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Fabrica de Carretas Eloy Alfaro - On this tour you will be visiting the picturesque town of Sarchi and its colourful souvenir stores and oxcart factories.
Eloy Alfaro was the pioneer Oxcart Factory and till now they have the first water mill used in the factory. At this time it is a living musseum of the history of Sarchi.
Now days, enjoy the large souvenir store with many and diverse souvenirs hand crafted. -
Alajuela - Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica located just besides the Capital City San Jose. It is the province where is located the international airport. The province offer many touristy attractions, including volcanoes, waterfalls, coffee plantations, dairy farms and more.
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Sarchi - Sarchi Norte and Sarchi Sur are the most famous craft center in Costa Rica. The city has more than 200 stores and small factories that function as family businesses for woodworking. They produce wooden bowls, tableware, folding furniture, wooden and leather rocking chairs and a wide variety of souvenir craft items. The most popular items are the elaborately painted “ox carts” that traditionally transported coffee from the Central Valley to the port on the Pacific coast. Today it is the canton where the world’s largest cart is located. The Sarchi furniture have an internationally recognized design and quality and are a true national icon.
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Fabrica de Carretas Joaquin Chaverri - Carretas Chaverri Sarchi’s oldest and best-known factory is 1.5km southeast of the plaza in Sarchi Town. Here you can buy souvenirs and watch artisans hand-building and painting the area’s famous oxcarts in the small studio in the back.
- Private transportation
- Lunch included
- Souvenir store visits
- Dedicated tour guide
A trip to Sarchi offers an enriching insight into the artistic traditions of Costa Rica, as this humble town is universally recognized as the origin of the country’s handicrafts.
The oxcart, a quintessential symbol of Costa Rica, has a critical role in the nation’s past. They were essential for hauling coffee beans and a range of goods to regional and distant markets and ports from the 1840s. The state of the rural roads back then made the oxcart the only viable means of transportation for families, despite journeys sometimes extending to several weeks.
These oxcarts are intricately decorated, carved elegantly, and typically painted by hand with vibrant colors. This tradition of painting the oxcart has been a consistent part of Costa Rican cultural heritage, handed down across generations. Sarchi is also home to the oldest and largest oxcart factory, the Joaquin Chaverri Oxcart Factory, established in 1902 and acknowledged as the cradle of oxcart craftsmanship in Costa Rica.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
