Simbiosis was a very nice house, with amazing family and amazing food. A little paradise in front of the ocean where waves are so good for surfing or swim and sunset have different colors every day ! I will never forget this family and this place :) Theo

Ricar provided us with a beautiful hiking experience in the lush mountains of Punta Banco. His impressive awareness of the land and its animals inhabitants allowed us to connect deeply with our environment- all while feeling safe and comfortable. The highlight for me was swimming in a serene waterfall in the middle of the jungle- truly a “once in a lifetime” feeling. I would recommend Simbiosis to anyone looking to align their mind, body and spirit in a fun and adventurous way. Pura Vida indeed!

Our host in Pavones connected us to Ricar to do a jungle hike in Punta Banco. We are a family with two little kids (2 and 4 years old) and were kind of worried about how far we can go with them. Ricar was very friendly and after getting to know each other he let us choose between two options he had in mind for us. During the tour he did a little extra turn as he saw that we were doing well. The forest there was just amazing! Altough we couldn't find much wildlife, we found one special species: the green-and-black poison dart frog. If you love intact tropical rain forest its definitely a tour you wanna take. Ricar is a very competent guide and he seems to really care about the nature. Afterwards we went to Ricars house where his wife Frie had prepared a delicious and healthy snack for us. They made us feel very welcome in their house, our kids were playing together with theirs, we took a look at some animal books and could hangout with them as long as we wanted. This was all in all a very nice daytrip. I wished we found that place earlier, so we could have stayed much longer.

Thanks Kristi! I can totally ditto your review. I stayed with Ricar, Frie, Numi, and Raymar for a week. I fell in love with the family, and had all the space and time and freedom to explore Punta Banco and sink into a natural lovely lifestyle of daily surf, hammock rest, reading, meeting and hanging with local people, bicycling on dirt roads, walking, observing wildlife... going back for more Simbiosis in May. So looking forward!!!!

Hands down, truly one of the most memorable traveling experiences I have had. I had the pleasure of staying with Simbiosis CR for a week prior to a surf retreat in Punta Banco. Even before I arrived, Ricar was extremely easy to communicate with about my travel plans, and when I arrived in Golfito in the middle of the night from the long busride from San Jose, there he was waiting for me at the drop off point to bring me the rest of the way to Punta Banco. Waking up the next morning, I was completely charmed. No doors, no windows, no walls- their home is immersed and integrated in the jungle right off of the beach and wildlife is literally a part of the daily routine. Parrots squawked at us from the kitchen ceiling and Cherengas ate the fallen fruit from the trees that were growing "within" the kitchen. Their property sits right in front of one of the beach breaks in Punta Banco also and we had great waves the entire week I was there. Every morning I woke up to the jungle sounds and walked out to the beach with my coffee to watch the sunrise and check the surf. Life was simple, beautiful, and easy there. I can't talk enough about the AMAZING FOOD that was coming out of the kitchen on a daily basis. Frie & Numi are absolute masters of their craft and I was constantly amazed and delighted by the fresh, healthy, made-from scratch food that was served at every meal. I'm talking home made tortillas, patacones, coconut sambal, fresh juices and smoothies, curries, and of course the Typical Tico food but jazzed up with their own style. A lot of the ingredients used in all of the cooking came from their farm, or from the local organic veggie wagon that rolled through town every once in a while. We also made chocolate from scratch- starting with the raw cocoa, roasting it, grinding it, adding sugar, and whatever fillings out hearts desired. Frie never asked for help in the kitchen but I was always eager to get involved with the cooking and prepping! It truly makes you appreciate where your food comes from when you're able to see the whole process from start to finish. I was traveling solo at this time, but I really felt like I had a family there. Instantly I felt at home here- meals & activities were shared with the family and our conversations after dinner lasted late into the evening. I didn't really ever feel like a "guest" here ,just truly like a close friend or family member. They took me up to their farm in the mountains and we harvested bananas, limes, & beans that were ripe. They taught me about permaculture and how important it is to work with nature, rather than against it. We went to waterfalls and swimming holes that were local secrets. I saw a lot of Punta Banco that I would have never ever been able to experience had I not been staying at Simbiosis house. The bottom line is this- if you want a truly authentic, affordable, very memorable immersion into Southern Costa Rican life, while eating amazing food and having access to equally amazing waves, you must stay with Simbiosis CR. It was a highlight of my 6 week stay in Costa Rica and I definitely plan on being back there soon to visit. Thank you Ricar, Frie, Numi, and Raymar!