fun2rv

La Iguana Chocolate Plantation

This place is hidden away high in the rainforest. It takes about 1 hour to drive there and the roads are typical Costa Rica dirt roads .... 4 x 4 is a must!! We went to visit it with Andrew, not knowing quite what to expect. This place is an eco-friendly totally self-sufficient farm and it is staffed by volunteers from all over the world. They come and stay for a short time, working for room and board. The driveway gave our 4 x 4 quite a challenge. When we got there we found the volunteers working. The family that runs the plantation has been doing it for years and they have 3 hectares of cocoa plants as well as 30 trees beside the place. We tested several of the chocolates and they are 100% pure with no added sugar. They produce many different flavours as well as cocoa butter products. They sell their products at local markets. The volunteers were from many countries and all ages. I was talking to a girl from Halifax who had been volunteering from Mexico down through Central America and was going to be there for one week. Talk about a small world!

Different types of chocolates

Volunteers working

This is where they grind the cocoa beans

Cocoa plant ready to harvest

Cocoa beans inside the plant. They are covered in a white coating that tastes like citrus.

This small little place is tucked away, high in the rainforest on a terrible road. We were so thrilled to find it and to be able to see their processing. It is another of Costa Rica's little gems.

Pura Vida Botanical Gardens

We can thank Francine for finding another Costa Rica gem! She wanted to visit a botanical garden, so she asked the security guard for a recommendation and he led us to this place. Once again, the trip there was an adventure. It was 5 miles off the main road and when you leave the main road, you are on dirt roads which are an adventure in themselves. We climbed for 5 miles up a very steep road and were totally stunned when we found the place. It is owned by a guy from Austin Texas, who is a retired insurance salesman. He built the place about 12 years ago and now has it for sale for $2,500,000. He has a restaurant which caters to cruise ship passengers as well as large private bookings and he also has a smaller eating area overlooking the waterfall that does private dinners for about $125 per person ..... they drive you there and drive you home afterwards. The meal includes all the food and liquor you can indulge in ... good thing they drive you home.

We took about 3 hours walking around the place and it was VERY hot. We sure got our exercise. The place has a fantastic view of the ocean and I tried to get some photos that would do justice to the place. Please enjoy .... we sure did love this place.