The bed beneath the tent’s sculptural canvas ceiling, framed by a wall of handmade hardwood shelving

Árbol de la Vida

Thirty-three acres. Two tents. One mountain.

Alfombra, Pérez Zeledón — Costa Rica

The retreat

Two tents, and the mountain they sit on.

Árbol de la Vida is two tents on thirty-three acres of Costa Rican mountainside. Each stands in its own garden, closed in on all sides by a bamboo hedge, with the trails and clearings of the finca beyond the gate.

There is no reception and no one to check you in. It sits in the hamlet of Alfombra, high in Pérez Zeledón, where the air is cool and the water comes out of the mountain. Dominical, the nearest beach, is about half an hour down the mountain.

Palms and broadleaf jungle layered up the slope behind the clearing

The stays

Two tents, each in its own garden.

Both are built the same way and identical inside — canvas over hardwood, full kitchen, freestanding bath. Each has its own garden closed in by a bamboo hedge, so you never see the other.

What separates them is what sits outside the door.

Each is named for a tree on the finca.

The lawn and treeline under low path lighting after dark

The land

Thirty-three acres of it, and a trail through the middle.

The finca is working land — bamboo groves, tree ferns, planted beds, and a jungle trail that runs from the clearing down into the forest.

Water comes from a mountain spring. There is a fire circle and a stone table on the lawn, a pavilion for shade, and a private garden closed in by a bamboo hedge with a gate at either end.

  • Spring water

    Pristine mountain spring, straight off the hillside.

  • Jungle trail

    A private trail from the clearing down into the forest.

  • Fire circle

    Stone table and fire pit on the lawn, under the stars.

  • Enclosed garden

    Bamboo hedge, two gates — seclusion with easy access.

  • The green track running out through the finca
  • The forest edge at the boundary of the clearing
  • A stand of mature bamboo at the edge of the clearing
  • The path running beside the bamboo
  • The creek running over rock through the forest
  • A green track across the finca under a wide cloudy sky
  • A planted bed of bromeliads and ferns edged with river stone
  • Cycads and palms on the open lawn beneath a mature tree

Shared

Things on the finca you are welcome to use.

A bamboo-framed greenhouse on the slope below the clearing, planted with lettuce, kale, cabbage, chard, onions and herbs. Guests are welcome to pick what they need for dinner.

The greenhouse
Bamboo frame · drip-irrigated · open to guests
The green track running out through the finca under a gathering sky

Before you come

It is a mountain. Plan a little.

The turning is thirty minutes up from the coast. The last stretch is farm track — a four-wheel drive is strongly recommended, and essential in the green season.

The gate at the entrance opens from your phone or from a keypad, so you can come and go without waiting on anyone. Parking is on the property and free.

Drive
4×4 recommended — required in green season
Gate
Remote opening from iOS, Android or keypad
Parking
Free, on the property, under cover
Beach
Dominical is about 30 minutes down the mountain
The red gate at the entrance to the finca

Check availability