About Nicolas Wessberg and Karen Mogenson

Olaf Wessberg, the founder of Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve, Costa Rica’s first National Park

In Costa Rica Olaf Wessberg is rather known as Nicolas Wessberg, his second name, while his family at home used to call him Olle.

Wedding Picture of Karen Mogenson and Olaf Wessberg back home in Sweden in 1952. In 1954 the young couple emigrated to Costa Rica.

Karen once had a dream where she saw themselves living in a tropical paradise landscape. In Montezuma they found the land she had seen in her dream and they bought a piece of land.

Read the full story:
Olaf Wessberg and the Creation of Costa Rica’s first National Park
(print optimized PDF. Great travel reading)

Their farm was located on the northern end of Montezuma beach, near today’s Nicolas Wessberg Nature Reserve. They built a simple thatched rancho, right in front of the beach.

Back to Nature…

Karen and Olle grew all kind of fruit, vegetables and corn in their orchard. Water was brought to the rancho from a nearby river by a wooden tube system.

After her husband’s death Karen had a small hotel in the center of Montezuma town. It was located on the site of today’s Sano Banano Hotel.

Pictures are courtesy of Eva, Ulf and Björn Tellow