Halfway between Cahuita and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in Hone Creek, this botanical garden and chocolate museum has a couple of small exhibits devoted to indigenous and Afro-Caribbean culture, a lush garden bursting with bromeliads and heliconias, and an on-site chocolate factory where cacao is processed in traditional ways.

Two-hour tours include a visit to all of these spots, plus a hike to a nearby organic farm. Cacao Trails also runs a canoe river tour, and a turtle-nesting night tour at the beach in Cahuita National Park (only in turtle-nesting season). Any bus between Cahuita and Puerto Viejo can drop you at the entrance. This is a great outing for kids.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Aiko-logi

1.37 MILES

Nestled into the Cordillera de Talamanca, 15km outside Puerto Viejo, this private 135-hectare reserve is centered on a former finca (farm), on land…

2. Finca La Isla

3.2 MILES

West of town, this farm and botanical garden has long produced organic pepper and cacao, along with more than 150 tropical fruits and ornamental plants…

3. Playa Cocles

4.73 MILES

Playa Cocles has waves for surfers who aren't keen to break skin and bones at nearby Salsa Brava (Costa Rica's biggest break). Instead, it has steep lefts…

4. Parque Nacional Cahuita

4.78 MILES

This small but beautiful park – just 10 sq km – is one of the more frequently visited national parks in Costa Rica. The reasons are simple: the nearby…

5. Playa Blanca

4.81 MILES

At the entrance to the national park. A good option for swimming.

6. Playa Negra

5.79 MILES

At the northwestern end of Cahuita, Playa Negra is a long, black-sand beach flying the bandera azul ecológica, a flag that indicates that the beach is…

7. Jaguar Centro de Rescate

5.88 MILES

Named in honor of its original resident, a jaguar, this well-run wildlife-rescue center in Playa Chiquita now focuses mostly on other animals, including…

8. Punta Uva

7.89 MILES

Off a dirt road marked by Punta Uva Dive Center is a quiet, idyllic cove that could double for a scene in the film The Beach. When the water is calm, it…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "costa-rica/caribbean-coast/southern-caribbean/attractions/cacao-trails/a/poi-sig/1201483/358227",
      "position": "superzone"
    }