El Trapiche tour

El Trapiche tour (which is the Spanish word for sugar mill) is run by a local family whose mission is to teach not only about sugar cane but also a little more about Costa Rican culture. The tour demonstrates how coffee and chocolate is produced and how sugar is produced out of sugar cane.

It was not in season but if, you have the opportunity to pick coffee and ride in a traditional ox-cart. I made chocolate and sugar candy to take it home and in the end we visited the family house for a local snack with homemade lemonade and coffee.

The beautiful farm is located two kilometers outside of Santa Elena and the tour takes about two hours. On clear days there is a spectacular view of the Gulf of Nicoya but this afternoon it was rainy.

So all in all a very touristic action but you get a good hands-on overview and quite some knowledge.Read more