Big Cave! Wildlife, great for birders, privacy, peace and quiet

This comfortable modern home with A/C, good cell signal for internet connectivity, complete privacy, is fully furnished and equipped for up to 6 persons. It has a full kitchen with modern oven, hot water, microwave oven, blender, toaster, large refrigerator, and ceramic tile throughout.

The home has plenty of plantings of flowering shrubs, trees, and perennials, as well as good food to eat. Yucca (manioc or cassava root), plantains, bananas, pineapples, coconut, sugar cane, cinnamon, and other fruit trees are on the property and you are welcome to have our full time farm worker provide you with a sample (or enough for a full complement to a meal) of anything in season at the time. Mulberries, mamón, citrus, and water apples are some examples. Beautiful views of the country landscape are on all sides, from the valley with pasture below the house (which gives this property it's name) to the mountains surrounding the farm on all sides, all belonging to the "fila de cal" or limestone ridges which are the predominant geological feature.

For star gazers, this property has an 8 or 9 rating on a scale of 10, for star brightness. There is very little light contamination, and the milky way is clearly visible on a clear night. Satellites and shooting stars are easy to see.

Our property has maintained trails, one leading to a large limestone cave with a large community of bats (several species). These are vital to the local forests for pollination and seed dispersal, as well as insect control. We also have some patches of reforested land, converting old pasture into plantings of native hardwoods and softwoods, which will provide seed banks, food for wildlife, conservation of the water table, carbon sequestering, and natural beauty to the property.

Our commitment to nature and conservation is an ongoing project, and your stay at Valley of Dreams will support this by making the property sustainable in the long term. Below the house is a view of a typical Costa Rican farm house where our worker's family lives. This is beside a wetland where you can observe various water birds, like purple gallinules, northern jacanas, egrets, and intermittent visitors like grebes and ducks, as well as the surrounding countryside's population of hawks, chachalacas, grey-necked woodrails, and the plethora of colorful passerines like tanagers, honey creepers, trogons, hummers, flycatchers, toucans, aracaris, and many other beautiful species.

Easily viewed with a little exploration is the resident population of squirrel monkeys. Especially when the mamón trees are bearing fruit, these playful, rapid, acrobatic monkeys move through the trees in large troops that sweep the foliage for fruit, insects, and small vertebrates. In short, it is a nature-lover's paradise, and photographers will be well-rewarded with many opportunities for excellent shots of wildlife, landscapes, sunsets, and morning mists in the valleys of the surrounding forests.

Close by you can get delicious local seafood in Golfito and on the coast northward toward Dominical. Beaches and excellent fishing opportunities are found in the Golfo Dulce, mangrove estuaries, and local rivers, which are still clear-running and scenic. Popular surfing beach destinations include Playa Zancudo, Pavones, and Dominical, as well as other closer beaches like Playa Ventanas and Playa Blanca.

Close by is the town of San Vito, a higher elevation, cool climate known for excellent coffee cultivation and its cultural roots - Italian settlers which are still notable in the local population and food culture. Nearby is the largest Pacific mangrove ecosystem in Central America. Also, there is a local population of indigenous Americans that preserve cultural traits that make them a proud and unique feature of the southern zone. Within reach is another cultural experience - the ability to shop at the Panama border, where locals take advantage of the savings of a duty-free zone and a large commercial center run by Panamanian, Costa Rican, Chinese, Arab, and Jewish merchants that compete for market dollars.

Costa Rica is a model for conservation policies and practices, and the southern zone of Costa Rica is the jewel of Central America for pristine habitat, wildlife, primary forests, mangrove ecosystems, clean rivers, cultural diversity, world class surfing, friendly people, and so much more. Make this your next vacation destination and see why so many travelers from around the world have made this country their favorite destination and even second or primary home.