"Casa Cielo" Jungle House at Cielo Ranch Reserve

Welcome to the Jungle! Experience "jungle life" in this stylish and unique jungle compound. Wake up to incredible sunrises, delicious Costa Rican coffee, and the sounds of Howler monkeys and tropical birds starting their day. No need to travel to crowded parks. This 105-acre private reserve and cattle ranch has nature trails, lakes, a river, and wildlife for your viewing pleasure. DAILY BASIC HOUSEKEEPING, TOUR PLANNING AND DAILY BREAKFAST INCLUDED.

Casa Cielo Jungle House is a unique vacation rental that includes daily breakfast which includes a small menu of local breakfast dishes, as well as some North American favorites. Breakfast is accompanied by fresh fruit and of course fresh Costa Rican coffee and tea. Also included are basic daily housecleaning, trash collection, and toiletry resupply. Additional services and tours onsite include Private Nature Trails, Tree Climbing Adventure Tours, Private Transportation Services, Cooking/ Private Chef Service, Tour and Activity Planning, Masseuse Services, and Event Planning.

Casa Cielo Jungle House consists of two lodging facilities: the main house, Casa Cielo Jungle House, and the Casita Loft. The Compound is suitable for up to 14 guests (depending on the makeup of your group). but for smaller groups of 6 or less, the main house (Casa Cielo Jungle House) can be rented at a lower nightly rate.

Casa Cielo Jungle House is a new two-story, three-bedroom, four-bath, modern home. Detached from the main home is a spacious outdoor garden with a swimming pool and entertaining area. There is a Poolside Rancho with a service bar/ refrigerator and seating areas, perfect for lounging around the pool. The home was built during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and has some unique design features that resulted in a very safe, secure, and functional design, nestled next to a jungle corridor.

The home itself has a very "open feeling" when you enter and defines what outdoor living represents. The large barn doors that can be opened on either side of the main level give guests full access to move through the structures and gardens seamlessly. The interior and exterior wood details, as well as cabinets and furniture inside and out, were built with wood processed from the Reserve's teak and native cedar trees. Sustainability and utilizing local materials are a key component of all projects on the reserve.

The main floor level consists of a fully equipped kitchen, an outside pool view deck with a large dining table, a shared full bath, a large private bedroom (King Size Bed) with a swimming pool view, and a laundry room. The house has a full laundry room for guests to use as well, and laundry soap is supplied. An exterior outdoor mudroom for cleaning muddy boots after hikes' is located next to the laundry room. Your muddy shoes and clothes can be cleaned there and hung out to dry on drylines and boot racks. There is a transition room with a seating area (small sofa and lounge chair) with stair access to the second level.

The second floor's large great room with TV has plenty of room for lounging and the double glass doors on either side open up to the observation deck and gangways. These areas are perfect for watching the sunrise and sunset as well as views of Arenal and Tenorio volcanoes. The surrounding glass windows and the open concept give you the impression that you are living in the trees. One on side of the main room is the very spacious master bedroom (King Size Bed) which features a full private bath with a partially outdoor shower and walk-in closet. The additional bedroom (Queen Bed) is located on the other side of the great room and has a separate shared full bath with a partially outdoor shower and sliding door access to the outside gangway.

The Casita is a new addition to the jungle compound and is located next to the main house. This is a single-story structure with a large living room area with a kitchenette and a large bedroom with a loft. The main bedroom has a King Bed, and the loft has two Queen beds. There is also a small full bathroom on the main floor. This Casita was designed to sleep a small family.

The gardens surrounding the house feature various types of fruit trees and tropical plants and when entering the reserve, you can see horses grazing in open pastures on the side of the entrance road. Around the home itself, the pathways to the pool area are surrounded by tropical plants, ferns, and colorful ground cover. The two pool area decks have plenty of seating areas to relax and the main pergola is equipped with a gas BBQ, service sink, and refrigerator. There are also Bluetooth-compatible speakers available so you can enjoy your favorite music while you relax in the pool or BBQ. The lower deck is where the lower catch pool and outdoor shower are located. The catch pool is perfect for the little ones who need their own space. Situated next to the pool is an avocado testing orchard with more than 12 varieties of avocados, around 50 trees in total. This test orchard will determine which varieties will be planted in future orchards around the farm in the years to come. Sorry, no avocados yet but we predict that next year we will see our first harvest. In front of the two units is a milking coral where you can milk our cows and pet our baby calves every morning. Guests are more than welcome to help with our cows on the ranch, we are always looking for some good farmhands.

Casa Cielo is located inside a 105-acre nature reserve and cattle ranch Cielo Ranch Reserve. This reserve has been in the making for 15 years and was originally an old dairy farm. The property was purchased in 2006 and was reforested with over 12,000 teak, mountain almond, and various other native tree species. Today, it is an island of new forest growth and biodiversity. Common wildlife on the reserve is three species of monkeys (howler, white-faced, and spider), wild pig, and ant eaters, and various types of birds including potoo owls, toucans, mot-mots, great curassows, and even great green macaws(they love the mountain almonds). We have a well-maintained access road into the reserve as well as hiking trails that pass through forests, lake rejuvenation projects, and the Pataste River which passes through the reserve. These trails are private and only used by guests to the reserve. And because we limit the number of visitors the animals are scared away like at National Parks where there are a lot of visitors.

If you are up for a hike, you are just steps away from various trailheads and road access to the reserve. You are more than welcome to explore the reserve but because of the obvious risks involved in hiking in the jungle, we ask guests to notify us when they would like to go on a hike.

Guests have full access to the Reserve's nature trails. We will provide a map and give a quick overview of things not to do while hiking. All relevant information regarding safety and hikes is located in the house book.

We interact frequently with guests. The property is very large and with some areas that are very wild so there is always someone on-site in case guests need assistance. We help plan activities for our clients as well so every day during breakfast we make sure that guests have everything necessary for the day (maps, proper clothes, etc.). We are always available in case of emergencies as well.

Casa Cielo is located within Cielo Ranch Reserve, a 105 acre private wildlife reserve and cattle ranch. It is located in a small rural community of mostly cattle and dairy farms, you actually need to be careful while driving due to cows grazing on the side of the road. There is not a lot going on in the area and noise is not a problem here. Most of the time, you will only hear the sounds of birds chirping and the wind blowing through the trees. All of the farms in the area are fairly large so our neighbors are all a substantial distance away. If you are looking for some piece and quiet in a natural setting, Casa Cielo is perfect for you.

Because of our location, restaurants and bars are not as plentiful as they are in the more touristy areas like La Fortuna. There are however a few small local sodas and restaurants 15 - 20 minutes away in Monterrey. You will find two super markets, a hardware store , ATM, pizza place and a gas station there in the main town. If you drive up the hill towards Alto Monterrey and The Springs Resort and Spa, you will find two more restaurants, a little more high end, called Dona Luisas and Jalapas. Both have excellent views of Arenal Volcano and the surrounding valleys and have good local cuisine at a fair price. If you are looking for a more touristy environment, you can drive a little further to The Springs Resort and Spa to dine at any of their three restaurants or sushi bar. You do not need to be a guest to use these facilities and reservations are not required in most cases.

If you need a few basic supplies, there is a small old school convienence store ( pulparia) called The Cruze at the main highway, 5-10 minute drive from the property. There is also a local bar there that would be considered a bit rough by American standards. The local clientele are harmless and mostly consist of local farm workers looking to blow off some steam.

Getting around is not very complicated as most of the roads and highways are paved and in good condition. You will need to drive on a tradition dirt road for 1 kilometer to reach the Cielo Ranch Reserve entrance. This road is maintained and regular vehicles can drive on the road without problems, 4x4 vehicles are not necessary.

Our location is centrally located as you can reach a number of popular tourist destinations within 30-45 minutes.

Tenorio Volcano, Rio Celeste, 45 min.

Cano Negro Reserve 1.5 hr.

The Springs Resort and Spa 25 min.

Lake Arenal 40 min.

La Fortuna central 35 min.

Venado Caverns 15 min.

Arenal volcano National Park 50 min.