Costa Rica Traditions & Culinary Delights

Discover how coffee is processed at one of the country’s largest plantations and watch artisans hand-craft oxcarts, which have become a national symbol of Costa Rica. At the family-owned Doka Estate, you will observe the steps involved in producing premium coffee, including the use of the country’s oldest wet mill. The aroma of the roasting beans will whet your appetite for the coffee tasting and traditional lunch that follows. Deeper in the fertile Central Valley, you will find Sarchi, a town synonymous with fine arts and crafts, especially hand-painted oxcarts. Established in 1923, Eloy Alfaro remains the only factory in Costa Rica that still uses water-powered machinery to produce their iconic wooden oxcarts. The guide will elaborate on the production details and how traditional two-wheeled oxcarts were once used to transport crops and even as ambulances. The factory also created the world’s largest oxcart, an enormous two-ton version that you will behold in a nearby square.