Nayara Tented Camp, Arenal, Costa Rica

Thirty seven tents and residences are scattered across the hillside, each on its own platform with an outdoor living area and a plunge pool fed by mineral hot springs.

Nayara Tents. Twenty nine tents of 170 square meters (1,830 square feet), each a master suite with a canopy bed, a freestanding tub and an outdoor shower, for two adults and up to two children.

Family Tents. Six of 265 square meters (2,860 square feet): two tents joined by an outdoor living space and sharing a private pool, for up to six adults, or a couple with two children and a baby.

Private Residences. Casa Paloma and Casa Dana, each of 712 square meters (7,665 square feet): two family tents around a villa with a fully equipped kitchen, living and dining rooms, a fire pit and an oversized infinity pool fed by hot springs, facing the volcano, for up to twelve adults. A personal concierge looks after the household from arrival.

In every tent. Eco friendly bath amenities, complimentary laundry, and the sounds of the rainforest for a soundtrack at night.

Every kitchen across the Nayara Reserve brings fine dining technique to local ingredients and seasonal produce, with a philosophy of zero kilometers between the farm and the table.

Ayla. The camp’s own restaurant: modern Mediterranean dishes with a Middle Eastern touch, served in an elegant tent that looks over the infinity pool and the rainforest to the volcano.

Henry’s Bar. Next door, with a fireplace and a library, for traditional cocktails and spirits. Or sit out in La Plaza with music and a signature drink, and let the evening pass.

Lapas and Las Positas. The swim up bar at the pool, and a small bar among the hot springs.

Across the reserve. Guests of the camp also have the restaurants of Nayara Springs and Nayara Gardens, among them Amor Loco, the adults only fine dining room at Nayara Springs, an Asian and Latin American fusion kitchen, and Nostalgia Wine Bar for wine pairings.

Private evenings. A private chef can cook in the dining room of a residence, and Bésame Mucho is an intimate candlelit romantic dinner, adults only.

Sukha Spa is open to the air, its treatment pavilions tucked into pockets of the rainforest, so that every massage, facial and scrub comes with a natural soundtrack.

Signature treatments. Organic coffee scrubs, and wraps of volcanic mud and chocolate clay, made with locally grown organic coffee, chocolate and volcanic mud.

The hot springs. Six mineral hot spring pools at the crest of the hill, each heated to a different temperature, for a self guided circuit.

Yoga. Instructor led yoga every morning in a pavilion open to the forest, with meditation sessions among the trees.

Fitness. A state of the art fitness center, alongside curated wellness and spa experiences.

Your advisor books treatments with your stay; Nayara recommends requesting them two to three weeks before arrival.

The hillside where the tents stand was razed for grazing long before Nayara arrived. Years of painstaking replanting have brought the forest back, with heritage trees built around and native species returned to the ground, and the wildlife has followed.

The sloth sanctuary. More than a thousand Cecropia trees, the sloth’s favorite food, were planted across the property, and sloths now live in the canopy above the paths. A naturalist will help you find them.

At dawn. Bird walks with the resident naturalist guides. Costa Rica counts more than 900 bird species, and tanagers, hummingbirds, toucans and oropendolas are all at home in Arenal.

After dark. Night tours to the ponds for the frogs, from the red eyed tree frog to the reticulated glass frog.

Beyond the gate. Private guides lead the way to the Mistico hanging bridges, the lava fields of the 1968 eruption, coffee farms and the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, with zip lines over the canopy, rappelling down waterfalls and white water rafting on the Sarapiquí for those who want the adrenaline.

Couples. Secluded and romantic: a tent of your own above the forest, a hot spring pool on the terrace, and Bésame Mucho by candlelight.

Families. Fun and educational for every age, with naturalist walks, frog tours and sloths overhead. A Nayara Tent welcomes two adults and two children, and a Family Tent sets two tents around a shared pool.

Multigenerational groups. Casa Paloma and Casa Dana take up to twelve adults or two families, with a full kitchen, a fire pit, a personal concierge and a private chef on request.

Wellness seekers. Daily yoga, the open air spa and the six spring circuit, far from civilization and close to nature.

Good to know. The camp shares the reserve with two sister resorts, the adults only Nayara Springs and Nayara Gardens, and its guests dine at both.

Nayara Tented Camp lies in the Arenal Volcano National Park area of northern Costa Rica, reached by road from San José or Liberia.

From San José. The airport at San José is 123 kilometers (76 miles) away, about two and a half to three hours by car.

From Liberia. The airport at Liberia is 134 kilometers (84 miles) away, about three hours by car.

On arrival. Footbridges and jungle paths connect the camp with Nayara Springs and Nayara Gardens, so the whole reserve is yours on foot.

Your advisor arranges the transfer and times it to your flights.

Nayara welcomes guests through the low and high seasons, and outside the festive weeks there is no minimum stay.

The festive season. December 20 to January 5 are the dates in highest demand. Departures are not possible on December 24 and 31, when the holiday gala dinners are part of the stay, so plan well ahead.

Planning ahead. Spa treatments and dinner reservations are best requested two to three weeks before arrival.

Your advisor confirms dates, tents and the reservations that matter when you inquire.