
Protopia Community
An arts, activism, and sustainability community deep in the Costa Rican jungle. Not a place where you get serviced. A place where you take part.
Use this code when booking directly with this co-living.
Meet the host
Alban Geci
Contact
albangeci@gmail.com
+50683330637

About
Protopia is not just a co-living. It started as an office in the jungle, a place for software developers and changemakers to do projects together, and the co-living grew from that. It is an off-grid arts and activist sustainability center, set on a regenerative farm with primary forest, waterfalls, and a volcano view movement space. Most of the materials used to build it came from the property itself. When you zoom out on a drone, it is just jungle all around, and then there is this place. The main space, the honey house, is completely open to the elements. You eat together, cook together, and choose what to cook together. Every meal is buffet style, three times a day, with international cuisine. The community runs on something close to sociocracy, which means horizontal organization, open meetings, and real roles. There is a farm manager, a kitchen manager, circles for marketing, for art. Nobody is in charge in the traditional sense. The day has a rhythm: morning movement overlooking the volcano, breakfast, a morning check-in, an optional unconference talk before lunch, an afternoon workshop or workout or waterfall dip, dinner, and then something co-created around the fire. Friday nights there is a mindful party. Weekends the group sometimes heads to nearby hot springs, the lake, or a hike. Nothing is forced. You can come and work and just enjoy what is here. But people tend to stay in their rooms mostly for sleeping, because the rest of the place is too beautiful to ignore. This is a complex place. From the setting to the philosophy and ideas. What it really is, is an experiment in multiculturalism and community. People from all over the world come together, trust builds quickly because of the seclusion, and something different happens here than what you find in a regular hostel or a regular co-living.Work & WiFi
- Starlink internet with 100 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload
- Backup 4G/5G hotspot and a point-to-point connection for redundancy
- Dedicated coworking space with up to 20 workstations
- Some ergonomic chairs available
- Private phone booth for calls
- No wired ethernet
- Power outages are essentially never, with generator or UPS backup on site
Community & Social
- The community runs a full daily program, all optional but most people join in
- Morning movement in the volcano-view octagon space, rotating between yoga, qigong, dance, and meditation
- Breakfast together, then a morning check-in open to everyone
- Before lunch, an optional unconference talk where anyone including guests can open a discussion or share a concept
- Afternoon workshops cover farming, natural building, fermentation, cooking, workouts, hikes, tech, art, and content creation
- After dinner there is fire chat, music, cards, or something co-created
- Friday nights are a mindful party, sometimes with a fire show or music, occasionally a trip to a local bar or into San Jose for a rave
- Weekly community circle around the fire or with cacao for emotional check-in and reflection
- Weekend group trips to nearby attractions
- Two weekly team meetings, both open to everyone
- The feeling, as Alban describes it, is one of real trust
- Because people are somewhat secluded together, they open up faster than in a city co-working space
- There is a lot of psychological development, reflection, feedback, and collaboration on projects
- It genuinely feels like community, not like a hostel
- The space also runs with horizontal organization through sociocracy, which means guests can get involved in real decisions, real circles, and sometimes even end up working with the team
Comfort & Living
- 14 rooms and units total across private cabins, private rooms, and dorm beds
- Private cabins are glass-enclosed, spacious, with ensuite bathrooms, a working desk, fast internet, and full jungle immersion
- Private rooms are simple, clean, and cute with shared bathrooms
- Dorm beds are clean and spacious with shared bathrooms
- Double, queen, and single beds available
- Quiet hours from 9pm to 7am are well respected
- Lock on every room
- Free drinking water, coffee, and tea included
- Weekly room cleaning included
- Fresh linens and towels provided
- No air conditioning and no heating, but the climate is warm without being too hot
- No unlimited electricity, meaning no hair straighteners or similar high-draw appliances
- No swimming pool, though there are waterfalls on the property
- Some rooms have blackout curtains
- Enough space for a yoga mat in every room
Location & Surroundings
- Located in La Cabanga, Cote District, in northern Costa Rica, next to Lake Arenal
- Roughly 2 hours from Liberia airport and 3,5 hours from San Jose airport
- The nearest village is a 20-minute walk
- The nearest town with banks and services is 7 kilometers away
- Lake Arenal and its attractions are 14 kilometers away
- Nearest supermarket is 20 minutes away
- Local taxis available for trips to La Fortuna, Arenal, and surrounding areas
- Public bus available to the airport
- A car is helpful but not required
- The area is rural, not touristy, and completely safe
- The property is attached to a large natural nature preservation area
- Hot springs, volcano hikes, paddle boarding, and lake swimming are all nearby for weekend trips
Perfect for
Nature lovers who want to be genuinely immersed, not just close to green. People who enjoy eating and building something with others. Artists, makers, activists, social scientists, and curious digital nomads. Those interested in farming, sustainability, or natural building. People who want psychological depth, real connection across cultures, and a community rhythm that supports focused work too. Comfortable with rural off-grid life.
Not right for
Not for anyone looking for nightlife, party hostels, or easy beach access. Not for those who need climate control, a pool, or unlimited electricity. Not for people who want to stay enclosed or feel uncomfortable around nature sounds and the elements. Not suited for those who want to be serviced rather than participate. Not an ashram either. Walls in the private rooms and dorms are thin, so light sleepers may want a private cabin.
Protopia Community
An arts, activism, and sustainability community deep in the Costa Rican jungle. Not a place where you get serviced. A place where you take part.
Use this code when booking directly with this co-living.
Meet the host
Alban Geci
Contact
albangeci@gmail.com
+50683330637
Amenities
40 amenities available
Amenities
40 amenities available
How to book
- Step 1: Use code CCPCCR for 10% off the monthly price.
- Step 2: Contact via email at albangeci@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +50683330637.
- Step 3: More information at https://protopia.community.
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