Farm Tours
Agriculture is the second most important industry in the GDP of Costa Rica, number one is tourism—combine the two and visit a typical Talamancan Farm. Only 10% of all fruits are economically recognizable in the global market, try a fruit you may never have heard of; a water apple, a Biribá, mammon chino, or what ever exotic fruit is in season.
Chimuri Family Farm
Hike the jungle areas of a family farm in Chimuri traditional Indigenous Farm and private forest reserve; try fruits you’ve never heard of, learn about natural history & local folklore.
3-4 hours
Here the Salazar family has planted a variety of tropical fruit trees, hardwoods necessary for the wildlife here, tubers, breadfruit, pejiballe, local banana, the plaintain which has lent it’s name to our Reserve, the “Chimuri” plaintain. (Chimuri is the BriBri word for the sweet ripe banana or plantain.)
Get to know this farm nestled in the jungle and hike through the other two-thirds of the property which is strictly protected primary and secondary forest.
Follow a ravine and a river that criss-crosses the land and offers a view of several small waterfalls.
See a traditional BriBri dwelling (ranchito) and learn about techniques of it’s construction and the BriBri daily life today and throughout history.
You your self can pick the different seasonal fruits right from the tree. See the tree that produces a fruit that we could not live without—Chocolate! Depending on the season, you’ll have the opportunity to taste other tropical fruits that you may never have even heard of before—mammon chino; a beautiful spiky red fruit, the Creole lime, the mangostan, the Columbian zapote, the custard-like biribá, and homegrown starfruit grapefruit, pineapple or Banana—ask your guide about the banana industry and you’ll never eat a commercially grown banana again.
Throughout the walk, you’ll encounter and learn about medicinal plants used traditionally by indigenous folks and fruits, plants and wild edible fruits that have been part of the indigenous diet since ancient times.
This visit also allows you the chance to get to know some of Talamanca’s favorite birds: Toucans, parrots, hawks, mannequins, tanagers, hummingbirds, magpies, woodpeckers, as well as birds endemic to Talamanca and so much more.
On the Chimuri Reserve, over 400 different species of birds have been recorded and your guide knows the songs and habits of them all!
This tour can have a focus on the traditional Talamancan Farm, on bird watching, on Indigenous medicinal plants, on local development—sustainable and otherwise--BriBri folklore and history.
This guide is one of ATEC’s founding members, an active participant in protection and conservation of Talamanca’s culture and nature, a fabulous story-teller and a treasure to our community.
$20 ~4 hours.
$35 tour the traditional Indigenous farm and explore KèköLdi Indigenous Reserve.
Yüe-Eco-Agro Project**
Spend the day with this women’s cooperative group who got together to invite in visitosr to learn about organic bananas, check out their greenhouse, and see how their pigs generate gas to cook their food (—yes, it’s totally sanitary) while improving their standard of living and continuing to live in the eco-friendly way that they always have—it’s Eco-tourism at its best.
from 3 hour visit or a 2 day package –see tour # 7 for more details on el Yüe.
This women’s group initiative comprised of banana and vegetables growers has developed alternative activities to allow them to improve their standard of living while being eco-friendly. Visiting this project benefits local families and local development while promoting nature conservation efforts, such as reforestation, environmental education, environmental crime watch.
El Yüe Agroeco Farm Day Visit:
Meet the women’s association, hike through the tropical forest, observe endangered tree species and our organic bananas—you’ll never eat a corporate banana again—check out the Carbon River, & learn about our eco-friendly practices: the biodigestor to produce natural gas for cooking, the Medicinal Garden, & our organic green house.
Cost: $20 about 3 hours
See TOUR #7 for more info on el Yüe Eco-Agro Project.
Community of San Miguel*
Spend a couple of hours or days on a campesino farm. See tour # 26 for more details on this community.
Volunteer packages
Volunteer on a Farm in San Miguel:
Learn the campesino way of life first hand; learning adventure, lodging, 3 meals/day: Cost: $35 /day; less if you stay a while.
See Tour # 26 for more details on the Community of San Miguel
Chocolate Tour
Learn how a cacao—chocolate— farm functions, A day trip up in Alta Talamanca
Located in the heart of the Talamanca Reserve, the Shiroles indigenous community is one of Costa Rica’s largest. With the Association of Indigenous Bribrí Women of Talamanca.—ACOMUITA.—you’ll see the reality of their lifestyle from a woman’s perspective. Through this eco-tourism project the Association leads social, economic, and cultural projects. Your visit contributes to the finance of these activities that benefit low income families.
Start your visit with a nice cup of home made hot chocolate. Get involved with the process of producing chocolate from the tree on the farm, to the drying in the sun, the work in the kitchen, and the sampling of the final product.
Cost: $35 Day Trip
SEE TOUR # 8 for more details on ACOMUITA.
Casa Calateas
A two day package in the campesino community of Carbon 1. See the description in tour #29 for more info on Calateas.
Casa Calateas is and Agro-Eco-Lodge that was created by a group of campesinos in order find alternative means of dealing with the exploitation of nature and of the community of Carbon 1. The lodge is surrounded by an exuberant tropical humid forest with an amazing number of wild birds. Casa Calateas is a great central location for visiting KèköLdi Indigenous Reserve, Cahuita National Park,& this rural community. We invite you to enjoy the natural beauty of Casa Calateas and help us make our dream come true.
Learn More:
Flora: Trees and Plants, and their Practical Uses
The Indigenous, Afro-Caribbean, and Latino people have long utilized the resources of the forest in their day-to-day lives — for food, the construction of houses, crafts, as well as “bush medicine”. These groups have developed a rich knowledge of the medicinal plants of the forest, and although injections and pills are used today, they are frequently accompanied by this “bush medicine”. See page 48 for tour. You can also arrange a visit to a local farm to sample local produce Page 41 or visit Finca La Isla’s Botanical Garden in Puerto Viejo—open Friday through Monday or call for an appointment. 2750 0046.
Despite the pungent taste and smell of Noni (Morinda citrifolia), which is also referred to as the blue-cheese fruit, both the pulp and the fermented juice of this fruit are used to maintain health. It has been said to boost the immune system, improve circulation, energy, and digestion, and is also used for healthy skin and hair, and even to treat insect bites — a general cure-all, but only if you can get past the smell. It smells so bad it was long believed to be poisonous. If you are struck down with a stomach ache — or even a self-inflicted hangover — hombre grande (Quassia Amara) can help sooth your stomach and to cleanse your system, pipa water (from green coconuts) will do the trick, and it tastes great too!
Visitors to the Talamanca Coast are usually first struck by the expanse of coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) that line the sandy beaches. Growing to 100 feet and bearing over 40 coconuts yearly, these trees have been of major importance to the coastal residents as a source of food, oil, and materials for mats and shelters. Early settlers planted “coconut walks” along the sea, however because a seed (coconut) is able to retain its germinating power after four months of floating in the sea, many coconuts grew by themselves. In your walks along coastal paths, you might come upon evidence (husks, large pots, and homemade graters) of people continuing to undertake the laborious process of producing coconut oil.
Throughout the coast, you will see cacao or chocolate trees (Theobroma cacao) with their large seedpods. Cacao originated in tropical America, was an important beverage in the Indigenous cultures, and was the primary source of income for the coastal settlers. The farmers planted cacao under towering rainforest trees, making use of their shade and soil protection. Tragically, in the 1970’s, monilia, a kind of fungus, made its way to our coast attacking the cacao trees and destroying the farmers’ crops. Consequently, many farmers were forced to sell their farms. However, there are organic chocolate producing cooperatives today. APPTA the Association of Small Organic Producers of Talamanca (http://www.appta.org) and ACAPRO (http://www.acapro-cr.org) are examples of organic producers. You can still go visit chocolate farms. ACOMUITA and El Yüe are women’s cooperatives that are successful examples of groups of agriculturalists making a living from and “eco-agro” project that combines ecotourism and agriculture. See page 45 & X.
Check the trees in people’s yards or take a guided walk into a typical Talamancan farm and you might see the calabash or gourd tree (Crescentia cujete). These trees with their short trunks and long spreading branches bear numerous round green fruits that grow up to 12 inches in diameter. Both the Indigenous peoples and the Caribbean villagers hollowed out these fruits to make containers for food and water.
African-Caribbean settlers brought the cola nut tree (Cola acuminata) to the Talamanca in the 1800’s. Originally, a native of West Africa, this tree provided the original flavoring to Coca-Cola. For the local African-Caribbean population, the pods produced by this tree were grated and used to make “busy tea”, which gave energy. Tea is also made from lemon grass (locally known as “fever grass") that is used for the treatment of flu symptoms.
In the rainforest, stop and admire the ceiba or silk cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra). It is one of the largest trees in the forest and was held sacred by the Ancient Mayas who believed that it was the source of humankind. For the BriBrí, the Ceiba Tree was the mother of Tbekol, the big snake, and therefore was also viewed as sacred and untouchable. One legend states that the ancients buried their dead at the roots of these trees so the soul of the departed would grow up the tree to ascend into the heavens. The trunks are thick with branches sticking out at right angles. The seeds of the tree are in black oblong capsules, three to six inches long. These capsules contain “kapok”, used to stuff mattresses and pillows.
Indigenous people throughout Latin America have used the oily red dye from the seeds of the achiote (Bixa orellana) as a body decoration since pre-Colombian times. A diluted form of the dye produced by this tree (a native of Costa Rica) has been used more recently adapted for dying food products such as margarine and cheddar cheese yellow.
The sandbox tree (Hura crepitans) continues to be an important tree of the forest for villagers who fell them to make dugout canoes. The latex sap of the tree is poisonous and traditionally used by Indigenous people to stun and catch fish. Canoe makers drain out the sap before working the wood into a boat. The tree can grow to immense heights of 135 feet and nine feet in diameter. You will probably identify it first by its bark, densely covered with small spines, not one to grab onto as you descend a steep, muddy trail.
As you walk along coastal trails or into the “bush”, another plant to notice is the dragon blood plant (cordyline terminalis). This leafy ornamental plant grows eight or nine feet high and has showy leaves of brilliant red or green. Early settlers planted it to denote farm boundaries. In many places, it is still respected as a natural fence.
Ask a local about their knowledge of the moon and its effect on the weather, fishing, and planting and harvesting — even one’s attitude. You’ll come to expect rain when the “moon is changing up” and learn when to cut thatch for your roof so it won’t “fill with Worms.” Be careful of someone who “work with the moon”
Taking Care of Sibö’s Gifts mentions some of the medicinal plants used by KèköLdi people and What Happen mentions some of the traditional Caribbean cures. For more information, talk to the people—or “if a cold take you”, ask what to do and you’ll learn much about traditional cures.
