What makes us an Eco-Lodge?
Reforestation project
Eco Venao is set within a 140 hectare (346 acre) reforestation project and planting trees was the first thing we did. As dry tropical forests (the original native ecosystem) are now the rarest of the major tropical forest ecosystems we are very dedicated to restoring this invaluable habitat.
Our oldest parcels already look like natural forests, as you can see if you take a hike on our trail network. The Eco Venao project was first assisted by PROREINA, a research, education and outreach program led by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Yale School of Forestry.
We have since supported many environmental research and education initiatives in the area.
The Eco Venao Project has reforested over 30 hectares of land and we have planted over 50,000 trees in the last 15 years. And that doesn’t include all the trees that have sprung up naturally – we have set aside over 100 hectares where we encourage natural regeneration of the forest habitat! We have planted tropical hardwoods, exotics and many fruit bearing species.
We reuse, recycle. We take great care of your trash. We recycle everything we can, including: organic waste, glass, metal, plastic and paper. Very little is spoiled.
In fact, El Ranchito was built almost entirely with leftover building materials.
We reuse, recycle
We take great care of your trash. We recycle everything we can, including: organic waste, glass, metal, plastic and paper. Very little is spoiled. In fact, El Ranchito was built almost entirely with leftover building materials.
We reuse wood and build ecological designs
The hostel is the result of the restoration of the original building of the estate, built 50 years ago. Our cabins and ranches are made with 100% organic materials and we use exclusively wood from plantations, not natural forests.
The beachfront cabanas were built following their philosophy of ecological accommodation with low impact on their construction and design. We used recycled wood and built them on removable piles, leaving no impact on the ground.
The most recent river cabanas were built exclusively with the wood of the trees that were knocked down by severe storms in 2018 and collected in our reforestation project. They are also built on lightweight structures, avoiding the use of large amounts of cement.
We take care of our water
We are located in the driest area of the country – the dry arch – so we are careful with water consumption. We use a combination of well water and spring water during the dry season. We do this to help maintain the level and quality of the aquifer.
We carefully measure our water consumption and have installed systems to save water throughout Eco Venao. We ask guests to be aware of not wasting this resource.
We are responsible employers and support local workers and producers
We feel very fortunate to have employed skilled workers from nearby villages, who have guided us in the construction of the various traditional structures in Eco Venao. It is important for us to be a responsible employer.
We have a percolation field
Sewage is reused as nutrients for plants and trees through our percolation system.
Permaculture Farm
Since May 2015, Eco Venao has embarked on an ambitious Permaculture project with the aim of inspiring a mutually supportive relationship with the Earth.
Permaculture is an environmental design science that creates a sustainable architecture, regenerative habitats and agricultural systems based on natural ecosystems.
Currently, the project consists of fruits, vegetables, plants, flowers, a robust composting system (we collect the organic waste that discards the restaurant, the cafe, the kitchen of the hostel and the houses for composting, producing very fertile land for planting) , gray water recycling system, an African bee farm, a free chicken farm that give us daily eggs (used by the restaurant, coffee and also for sale), composting toilets with wood chips wood.
Energy through solar panels
In August 2016, we launched our 52 kilowatt solar array. This network connected system was designed to meet our energy needs. In this way when we produce more electricity than we need (at noon), we supply the network and when we need more than what we produce (at night) we supply ourselves from the network.
This means that we do not depend on batteries! Come and meet him the next time you visit us – it’s right at our entrance.
We use biodegradable cleaning products
Almost all of our cleaning products are biodegradable and we only buy recycled toilet paper.
We make hand crafted soap
We make hand crafted soap through cold process using the finest ingredients and essential oils. Our guests can find these at the bathrooms from our accommodations and enjoy from a chemical free soap bar. These are also available for sale. For more info visit fabiously.com
We do not use plastic straws, food containers, or plastic cups.
At our lodge we have a choice of low-impact accommodations to suit every guest’s needs, offering from low budget to luxurious options. Our goal is for our guests to come and experience nature and the wildlife that surrounds us.
Our guests can enjoy from a hike through the jungle that takes you to a beautiful waterfall while learning about the different trees and observing the three types of monkeys (spider, howler and capuchins) that live within the project.
Experience Eco Venao
A Permaculture tour through the organic farm while picking your own, horseback riding, yoga classes at our beachfront yoga shala, a massage or therapy from the nourishing spa, a meal at our farm to table restaurant, a great cup of coffee from the artisanal cafe, surf lessons at the Surf Dojo, or have a drink and and a meal from the beach bar La Barca where you can eat and dance with your bare feet on the sand.
And that is the Eco Venao experience, in which our guests can have a more natural and intimate experience when staying with us.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to keep protecting our surrounding habitat, becoming more sustainable with our green practices and to keep working in developing experiences that can bring our guests closer to nature so that they can appreciate it even more.