At Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, exploring the property can mean heading into the wilderness with someone who knows exactly what to look for.

Francisco Javier León González, known as Paco, is the Resident Biologist at the resort on Mexico’s Pacific coast, where nearly 98 percent of its 3,000-acre private nature reserve is protected from development. Together with a team of resident biologists, he takes guests beyond the usual resort experience and into the landscape that surrounds it.

González, who is from Guadalajara, joined Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo’s opening team in 2021. He has spent more than a decade working in biodiversity research, environmental education, conservation and protected-area management throughout Mexico. After earning his biology degree from the University of Guadalajara, he worked in places including Parque Nacional Nevado de Colima and Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Xcalak, as well as with Fundación de la Costa de Jalisco. His research has covered everything from birds and bats to marine ecosystem restoration.

At Tamarindo, González oversees conservation efforts across the reserve, including wildlife monitoring, reforestation and habitat restoration. He and his team also spend plenty of time with guests, leading experiences designed to show them what’s living and growing just beyond their rooms.

Birdwatching expeditions, for example, take guests into the reserve in search of some of the area’s 13 endemic bird species. On the ethnobotanical walk, the focus shifts to native plants and the ways they have traditionally been used for medicinal purposes. And once the sun goes down, the Small Wonders Night Exploration heads out by lamplight to find the insects and other nocturnal creatures that are easy to miss during the day.

Guests who prefer an early start can join the Feel at One with Nature experience, hiking the reserve’s hills and trails with biologists and researchers while learning more about the plants and wildlife they encounter along the way.

There’s plenty for younger guests, too. The Reserve Scavenger Hunt sends families around the protected landscape following clues, looking for wildlife and solving nature-themed riddles. It’s an easy way to get kids interested in what’s around them without making the experience feel like a science lesson.

For González, getting guests interested in the reserve is part of the conservation work itself. His philosophy is fairly straightforward: the more people understand about the natural world, the more likely they are to want to protect it. So whether he’s pointing out an endemic bird, talking about a native plant or explaining what his team is doing to restore local habitats, he’s giving travelers context they probably wouldn’t get on their own.

It’s also part of a growing hotel trend: properties are bringing in resident experts — from naturalists and marine biologists to historians and astronomers—to give guests a deeper understanding of where they are. Instead of simply booking an excursion, travelers get access to someone who knows the destination inside and out.

And that may be what makes having a resident biologist such an interesting hotel amenity in the first place. Plenty of resorts can arrange a nature walk. It’s another thing to explore with someone who has spent his career studying and protecting the environment you’re walking through.

At Tamarindo, some of the best access doesn’t require a key card. It requires a pair of walking shoes — and a biologist who knows where to take you.