Who Is La Finca?

We started as horse lovers. We grew as friends. And we started sharing our farm with other friends. That's how we began, and who we are now.

Esteban

The fireball who starts everything moving. The rest of us catch up, hang on, and figure out ways to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Esteban is our (only) balloon pilot (since 2007), picks out the horses to buy. He designs the villas (Monica gets to design the insides). Esteban also answers the phones, pays the bills, and heads up exploration trips to find new routes, new places to stay, new restaurants, new waterfalls. Esteban's favorite expression is "Trust Me!".

Monica

Monica makes sure everything holds together -- training staff, backup for all the guides on all the activities, inventing great meals. She raises the kids, outruns Esteban on horses and the ATV. First and foremost come her children, and her years teaching school helps her manage Esteban, too. Monica has all the grace and elegance and makes up for these deficiencies in Esteban. Basically, Sam and Mary and Tucker trust Esteban because Monica trusts Esteban.

Sam and Mary

Sam and Mary were our very first guests, in 2004. They built Villa Heliconia so they could be closer to the horses and the farm and the family here. They are willing guinea pigs for checking out all parts of Costa Rica, by horse, ATV, zip lines, boats, rafts and balloon. He never tells them thanks, but Mary and Sam vindicate Esteban's belief that quality of what you are selling and fairness to your employees are the priorities for a successful business, or life.

The Test Monkeys

TEST MONKEYS - we start with the kids, Carolina, Andrés, and Mariano. Every time the kids get pulled from school for "medical reasons" they end up in someplace remote and exotic, and we find out the value of a new place, new tour, new route. We have started employing other kids -- Tucker's stepchildren and grandson, Sam and Mary's children and grandchildren. Kids are a critical part of LaFinca.

Pedro

Pedro talks to animals like you and I talk to telephones. Pedro runs the stables, trains the horses, keeps LaFinca foliage from overrunning the place. Kids will follow Pedro just like the horses and water buffalo and pet pigs follow Pedro... and the softness of his manner with all of God's Creatures makes him the real heart of LaFinca stables.

Tucker

That's me in the red shirt. I write the web site. I also taught Esteban to fly balloons. I also taught Esteban to rappel and climb trees and took him for his first real horseback ride. I am smart enough to back a winner when I find one, so Esteban and I started Centaura, our horse operation. So now it's official, and in print -- little known fact -- I am Esteban's 50% partner, or so he tells me. Do I make any money? As Esteban says, "Trust me! It'll be here when you need it!"