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Chocolate Tour: Taste Costa Rican Cacao
4.7
16 Ratings
La Virgen
Embark on a private cacao experience in the rainforest, exploring Tirimbina’s lush surroundings and crossing the longest hanging bridge in the region. Indulge in the delectable flavors of chocolate and learn about the process of making it. Book now!
Embark on a private cacao experience in the rainforest, exploring Tirimbina’s lush surroundings and crossing the longest hanging bridge in the region. Indulge in the delectable flavors of chocolate and learn about the process of making it. Book now!
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Tirimbina Biological Reserve - Tirimbina is a private biological reserve situated in the Sarapiqui region. Here, the chocolate tour is conducted in a historic cocoa plantation. Additionally, the reserve boasts the longest hanging bridge in Costa Rica.
- Braulio Carrillo National Park - Braulio Carrillo National Park is among the largest…
- Tirimbina Biological Reserve - Tirimbina is a private biological reserve situated in the Sarapiqui region. Here, the chocolate tour is conducted in a historic cocoa plantation. Additionally, the reserve boasts the longest hanging bridge in Costa Rica.
- Braulio Carrillo National Park - Braulio Carrillo National Park is among the largest protected areas in Costa Rica, covering 50,000 hectares. It is located in one of the country’s most rugged terrains, north of the Central Valley in the Central Volcanic Range, between the Poas and Irazu Volcanoes. This magnificent natural wonder includes the Barva and Cacho Negro volcanoes.
The park reaches a maximum elevation of 9,534 feet (2,906 meters) above sea level at the summit of Barva Volcano, with temperatures ranging from a minimum of 37.4°F (3°C) to a maximum of 75.6°F (24°C). The park’s significant altitudinal variation results in diverse precipitation levels, from 8.2 feet (2,500 mm) on the slopes facing the Central Valley to 18.8 feet (5,734 mm) on the Caribbean slope.
- Sarapiqui River - The Sarapiquà River, or Rio SarapiquÃ, in Costa Rica is a tributary of the San Juan River and marks the eastern boundary of Sarapiquà Canton. The surrounding area is predominantly lowland tropical rainforest, rich in lush vegetation and a wide array of plant, animal, and insect species. During the tour, participants will appreciate the river’s beauty and cross a long suspension bridge over it. The Tirimbina Reserve is located right next to this river.
What's Included
- 100% private deluxe transportation
- 2 hours chocolate tour at Tirimbina Reserve
- Professional naturalist tour guide
- Delicious lunch
- Bottle of water
- 100% private deluxe transportation
- 2 hours chocolate tour at Tirimbina Reserve
- Professional naturalist tour guide
- Delicious lunch
- Bottle of water
What's Not Included
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tips for tour guides
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tips for tour guides
Additional Information
Your breathtaking journey begins with a hotel pickup and a serene private drive through the stunning Costa Rican countryside in a deluxe, air-conditioned vehicle.
The tour is set in a private biological reserve in Sarapiqui, a charming town in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, just two hours from the capital.
Join the ultimate chocolate tour and savor…
Your breathtaking journey begins with a hotel pickup and a serene private drive through the stunning Costa Rican countryside in a deluxe, air-conditioned vehicle.
The tour is set in a private biological reserve in Sarapiqui, a charming town in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, just two hours from the capital.
Join the ultimate chocolate tour and savor one of the rainforest’s most delicious treats. This tour guides you through Tirimbina’s rainforest, crossing the region’s longest hanging bridge to a traditional cacao plantation. You’ll have the chance to taste cacao beans at various stages of the chocolate-making process and participate in different preparations, so come with a hearty appetite!
This interactive experience allows you to learn all about chocolate and create your own bar using a variety of local ingredients.
- Child and infant rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Location
Tirimbina Biological Reserve
Route 126
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(16 Ratings)
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Susan_h
Mar 21, 2025
Sweet! - The private tour was a splurge but it was the only way I could find to do the chocolate tour from San Jose, and I’m so glad we did. Getting to see the chocolate-making process, with tastings along the way, from A to Z is very cool. Bonus points for wildlife.
Review provided by Viator
Go11319215363
Mar 18, 2025
Highly recommend this tour - Excellent tour. Our driver and tour guide, Josue, was very informative. professional and friendly. He was very thoughtful taking us to see a couple of extra sights, i.e. stopping by a coffee plantation and looking for sloths. The chocolate tour at Tirimbina Reserve was also excellent and a lot of fun. Our chocolate tour guide was very knowledgeable about chocolate, the hands-on demonstration was very fun and the reserve was beautiful. We all had a great time and even got to see Howler monkeys and a sloth. So glad we took this tour. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jktakenaka
Nov 25, 2023
So worthwhile! A delicious and informative way to experience chocolate from raw bean to table. - Although the drive is long (2 hours from San Jose), the trip and tour were TOTALLY worth it! During the drive out (in a super comfortable bus) our guides from Greenway pointed out sights, information, and wildlife along the way.
At Tirimbina, they handed us off to a naturalist from the ecological preserve that walked us out to the chocolate tour. The presentation on the preserve took us on a historical, culinary, and sensory experience from raw beans through processed chocolate. We were able to experience and sample throughout the presentation and it was honestly some of the best chocolate we’ve ever tried. It was delicious and really fun, and the park is gorgeous and teeming with wildlife.
After the chocolate tour we stopped for lunch in a location that had a ton of birds and other creatures to see (frogs, coati, etc)
I should perhaps mention that the chocolate sampled is on the pure/more bitter end of the chocolate spectrum. My kids (who are now college students) agreed they might not have appreciated the flavors when they were younger and prefered sweeter chocolate.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C5940snkathym
Apr 7, 2023
Excellent experience - The tour guide was fantastic with a lot of personality! Both in your and chocolate demo. I would recommend leaving time if you can to take the trails along the rainforest. Highly recommend the trip
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Erika
Mar 11, 2023
Nature and sweetness - Perfect private tour for your group. Leonardo was our great driver, and Francisco was our wonderful guide that was a world of knowledge. He was able to answer our questions and gave us all the highlights of the country as we went along our ride. The Trimbina Biological Reserve is an amazing place. Our guide, Walter and our chocolateir Cristian made the tour a fun experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gingerz7
Dec 4, 2022
Fun and educational chocolate-making experience. - Our guide, Willam, who was knowledgeable and funny, took us across a long, high, hanging bridge. Views were great. We saw a Howler monkey and a huge Iguana. Further along, we saw more monkeys and a Bullet Ant (if it bites you, it feels like you've been shot, and the pain lasts for 24 hours). We saw wild vanilla plants and then we came to the cocoa plants.
William took us to a little pavilion, where he and Juan showed us how chocolate was made, using the same ingredients and processes that the Indigenous people used. It was fascinating and delicious.
Afterward, we had lunch in the restaurant on site. It was all excellent..
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mueller1939
Mar 31, 2022
My wife and I were the... - My wife and I were the only passengers. However the guide and driver gave us the entire package.
They were very knowledgeable and did an excellent job.
Review provided by Viator
Stephen_h
Mar 14, 2020
Perfect from the start! - We were recommended by a close friend to try a coffee or chocolate tour. His recommendation turned out to payout so much in the positive I cannot thank him enough; but I would caveat that the experience we had that was so meaningful all started with our driver/guide Geraldo!
Geraldo showed up on time, greeted us, got us to the car, which was clean, nice and very comfortable. Our conversations just seemed to flow as if we had known each other for a life time; talking about everything and anything and providing us with great insight on Costa Rica. The drive was long, but didn't seem that way because of the good conversations had by us all. Once we arrived at the bioreserve; Geraldo got us all squared away with the tour company and because we had a considerable amount of time before the tour; he took us on a mini tour which allowed us to see a sloth and most importantly to me; a poison dart frog! My hearing is pretty bad, but Geraldo was able to focus in on the singing little guy and point it out for me to grab a picture of it! We got back and went on our tour with Walter. Walter did a great job sharing the history of the park and the fauna and animals that we saw. After our tour we went back to the tour area and sat down in the restaurant. Shortly after our arrival, Geraldo showed up and asked about the chocolate...We were puzzled and stated there was no chocolate on the tour. He instantly jumped to his feet and took off. After a little bit of time had passed he arrived and we very apologetic...it seems the bioreserve had made a mistake and booked us on a walking tour and not the chocolate tour. Geraldo asked us if we had time to go back out on the actual chocolate tour and we were totally fine with it. Geraldo, that short period of time had engaged his company, the bioreserve company and worked out what went wrong and how to resolve it. After a very delicious lunch (I loved the ribs) we were off again with Walter, but this time to the small chocolate plantation on the bioreserve. Very informative, very interesting, but my wife found out that fresh chocolate with lots of cocoa is very bitter! Additionally to having the correct tour, we had a chance to see a basilisk sunning itself on a rock in the river and a mother sloth with her baby! We were back with Geraldo and on the road back to the hotel, the conversations continued to flow and Geraldo offered some extra stops for photos, but we knew we had those stops on another tour and passed so that he could get home at a reasonable hour.
We cannot recommend Geraldo and Greenway Nature Day Tours enough; great communications from start to finish and they are definitely above the rest when it comes to their customer experience!
Review provided by Viator
1812nielsk
Feb 10, 2020
Very inspiring and exciting - A pretty good guide showed us around and told us in a vivid way about the production of cocoa. We were involved in the whole process and you can taste under the road.
You’ll appreciate the taste of chocolate better when you’ve become a little smarter.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Becky
Jul 28, 2023
NOT WORTH IT!! - We paid for a private tour and didn’t get a private tour. 8 more people were added to my group. Also for that amount of money it was truly NOT worth what we got for it. Crossing a hanging bridge and a lesson on chocolate THAT WAS IT!! NOT WORTH IT AT ALL.
Review provided by Viator
