Canvas, Canopy and the Shape of Arenal

Arenal changes the view each time the clouds move. From Nayara Tented Camp, the volcano rises beyond a landscape of palms and rainforest, sometimes sharply outlined, sometimes reduced to a suggestion behind the mist. Broad decks, canvas roofs and private pools give that changing scene room to breathe, making an afternoon at the hotel feel as worthwhile as a morning exploring.

Set on a forested hillside near La Fortuna, the camp brings the atmosphere of a safari lodge to Costa Rica’s northern lowlands. Days can revolve around wildlife and walking, but they can also be deliberately quiet. Breakfast on the terrace, a book beside warm mineral water and dinner overlooking the trees form a perfectly reasonable itinerary.

The appeal extends beyond couples. Family configurations and substantial private residences make this a compelling setting for a multigenerational trip, particularly when different travelers want different levels of activity. The essential choice is how much time to spend out in Arenal and how much to leave for the place you have come to stay.

A New Chapter in Nayara’s Rainforest Story

Nayara Tented Camp opened in December 2019, adding a new expression of hospitality to a destination already home to Nayara Gardens and Nayara Springs. Founder Leo Ghitis drew inspiration from tented camps in Africa and Asia, working with Luxury Frontiers to translate that idea into a Costa Rican setting.

A second phase unveiled in 2022 added a main reception building, restaurant, bar, lounge, pool and further accommodation. This gave the camp a more substantial social center while preserving the sense of separation between individual tents. Larger groups gained new places to gather, while couples retained the privacy that makes the smaller accommodations attractive.

The landscape has its own longer story. Parts of the hillside had been cleared for cattle grazing before Nayara’s reforestation work began. The forest surrounding the tents is therefore also a landscape being restored, giving the greenery a significance beyond its immediate beauty.

A Light Touch Above the Forest Floor

Luxury Frontiers designed the camp’s architecture and interiors, with Vida Design Studio contributing landscape design and reforestation work to the expansion. Elevated structures respond to the hillside, while the interiors combine canvas ceilings, botanical imagery and four-poster beds. Bamboo, green stone and local timber help connect the public spaces to their surroundings.

The result encourages a different relationship with the room. A terrace becomes somewhere to spend an entire morning, and an outdoor shower extends the sense of being in the landscape even during the most ordinary part of the day. The distinction between an excursion and time at the hotel becomes less pronounced.

There is no monumental hotel façade here. The defining exterior is the repeated outline of tented roofs against a densely planted hillside. From a distance, the buildings are part of the composition; from inside, the trees take over the view. That exchange is central to the camp’s character.

Private Tents and Residences for Time Together

Four principal categories accommodate couples, small families and larger groups. The published areas below describe the hotel’s accommodation footprints and should not be interpreted as enclosed, air-conditioned interiors alone. Layout and bedroom separation matter as much as overall size.

Nayara Residences: Casa Paloma and Casa Dana each offer approximately 7,664 square feet across a four-bedroom arrangement with two king beds and four queen beds, a kitchen, shared living and dining areas, a fire pit, private pools and a personal concierge, making these the priority for extended families seeking a home of their own within the resort.
Grand Tent: Approximately 4,804 square feet brings together a principal tent with a king bed, a lower-level bedroom with two queen beds, a fully equipped kitchen, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, a fire pit and a generous thermal plunge pool, accommodating up to four adults and two children or two adults and four children.
Family Tent: Approximately 2,860 square feet combines a king-bedded tent with a second sleeping space containing two queen beds, linked by outdoor living space and an oversized private plunge pool, providing useful bedroom separation for parents and children or a small group traveling together.
Nayara Tent: Approximately 1,700 square feet includes a four-poster king bed, two twin daybeds, a bathroom with a bathtub and double indoor and outdoor showers, plus a private terrace and mineral-water plunge pool, with accommodation for two adults and two children.

The residences are especially appealing when meals, conversation and downtime need to happen together without everyone sharing the same bedroom schedule. A private-chef experience is available at an additional cost. Before choosing between a Grand Tent and a Residence, establish the desired bedroom arrangement, the children’s ages and how often the group expects to dine privately.

Air conditioning and substantial bathrooms make the tents comfortable places to retreat after a humid afternoon. Accommodation pages also list selected inclusions such as breakfast and scheduled nature activities; the confirmed reservation should establish what applies to the chosen category and rate.

From Ayla’s Terrace to an Evening at Amor Loco

Dining extends across the neighboring Nayara properties. Ayla and Henry’s Bar anchor Tented Camp itself; other venues sit within the wider resort, with age restrictions applying in adults-only settings.

Ayla: Tented Camp’s signature restaurant serves Mediterranean food with Middle Eastern influences in a tented dining room overlooking the pool, rainforest and volcano.
Henry’s Bar: Beside Ayla, cocktails, a fireplace and a library create an inviting setting for a drink before dinner.
La Terraza del Arenal: This family-friendly restaurant pairs Costa Rican and international dishes with open-air dining and volcano views.
Asia Luna: Asian cooking meets Costa Rican ingredients at an intimate restaurant with a sushi bar and outdoor terrace.
Amor Loco: At adults-only Nayara Springs, a reservation-led tasting menu explores Costa Rican ingredients through French and Japanese techniques.
Mis Amores: Northern Italian cooking, family recipes and wood-fired pizza offer another dining option at neighboring Nayara Springs.
Nostalgia Wine Bar and Mi Cafecito: Wine tastings and coffee-roasting experiences create opportunities to explore flavor beyond a conventional meal, subject to the current program and age policies.

Reserve the evenings that matter most before arrival, then leave some meals unplanned. Breakfast on a private terrace and a casual lunch between excursions can be just as memorable as the most elaborate dinner.

Warm Water and the Sounds of the Rainforest

Wellness begins with the private mineral-water pool outside the tent. After a muddy walk or a long transfer, it provides an easy transition into a slower pace. The experience asks very little: change into a swimsuit, step outside and let the surrounding forest supply the setting.

The spa’s open-air treatment pavilions take a similar approach. Massage, facials and body treatments draw on ingredients such as coffee, chocolate and volcanic mud, with rainforest sounds accompanying the experience. Advance appointments are advisable, particularly when several members of a group want treatments on the same afternoon.

Yoga provides another way to begin the day before the itinerary becomes busy. Daily sessions appear among the camp’s advertised accommodation inclusions, while individual spa treatments require separate reservations. For a short stay, alternating an active morning with a quiet afternoon gives both sides of the property room to work.

Following the Forest’s Smaller Details

A naturalist changes the scale of a walk. What first appears to be an uninterrupted wall of leaves becomes a series of individual habitats, movements and sounds. Nayara’s guides lead wildlife outings and help arrange excursions around Arenal, with private guiding particularly useful for photographers, families and travelers who prefer to set their own pace.

On the property, birdwatching and evening frog walks reward attention to details that are easily missed. Sloths may be found in the trees, but sightings depend on the animals rather than a schedule. The grounds make it possible to encounter the region’s wildlife without committing every day to a long drive.

Farther afield, the activity menu includes hanging bridges, zip-lining, waterfall rappelling and rafting. Choose according to confidence, weather and the amount of physical effort desired. There is little advantage in booking every available adventure if it leaves no time to enjoy the private terrace that was part of the attraction in the first place.

A Rainforest Education for Every Generation

Nayara Tented Camp welcomes children, and its strongest family offering is the opportunity to experience the natural world together. A short guided walk, a frog spotted after sunset or a bird identified through a scope can hold a child’s attention in a way that a tightly scheduled day sometimes cannot.

The Family Tents, Grand Tents and Residences allow that shared experience to continue at the accommodation. Separate sleeping spaces matter when younger children go to bed early, while kitchens in the larger categories give families more flexibility between excursions. Private pools make close supervision an essential part of using the outdoor space.

Build plans around the youngest traveler’s stamina and the whole group’s comfort with heights, water and uneven terrain. Adult dinners at Nayara Springs need their own arrangements. A successful family stay will balance discovery with enough unstructured time for everyone to enjoy it, rather than expecting every generation to follow the same pace.

Replanting a Landscape, Rebuilding a Habitat

Reforestation is central to Nayara’s environmental story. The hotel describes planting native trees and restoring former pasture, including the Cecropia trees associated with its sloth habitat. Elevated construction and planting between accommodations form part of the effort to make room for both visitors and wildlife.

The property also reports measures such as reusable glass water bottles, reduced use of disposable plastics, water-saving fittings and more efficient lighting. Community initiatives include support for employees and local children, with many team members drawn from the surrounding area.

These commitments are best understood as ongoing work. A restored forest develops over time, and environmental performance depends on daily operations as well as architecture. For visitors, the most tangible connection is the living landscape itself: trees that provide shade, shelter and food, and guides who help explain why those relationships matter.

Planning Carefully for a Hillside Stay

The setting deserves particular attention for travelers with limited mobility. The camp’s current FAQ states that it does not have specifically accessible tents, citing the hillside and stilt construction. This is a meaningful limitation to resolve before booking, especially when step-free access or an adapted bathroom is essential.

Ask for the precise route into the proposed accommodation, changes in level within it, bathroom access and movement between the tent and public spaces. A Grand Tent’s lower-level bedroom, for example, introduces a layout question that matters independently of its generous overall size.

Excursions also need individual assessment. A scenic drive, a short wildlife outing and a suspended-bridge walk place different demands on a traveler. Good planning starts with specific requirements and a clear account of what the hotel and excursion operator can provide. Room size alone is not a reliable guide to suitability.

Arenal Beyond the Terrace

The broader destination offers several ways to understand the landscape visible from the hotel. In Arenal Volcano National Park, trails lead through forest and toward hardened lava flows, with viewpoints connecting the volcano to Lake Arenal and the surrounding hills. The appeal is the terrain and its ecology, rather than a promise of seeing an eruption.

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park offers another perspective, moving between forest paths and elevated crossings through the canopy. A guide can make the visit more rewarding by drawing attention to the smaller creatures and plants along the route. Coffee and cacao experiences add context of a different kind, connecting the landscape to cultivation, food and everyday life.

La Fortuna provides a nearby town stop between larger excursions. Weather should remain part of every plan: this is rainforest country, and showers are possible throughout the year. Carry a light rain layer, protect cameras and leave flexibility around outdoor activities. A cloud-covered morning need not diminish the stay, even if it changes the photograph you had imagined.

The Journey Into Costa Rica’s Northern Lowlands

The hotel is approximately ten minutes from La Fortuna by road. Private transfers simplify the international-airport arrival, while a flight to the local airstrip can shorten the road portion for travelers whose schedules and luggage suit a small aircraft.

Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO): Allow approximately three hours by car from the San José airport area, with additional time possible for traffic, weather and stops.
Guanacaste Airport (LIR): Allow approximately three hours by car from Liberia, subject to road conditions and the timing of the journey.
La Fortuna Airstrip: The hotel can coordinate a private-plane arrival followed by approximately fifteen to twenty minutes by road, with flight timing, aircraft availability and baggage allowances confirmed for the specific journey.

A transfer day works best without an ambitious excursion attached to it. Arrive, settle in and let the first evening establish the pace. Keep the return journey similarly realistic, allowing a suitable airport buffer beyond the estimated drive.

Leaving Space for the Unexpected

Nayara Tented Camp’s most persuasive luxury is the freedom to move between adventure and stillness without changing the character of the trip. A morning among the treetops and an afternoon beside a private pool belong to the same experience.

The volcano supplies a dramatic backdrop, but the smaller moments may be the ones that last: a call from the canopy, the first drops of rain on the roof, or a family lingering over breakfast with nowhere urgent to be. Give the itinerary enough space, and the setting has a way of filling it.

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La Fortuna, Costa Rica | Nayara Tented Camp