Philosophy

We believe in fostering prosperity to the local community through the benefits of natural resources conservation and low impact tourism. 

Chakra is just 5 km from the town of San Jerónimo, a quiet but active community of coffee farmers and mountaineers. The place first got on the map for adventure tourism enthusiasts around 2007 when they developed a refuge atop one of the area’s “3,000’s”, Cerro Ena (3,167m). In January 2016, the community was granted access to the Chirripó National Park that houses the country’s tallest and best-known peak.  Since then, San Jeronimo’s popularity as a destination for high mountains, tasty coffee and warm, welcoming people is on the rise. 

We believe in supporting the local community through specific projects that will bring higher living conditions or better opportunities for them. As part of our activities we coordinate short interventions where our retreaters can collaborate with a specific task. Beyond that, we personally share our skills and know-how for capacity building and strengthening the local organizations’ abilities and performance. We dream with an empowered San Jerónimo leading its way to sustainable development. 

As biologists, we have learned that all human activity has an impact on nature. So we are not about green washing our operation at Chakra. Everything we do, we do with people and nature in mind. Water use, energy efficiency, food & menu, and waste management: these are the basics. As we grow, we invest in improved technologies and practices.

Chakra is a conservation project. Over 90% is preserved land of one of the most diverse and unique ecosystems: the Tropical Cloud Forest. We’ve transformed a clear-cut, compacted soil pasture area into a recuperating forest. We build using local materials by hand. 

Chakra is also off the grid: there is no electricity and no cell phone signal. We love it that way! We use small solar lamps for lighting, candles for mood and natural gas for heating water and cooking. We also use the hearty, nutritious, lovingly prepared food to power our bodies so that we can explore this playground. 

We strive to consistently become more sustainable by sourcing our produce as locally as possible, favoring organic practices and promoting a mostly vegetarian menu. We can of course easily adapt to the dietary needs of our guests with pleasure. Everything is prepared on site by our local cooks who are more than happy to share their secrets.

We compost all our organic waste back to the earth and use the material to fertilize our gardens. Our recyclables go to the community’s recycling association. The non-compostable or re-usable waste is taken back to the city where it is managed by the municipality. 

We feel blessed to be the caretakers of this land at this point in time, and have our hearts set on having our presence benefit both the community and the natural world around us. Your visit contributes to this effort… you’ll be surprised how much you’ll receive in return!