In a country where tourism is the number one source of revenue, getting off the beaten track can sometimes be as difficult as finding a hot shower.

And with mega-tourism (luxury resorts, high-rise condos and gated Gringo communities) on the rise along Costa Rica´s Pacific coast - it´s encouraging to see that a number of rural community groups are flying in the face of the economic trend by embracing a form of small-scale tourism that allows them to preserve their land, culture and lifestyle. This is eco-tourism in its truest sense.