COSTA RICA COFFEE PLANTATION TOURSThere’s nothing better than a cup of coffee in the morning, particularly smooth, mellow, Costa Rica coffee. It was the morning highlight of my Costa Rica vacation before moving here and remains so now that I live in Costa Rica. Costa Rica Arabic coffee (the government only allows Arabic coffee) may be the finest in the world because of its rich volcanic soils and perfect climate.
Today, nearly two million tourists take Costa Rica vacations every year and many Costa Rica coffee plantation tours are now available. I’ve chosen two so you can get a feel for what kind of tours are available when you travel to Costa Rica. Costa Rica vacation tourism isn't really complete without a tour of a Costa Rice coffee plantation. The Cafe Britt Costa Rica Coffee Tour
Since 1991, more than 500,000 people have toured its plantation in Heredia (just outside of San Jose). There are all sorts of tours, from about an hour and a half for typical tourists to four hours for coffee aficionados. There are even tours for folks arriving by cruise ships (they pick you up at the ship for a one day tour experience). If you’re traveling with Princess, Norwegian, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, or Celebrity Cruises, there’ll be a coffee tour available right from your port! As you might imagine, the Café Britt tour has become a major tourist attraction (yea, you’ll find the ubiquitous gift shop and restaurant) in Costa Rica and justifiably so because it’s entertaining and informative---not to mention having great coffees (I’m having a cup right now!). Getting ThereThere are three ways to easily reach Café Britt.You can go by car, use a tour operator (every hotel will have information) or take an express bus to Heredia if you’re on a budget. The bus is cheap and comfortable but you may also need a taxi to get you to the final destination.
Need a bus schedule? Click here
There’s lots of competition out there. And when you get there, you'll find lots of great coffees, candies, and even ice cream. Can you smell the coffee yet? Monteverde Cloudforest Coffee Tour
About four hours northwest of San Jose (on good roads through beautiful mountains), it’s home to more varieties of orchids (500 and counting) than anywhere else in the world and 400 different kinds of birds, including the magnificent Quetzel with its extraordinary tail. Don’t confuse a “cloudforest” with a “rainforest.” They’re not the same. The cloudforest is above the rainforest with less rain but high year-round humidity leaving an almost surreal appearance.
See more about Monteverde here, click
This Costa Rica coffee tour is notable because it’s run in conjunction with the Santa Elena Cooperative, a fair-trade organization ensuring the farmers a fair price for their product. You’ll have the choice of a two or four hour tour (8:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.) in very tranquil plantations having spectacular views of the Gulf of Nicoya. From the fields, you’ll head over to the processing mill and roaster purchased with help from Americans so that the little coop can keep its profits within the community. Nearly every family is a member of the coop (the main source of income here). This is a beautiful, tranquil world, well worth a short visit. You'll see a real commitment to sustainable development. Lower grade coffee beans are locally consumed, water from coffee processing is recycled, organic wastes and coffee pulp are made into organic fertilizers for local crops, and coffee plant fibers and shells from the beans are used to make "Ecobambu' into beautiful hand-pressed papers, bags, cards, and notebooks.
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