Live like the Bri-Bri Indians in Puerto Viejo Limon

The Caribbean part of the country consists entirely of the colourful province of Limon, also called Puerto Limón; with its dense rainforest, monumental mountains and beautiful beaches meeting both the Nicaraguan and the Panamanian borders. Truly a natural paradise.
Limón has the highest percentage of protected land in the country, for this reason it is considered one of the best places to see flora and fauna. Its cultural diversity is as impressive as its natural beauty. Limón is the cradle of the African community in Costa Rica – the undeniable proof of Jamaican immigration during the 19th century, caused by banana production.  However, the Caribbean is also home to the Chinese who came over a century ago to work on the construction of the railway line to the Atlantic Ocean. This region is also home to the indigenous people of Bribrí, Cabecar and Guaymies, but also to Europeans who fell in love with this region.

Temperatures on the Caribbean coast are generally between 25 – 30 degrees Celsius and the humidity is quite high. Rain is part of daily life, that is way it is called “Rainforest”! Yet there is a lot of sun almost every day. March, April, September and October are the driest months, so this period is known as the Caribbean summer. But always remember that it is a tropical climate and therefore unpredictable.

You will be picked up at your hotel in the morning to go to the Bribrí reserve, the country’s largest indigenous community and the headboard of Talamanca. Here we will visit the indigenous communities of Volio, Watsi and Santa Fé. Your first experience is a visit to the Awa, the doctor of Bribri, who will welcome you with his family at his ranch. He will show you the customs and history of the Bribri’s and then take you to a holy place where he will explain the creation of the people according to the faith of the Bribrí. You will also see the process of grinding corn.

Later, during the visit of an indigenous family where five generations live together under the same roof, your children get in contact with their local lifestyle. They get to know their homes, their way of cooking, the medicinal plants, the chocolate production and many other aspects of their lives. They can taste chocolate with different aromas and flavours. And they get the opportunity to grind their own chocolate and get to know the secrets behind this old process. Then you join the family for a delicious, homemade meal with typical indigenous ingredients. After lunch you will continue on to the most beautiful and with its 35 meters largest waterfall in the area. There the children can take a refreshing dip before returning.

Today, take some time to have breakfast, let the children swim and leave for your next destination in Costa Rica.

Optionally you can also go snorkeling and hiking in the Cahuita National Park. They will snorkel at the most famous coral reef of Costa Rica where you can discover a very varied marine life. Then you will walk in the park with a guide where you can spot all kinds of snakes, sloth, monkeys, butterflies, birds ….

From here you can go to the following building blocks: “Giant turtles in Tortuguero”, “San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica” or “Rafting in Sarapiqui” or “Make your own chocolate”.