La Iguana Chocolate — Attraction in Chires

My favorite experience in Costa Rica!

Things to note: -Email ahead of time to schedule appointments, we emailed the day before. But, we came in the rainy season so not sure if they need more of a notice in the busier dry season -They take cash or card (USD or colones accepted) -Have 4x4 vehicle for the road -Leave 15 minutes earlier than the time says on Waze, road is not dangerous but if you aren’t used to driving in Costa Rica you will want to take it slow -Make sure you get the lunch as well, best food I had in Costa Rica! -Tours can be in Spanish or English, not sure about other languages but can email to ask. We did the tour in English and could understand everything very well!

Reasons I loved this tour: (Don’t read if you want to be surprised) -We were the only ones of the tour (we went during a weekday during the rainy season) -Truly a family farm, 3 generations of cacao farming and the family all lives on the farm -We saw toucans and parrots on the farm -Farm is a food forest of different types of plants, fruits, and herbal medicines. -She explained and let us try different herbal medicinal plants when I told her I was interested in them and explained each one and the benefits -We got to try the raw cacao fruit, it was delicious!! -They grow all different types of fruits and also vanilla and cinnamon and she explained how it is harvested and pollinated and the whole process -She goes through all of the different steps to process the cacao into cacao nibs, then let us help grind it down to make the traditional drink and truffles -The chocolate doesn’t have palm oil or essential oil flavorings in them so they are natural and definitely pure in flavor (part of the reason we chose this specific chocolate tour) -The lunch was absolutely delicious and she asked in the beginning of the tour if we had any allergies or food concerns, so this would definitely be safe for someone to eat if they are vegetarian, vegan, or had specific allergies. Just let them know in the beginning when you check in. -You can buy the chocolate made there at the end of the tour, also had other souvenirs. -Very kind and great family. Would recommend this to anyone if you are looking to experience culture,...

Where to even start! This was a highlight of our trip to Costa Rica. This beautiful, multi-generational farm is set high up in the mountains- believe them when they say you need 4WD. The tour is well planned out and incredibly detailed. Mariana gives an amazing education on the process of making chocolate and also the sustainable farming practices they employ. On a short walk we learned about several of the plants and trees they cultivate on the land- cacao, vanilla, black pepper, ginger, turmeric, bananas, sour sop etc. We go to take part in grinding and preparing the cacao that we then used to make drinks and truffles. We also had delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies with chocolate sauce. Mariana is so knowledgeable and also so kind. While we enjoyed our delicious lunch (best food of our trip!) she whisked my 2.5 year old away to meet cats and chickens so I could enjoy my lunch. My kiddo LOVED IT, as did my in-laws in their 70s. The chocolate is phenomenal! We also got to see Toucans, green parakeets and scarlet macaws. Anytime we come back to the area with new friends this will be on our list. DO NOT SKIP THE LUNCH! Thank you Mariana for a beautiful and...

If you are looking for an authentic chocolate tour experience that isn’t touristy than come here! Our tour had 4 people, my boyfriend and I and one other couple which was perfect. The farm is family owned and our guide Jorge was great. He was very knowledgeable and took pride in teaching us how to make chocolate. The farm is located up a long dirt road which you will need to drive on for about 45 minutes. I definitely suggest a 4X4. But, the views are amazing and it was totally worth it. We did not have an appointment prior to our arrival and they were able to accommodate us. But, you can email them if you prefer having a reservation before you arrive. The price was $34 per person. This includes a tour and explanation how chocolate is made, a hot chocolate drink, chocolate cookies, a free small chocolate bar, lots of chocolate to try throughout, and you get to create your own chocolate by choosing the % of cocoa, milk, cocoa butter, and sugar. I hope this review helps when you are trying to decide which chocolate tour you’d like to attend. There are a lot of them to choose from, but we are definitely glad we...