Gustavo Abarca

Gustavo was born in San Jose. He is the youngest of three children and lives with his wife Jenny in San Rafael, Alajuela. Once he finished high school, he became interested in sciences and languages. Therefore, he enrolled at The University of Costa Rica, where he studied Basic Studies of Biosciences (1988-1990) andModern Languages (1990-1992). During this time Gustavo became fluent in both English and Italian.

His working experience started at age 10 when he was a host of a television program for children (1981-1982). During this time he also harvested coffee in a small rural town during school vacations.His first travels abroad to The United States and Europe taught him the importance of being conscious of other cultures. This awareness is what led him to want to educate people about his own culture and therefore, into the field of Eco-Tourism.

He started working as a guide in February of 1992, because he wanted to be closer to nature as well as to the Costa Rican people. This career shift, as well as his travels to British Virgin Islands, Canada, Ecuador, Europe, Egypt, Mexico’s Baja California, Colombia, Chile, Panama and Nicaragua has made him aware of the importance of nature, its conservation and the world’s cultural heritage. “My experience in the past seventeen years has been invaluable as alicensed naturalist guide. I have worked with groups in Costa Rica’s main continental and marine area, that include: Wholesalers, Photographers, Journalists, Senior Citizens, Families, Students, Naturalists, Farmers and Adventure Travelers. All of these people have been the main inspiration tocontinue with my personal environmental and cultural education”.