Owners John and Kathleen Erb created Rancho Naturalista in 1987 with the idea of attracting lepidopterists, they soon realized that their patch of forest was a haven for many intriguing birds and from this time onwards it has been a world renowned birding lodge. The Erb’s preserved the fine existing forest and began reforesting parts of the property that had previously been farmed for pineapples, coffee and black pepper in small plantations. This reforestation process continues today with the aim of re-linking the Rancho Naturalista forest to the surrounding areas and thereby protecting the environment.