Green Circle aims to be recognized as 'the most sustainable experience in the greenest country in the world' by renting electric cars to tourists

Living the experience of sustainable tourism in Costa Rica, the greenest country in the world, is the objective of the non-profit company The Green Circle, which has two aspects of operation.

The first axis is the Green Circle Experience, which allows tourists to live a green experience in the most sustainable country in the world.

Each vehicle must be rented for a minimum of two weeks which is the duration of the tours, organized by the parent company Edventure. The tours include stops are around five hotels and travel through beaches, mountains and jungles while enjoying relaxing hotels and adventurous activities. For example, The Green Circle currently has a two week tour available that travels from San José, Costa Rica's capital, starting at the Grano de Oro hotel. Visitors will then drive a BYD Tang with a 500 km range to the Tree House Lodge in Punta Uva a beach town in the country's caribbean coast. Then they will drive to Hotel Selva Bananito in the Talamanca mountains, Hacienda La Isla in the Braulio Carrillo national park, Maquenque Eco Lodge bordering the San Carlos river, Rancho Margot in the volcano town of La Fortuna, Hotel Belmar in the cloud forrest of Monteverde, and finally Ylang Ylang Beach Resort in Montezuma on the Nicoya peninsula. There are eight other routes to choose from in the following list. To book a trip or learn more contact info@edventure-travel.com, chat on WhatsApp or fill in a form at edventure-travel.com/contact.

The first is Green Circle Wheels, which acts as a platform to rent out its zero-emission vehicles to environmentally conscious tourists who want to enjoy exploring the country without leaving a carbon footprint, similar to what happens with the hosting platform, Airbnb.

"I joined Green Circle because it offers great sustainable potential, it is also a great economic opportunity. I can park my car and rent it when I am not using it and generate extra income, it is the best of both worlds. It is sustainable and economically attractive" said Eric Orlich, a user of Green Circle Wheels and president of the Costa Rican sustainable mobility association.

Currently you can drive a Jaguar I-Pace, a BYD Tang, or an AION V, among others. All models are SUVs designed to perform on any terrain and have more than 350 kilometers of autonomy. As of this year, Green Circle Wheels will have 8 vehicles in total. All wrapped in their distinctive tropical themes.

“At Maquenque Eco Lodge we try to give back to nature a little of what it gives us. We believe in the environmental education project that is The Green Circle. We respect the flora and fauna and we try to generate the least impact. As a hotel we give our visitors a personalized treatment and with the commitment to protect and care for the nature they are visiting”, said Oscar Artavia, general manager of Maquenque Eco Lodge located in San Carlos.

All hotels included in the tour package have fast charging stations for electric vehicles allowing for direct travel between destinations.

Another of the positive impacts of Green Circle Wheels is helping to conserve nature. The money clients invest in the vehicles will go to different eco-friendly and social associations, for example to the protection of jaguars.

“Green Circle Experience is part of the Edventure Travel company and we invite travelers to come and experience the real Costa Rica in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. We want to give this concept a deeper meaning by striving to leave nothing but footprints,” said Ed Smit, founder of Green Circle.

This project has crossed borders and even National Geographic Traveler in the Netherlands made a report on this initiative.

Green Circle was born in 2014 and in 2018 they were the first to rent plug-in hybrid vehicles in Costa Rica.

Over the years, the number of available vehicles has increased and currently they only operate 100% electric, although they do not rule out using models that are recharged with solar panels or even hydrogen in the future.

This rental also allows the user to reduce the high costs of gasoline and change it for electricity that is up to seven times cheaper, eliminate maintenance costs and benefit from tax exemptions.