SENSORIA TROPICAL:
A true tropical rainforest experience
If you’re planning a trip or vacation to visit Costa Rica, you’ll probably be expecting lush, green, vibrant, tropical, and wild sights. Sensoria falls right in place with your expectations.
Located in the Northern slope of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, right in the midpoint between Alajuela and Guanacaste, Sensoria offers a true rainforest experience, at a very close distance to Guanacaste’s most pristine white sanded beaches. If you’re visiting the Gulf of Papagayo, and wish to experience the tropical jungle of Costa Rica don’t hesitate to book a tour with us!
Here’s a list of 5 amazing facts about the Rainforest in Sensoria:
1-Vibrant Biodiversity
Sensoria preserves Middle-elevation Tropical Rainforest which is located along the Guanacaste Conservation Area, specifically next to the Rincón de la Vieja National Park. This means that it is within the mid point between the Dry Tropical Rainforest of Guanacaste’s Gold Coast, and the Humid and Cloud Tropical Rainforests of Guanacaste’s Volcanic Range. This results in an impressive concentration of biodiversity, featuring a vibrant ecosystem of animals and plants, that represent up to 3% of the worlds biodiversity.
2-Fertile Ground
The tropical and highly humid environment found in our rainforest results in a very fertile development of ground surface. We receive constant precipitation throughout the year, as we enjoy rain during 10 months out of 12 yearly. This climate results in major transformation within the forest floor, as decaying leaves, fallen trees and organic material cycle throughout the constantly green season. This gives way to a shallow but very fertile layer of soil of approximately 2 meters deep. The fertility of the soil allows trees and plants to grow quickly without having to root their systems too deep into the ground. Therefore our trees have mostly wide roots rather than deep ones.
3- Intelligent Trees
The fertile ground is inhabited by a magnificent network of trees, which grow together in balance along the forest floor. These trees are mostly thin and tall, as their weight must be in balance with the shallow fertile layer that lays above the deeper volcanic ground. Some of these trees have evolved to be able to produce energy not only through the chlorophyll in their leaves, but also through chlorophyll in their barks and roots, optimizing their energy absorption for the low light environment in which they have evolved. Their leaves are mainly small and permit light to enter the forest floor balancing and giving way to the growth of other plants of lower heights.
4- Evolved Plants
The plants that grow closer to the ground, have evolved according to the light and weather conditions. Large, prominent and dark green leaves packed with chlorophyll are very common in plants along the forest floor. These leaves are mostly shaped with a peculiar point which allows excess water to drip into the floor. These leaves have also evolved a slick, water-repelling wax that avoids excess water from accumulating on their surfaces, which could cause lower light reception and thus lower energy absorption.
5- Healing Waters
The rainforest in Sensoria grows nearby an active volcano, and is irrigated by mineral packed rivers, waterbodies and springs. These waters are widely known for their healing properties in skin, hair and body treatments, which are enjoyed not only by our visitors, but also by the breathtaking wildlife that roams Sensoria.
This perfect balance results in such a splendid ecosystem that grows intensively and provides such wonderful experiences for our visitors.
Our Recognitions
katiegeurin
2023-06-21
Incredible Rainforest Experience
We had an incredible day in the rainforest at Sensoria! Our group was only 6 people and we saw 3 other small groups in passing. Paco was our guide all day. Daniel was our driver who spotted a sloth on the way! Juan was our other guide at Sensoria. He didn’t speak English, but communicated through pictures of plants and animals that he showed us. He was also the BEST photographer. We were incredibly lucky and saw so many animals. Howler monkeys, spider monkeys, a viper, different birds and a basilisk. Paco and Juan let us take our time on the hike and we got to swim in 3 different waterfalls. The hike took about 3 hrs and there were lots of stairs. We were prepared with hiking shoes but everyone else in our group wore sneakers and we’re fine. Lunch was wonderful!!!! We would do it again!
Hoda
2023-06-15
Beautiful scenery, great view
Our tour guide, Mark was excellent, knowledgeable, friendly, Johnny, was very nice and helpful, we all had a great experience, so beautiful!
Waldemberg S
2023-06-09
Magia en las faldas del Rincon de la vieja
Una experiencia unica poder conocer esta parte de Costa Rica donde el atractivo principal de esta área es su exuberante volcan activo Rincon de la vieja y su vegetación, incluyendo árboles tropicales, orquÃdeas y helechos. Además, podrás observar una variedad de fauna, como aves, monos, perezosos y reptiles. Algunos visitantes también disfrutan de los baños termales y las cascadas, que ofrecen un espacio relajante y refrescante.
Nori H
2023-05-22
Beautiful and great guide!
This is such a beautiful spot! The waterfalls and swimming holes are all stunning and feel very natural and wild compared to some of the other tours we did while in Costa Rica. On top of the beautiful nature, we had an AMAZING tour guide, Pablo, who just went above and beyond for us! His English was great and he taught us so much about the forest during our time there. We’ll definitely be back!
Brittney C
2023-05-09
Give Hugo a raise!
We toured with Hugo and it was fantastic! He was extremely informative and passionate about the tour/his customers. He did it all while translating in both English and French. Highly recommend!
Coralborealis22
2023-05-08
Stunning, Romantic, A Naturalist’s Happy Place
We stopped at Rincon de la Vieja on our way from Arenal to Tamarindo just for Sensoria. We’re so glad we did! The jungle roads do require 4×4 and some moxie to get there, but Google Maps worked just fine for navigation; all well worth it. Sensoria was very responsive on WhatsApp when contacting them the evening before our tour. We chose the earliest tour time, because we stayed nearby at the Blue River Resort, which was about 15 minutes away from the property. Our guide, Joaquim, had vast knowledge of the flora and fauna of Costa Rica, was very helpful for whatever we needed, and made the whole tour relaxing and fun. He was amazing in how he balanced timing the tour so we could take time to enjoy the beauty around us and still stay ahead of the next group. That spacing made things extra relaxing. You can tell he is good at reading how to make a tour perfect for the type of experience that fits guest preferences. Also, we felt very safe with his communication on the state of the active volcano and communication plan for any change in status. In every sense, he was excellent! As for the property, it’s gorgeous! Hiking the jungle to the waterfalls and volcanic spring fed pools, the treehouse lookout over the jungle canopy, the reptile and insect sightings, the lush plant life, massive buttressed trees, the warm welcome with fresh juice, a well designed and appointed central house with all necessary amenities, the delicious lunch after the hike- this place wowed us in every way. Joaquim even found (and took an incredible photo) of an Eyelash Viper and we all got to be excited together about a Bromeliad Lizard sighting at eye level. Our visit is a special memory that we will treasure. Swimming in the volcanic spring fed pools surrounded by jungle is truly surreal. We were relaxing in one of the pools when a tiny hummingbird gently landed in her lime-sized, moss-covered nest hanging from a log next to the nearby waterfall. It was one of those special moments where life feels hyperreal, even magic. Can’t recommend this experience enough, especially to a couple on a private tour. If we could give more than 5 stars, we would.
cunae1
2023-04-22
Beautiful Hike!
Joaquin was full of excitement and knowledge regarding the rain forest! It was a beautiful hike and so peaceful!Swimming in the thermal pools were a great way to end the hike. The lunch after the hike was delicious
Jennifer B
2023-04-14
Love the Rainforest
This place was magical. This was my first trip to Costa Rica with my mom and my two sisters. This is a bucket list place to check out. I will try to make this a short review but it’s so hard to make it short. We were greeted by Joaquin Matarrita our guide and an ice cold glass of juice before he told us what to expect on this trip. I highly recommend a walking stick or sticks . It has lots of steps and it had just rained before we got there but then the sun came out for us. My mom is 80 years old and she did this tour with us. I was so proud of her with all the steps she had to take she loved it. Joaquin was so knowledgeable and professional. He spoke English very well and answered all of our questions and was very patient with us. After the tour we got to choose a meal which we chose the local dish of chicken and rice with a wonderful fruit smoothie that filled our tummies. I hope you get to see this fabulous place. Thank you Joaquin! Jen from Texas;)
Kathleen F
2023-04-09
Beautiful rain forest
Joaquin was a wonderful, knowledgeable guide. We really enjoyed our day in the beautiful rainforest (especially being able to swim in the waterfalls and pools). This was such a unique experience! Truthfully, the road to get there is full of potholes but it was worth the trip. It was wonderful to spend a quiet time in nature, see the wildlife and enjoy learning about the rainforest.
RDHiscott
2023-04-02
Excellent Hike through the Rainforest, with swimming in cold pools and hot springs!
Excellent experience hiking through the Costa Rican rain forest, trekking across some 13,000 steps (we used walking sticks to help with our balance), so physically challenging, and with several stops at waterfalls and pools with cold water and hot springs! Nice lunch at the end, capped off with a brief rain shower. It’s a rough ride to get into this rainforest national park (very rough dirt roads the latter third of the trip), but well-worth the trip for a first-hand close-up trek through the rainforest with all the flora and fauna it has to offer! Incredible views at so many points!
