colorful butterflies and dusky moths and more than a thousand species of vascular plants, all in air perfumed by swirls of jasmine, ylang-ylang, and Angel’s trumpets? Whence this paradise?
We have not lost our sense of wonder. We walk the farm, forest, and fields in awe of the bouquet of evolution. Welcome to The Choreography of Life, our homage to tropical biodiversity!
The Scarlet Macaw: A Ten-Year Love Story
June 1, 2026
Posted by: Tom Newmark
For nearly a decade, a resident flock of approximately 30 Scarlet Macaws has chosen Finca Luna Nueva Lodge as their home – representing 1.5% of the entire Costa Rican population. Here is their story, and ours.
Theobroma Cacao: Food of the Gods
May 25, 2026
Posted by: Tom Newmark
From the upper Amazon 5,300 years ago to the Moondrops bar at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge — the extraordinary story of Theobroma cacao: its origins, its conquest, its dark side, and what regenerative farming looks like when it’s done right. Plus two recipes.
The Little Things that Run the World
May 18, 2026
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Meet the zompopa – the leafcutter ant (Atta cephalotes) of Finca Luna Nueva Lodge. The world’s oldest farmers have been cultivating their fungus crop in the Costa Rican rainforest for 50 million years. They are also our most demanding neighbors.
It Depends
May 11, 2026
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Meet the angel’s trumpet – Brugmansia versicolor, the Reina de la Noche of Costa Rica. Extinct in the wild, alive in every sense that matters, and flowering tonight outside our bedroom window at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge.
Yes, There Are Snakes in the Rainforest
May 4, 2026
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Meet the mica – the tiger rat snake of Costa Rica’s Caribbean slope. Nonvenomous, ecologically essential, and a year-round resident at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge.
You Lookin’ at Me?
April 27, 2026
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Meet the emerald basilisk – the Jesus Christ Lizard of Costa Rica’s Caribbean slope, a creature that runs on water, stares down intruders, and lives at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge.
The Bird That Sings for Rain
April 20, 2026
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Meet the yiguirro – Costa Rica’s national bird, the clay-colored thrush, and the story of why this seemingly plain bird outranked the quetzal for the nation’s highest avian honor.
The Tree That Survived the Conquistadors
April 13, 2026
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Meet the pejibaye – the ancient peach palm of Costa Rica’s Caribbean slope, a survival food with 4,000 years of history and a living presence at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge.
The Little Angels of the Forest
April 6, 2026
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Meet the mariola bee – the stingless native bee of Costa Rica whose honey may be the most medicinally powerful on Earth, and a cherished resident at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge.
The Sloth’s Secret Garden
March 30, 2026
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Meet the brown-throated three-toed sloth – one of Costa Rica’s most beloved rainforest mammals and a year-round resident at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge on the Caribbean slope.
The Bird That Looks Like a Party
March 23, 2026
Posted by: Tom Newmark
Meet the keel-billed toucan – Costa Rica’s most spectacular rainforest bird and a year-round resident at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge on the Caribbean slope.
