It’s a magical and humbling experience to explore the cloud forest, and hypnotic enough to make you yearn to return, or to stir the beginning of a dream to combine living and business in nature. The sun shines down on the ranch, until you reach the canopy, some ten minutes hike further along the trail.

The change is dramatic and startling; the sun now beats down only in slivers through the foliage...

The first part of the land is relatively flat and has been planted with colorful plants among the fruit and hardwood trees. A guide leads the way up through the first part of the adventure, which takes you through 12 acres of a working plantation of vanilla and black pepper.

The scent is intoxicating, pungent and sweet, interspersed with mazapan, avocado, mango, nance and oranges. The ranch is designated as organic farm land, and is naturally irrigated from one of the 5 dams above.

The sun shines down on the ranch, until you reach the canopy, some ten minutes hike further along the trail. The change is dramatic and startling; the sun now beats down only in slivers through the foliage, which is tall and thick. The temperature drops slightly and the humidity rises considerably.

Vegetation becomes damper and the sound from the river is louder, much louder. It’s hard to realize how rapidly you are rising in elevation, until there is a clearing where you can look back and see between the trees across the 3 miles of coastal plains to the Caribbean Sea, and the Bay Islands beyond. Although there are many waterfalls and springs on this vast property, it takes it’s name from the first 14, which were the center of a planned tourist destination/park.

The trail continues upward past quiet pools and loud falls, where you can refresh yourself with a cool drink of absolutely pure water.

The southern boundary of the property is the highest point, in the shadow of Pico Bonito, and abuts the national park, so there will never be any development or farming of any kind allowed above 14 Falls Ranch, guaranteeing no contamination and protecting the watershed and forest. A large family of Howler Monkeys live on the western edge of the property and White Faced Monkeys often visit. Jaguar and small deer are also native to this region.

The upper part of the property receives lots of rain, typically 250+ days of the year, often late in the afternoon, and is a cool cloud forest in the mornings. It takes several hours to visit all 14 falls and would take days to walk the entire vast property. In some places, ropes have been added to assist on the steeper parts of the trail.

The experience allows you to appreciate your senses – the smell of musty leaves and steamy, wet wood; the soft, slippery touch of leaves and river stones; the sight of land as it was millions of years ago; the taste of tropical fruits; the sound of parrots, macaws, toucans and iguanas scurrying around in the undergrowth.