Traveler Information
Weather...
Contrary to popular belief, it is not blistering hot in Costa Rica. As one moves closer to the equator, temperature ranges become less extreme — at Farm of Life it is generally between 70-90 degrees. At our elevation, we enjoy cool evenings. During the day, the sun is hot and the shade is just right.
December to April is the dry season with the warmest temperatures. May-June the weather begins its transition to the rainy season with more cloud cover and cooler temperatures. It really gets wet between September-mid November. October is the wettest month, and is also when we travel home to visit family.
Food...
We provide organic produce from the farm and local area. If you have specific food preferences, particularly for cooked food items, grains, nuts and seeds, then you are welcome to purchase them from the local markets or bring them with you from your home. It is difficult to find raw nuts and seeds and some types of grains in Costa Rica. If you are transporting food through customs, we recommend you keep them in their sealed, original containers. We can provide you with pantry and refrigerator space in our communal kitchen.
Utilities...
We have high-speed Internet and cell phone service. The Harvest House has Wi-Fi - bring your laptop and plug-in.
Our water comes from a spring. It is clean, pure and mineralized.
Flush in confidence! Farm of Life has a composting septic system. We use biodegradable toilet paper, but otherwise you won’t notice the difference.
We are wired for electricity and are pleased to offer you hot showers. Hair-dryers and other high-powered devices will strain our system. Please leave those behind.
Transportation...
Guests can travel to Farm of Life via rental car or by bus-taxi combo. Cars can be rented (4x4 required) in San Jose,
San Isidro or Dominical Beach. A bus can be taken to either Dominical or San Isidro, and then a $40-$50 taxi to our farm.
There are paved roads along the beaches and to San Isidro. To access our farm, one must also travel 7 kilometers of smooth, gravel road and 3-kilometers of rough, steep, rock road. The route is along rural roads that have no street signs. We do not recommend you travel here for the first time at night. We have detailed driving directions to share with anyone coming here by car or taxi. Please contact us so that we can email you this information.
Travel Times (non-stop) by car:
- San Jose – 4-hours. We recommend guests drive the beach route, passing Jaco, Quepos and Dominical.
- Jaco – 2.5 hours
- Quepos– 70-minutes
- Dominical – 40-minutes
- Palmar Sur – 1.5 hours
- San Isidro – 40-minutes
Brief Driving Directions
(please email us so that we can send you complete driving directions): From Dominical Beach, take the inland-heading road towards San Isidro. When you arrive in Tinamaste, turn right onto the Las Tumbas gravel road, located about 200 meters after the white church. Follow this gravel road for 7-kilometers, beware of the closed bridge (use the temporary bridge), pass Las Tumbas (market, soccer field, school), and into the town of San Salvador.
When you see San Salvador’s minisuper sign, take the left turn indicated here. 4x4 is now required. Follow this road for 3-kilometers. Pass over several bridges. The road splits at an orange house – stay left and follow the electric lines. The Private Property sign marks the entrance into Rancho Tranquilo and Linda’s horse farm. Continue straight, stay left, pass the water tank and arrive at Farm of Life. If you get lost, call us at 8893-7407 or ask for directions to San Salvador and to Linda’s, the horse lady.
What to Bring and What Not to Bring...
- Layers of clothing. Light sweaters for the evenings. Jeans for horseback riding. Boots and long pants for hiking. Long pants protect your legs from critters in the grass. Swimwear and quick-dry shorts. Flashlight. A raincoat, poncho or umbrella in the rainy season. The best sun protection is long-sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat. This is a farm - your clothes may get dirty and muddy, if not also wet. We wear rubber boots around the farm - they are protective and easy to wash off. Buy rubber boots at a Costa Rica hardware store, or use any of our extra pairs.
- Bring appropriate footwear and shoes with excellent traction. Trails often have wet leaves, moss on rocks, slippery red earth and steep slopes. Water-shoes are also helpful to have for the waterfalls. Some guests may want to also bring walking sticks.
- Biodegradable and natural toiletries - shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, insect repellent, sunblock and lotions. We recommend Burts Bees products for shampoo, conditioner and sunscreen, and essential oil blends for insect repellents. We use a grey water system – the water from faucets is returned to the soil. All mainstream toiletries contain harmful chemicals and carcinogens and we do not want this in our soil.
- This is a smoke-free campus. Do not bring cigarettes or pipes. We can recommend other lodging to smokers who want to visit the area.
- A flashlight.
- Grocery items that you will want for yourself or family. We stock the kitchen with fruits and vegetables, and some pantry items, for example olive oil and spices. If you plan to cook or prepare raw gourmet, then we suggest you bring groceries with you, such as quinoa, couscous, superfoods, nuts, seeds and raw gourmet ingredients, including sea salt. Milk, tortillas, salsa, bread, etc can be purchased at the local markets.
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