Flagler College: Costa Rica Sustainability, Farming and Culture Program (2023)

Sustainable Chocolate Tour & Museo del Oro Precolombino
Start our day by taking a tour of the Museo del Oro Precolombino ( Pre-Columbian Gold Museum ). The Pre-Columbian Gold Museum reimagines the museum experience and displays the history and artifacts in a new light. The gold collection dates from 300-400 BC to 1550 AD. It also uses modern exhibition design experience thinking and interactive technology to create a new and intriguing educational environment.

Afterwards grab lunch and later head for dessert but there’s a catch, head right to the factory – Botánica Chocolate, made from cacao which is grown sustainably by indigenous farmers. Here we enjoy an edible history of chocolate in one of the oldest and most beautiful buildings of San José built in 1886. We get to experience the process of making chocolate and sample different flavors and textures of chocolate, from the organic bean to the bar and its different gastronomic combinations. Followed by a Talk by Carol and Jenny, your hosts to find out how the bean is sustainably cultivated and how Botánica Chocolate is contributing towards a green and more sustainable future.

University Visit & Centre of Science and Culture
Today visit the Ecological Agriculture department of The National University of Costa Rica. Here we understand the problems of the impact of agricultural production on the environment and what is the ultimate solution, how important is sustainable agriculture for a brighter, greener future of the planet in a session delivered by a senior faculty of the program. Later, head out to the Costa Rican Centre of Science and Culture. A museum complex located in a fortress-like building that once served as the central penitentiary between 1910 and 1979. Here you’ll find everything between great art to the latest in tech. Get lunch, have some time to roam around the city and then head for a Food and Culture Tour. Experience the lively vibe of San José, explore significant city buildings and local neighborhoods, indulge on a tasty menu filled with authentic traditional ingredients and immerse yourself in the culture and history of the city.

From San José head to Villas Mastatal, an Organic Farm and Eco Lodge of 50 hectares of primary forest and 10 hectares of an edible forest concept with principles in permaculture. It features an all-organic kitchen. Get settled and go for a hike to a nearby waterfall. In the evening understand from our host how the organic farm functions and its contributions to a Sustainable future.

Get a chance to participate in the permaculture projects and farm work. The 25 acres (10 hectares) of land are planted with cacao, coffee, black pepper, pineapple, guava and soursop trees. You will help with planting trees, maintaining, and harvesting crops, tending to the medicinal garden and taking care of the animals, among many other wholesome and impactful activities.

After breakfast for a hike through the La Cangreja National Park, covering an area of 2,240 is a haven for migratory birds and has a rich flora. It is the only place in the world where the tree aplinia puriscalensis giving fruit stuck to the trunk there. La Cangreja National Park was created in an effort to protect the tree species in the southern Puriscal region. Later, bid farewell to our lovely host at lunch, before leaving understand from our host, the challenges faced by an organic farm in a rural setting and provide some ideas to offset some of those challenges. Later, make our way to Jaco.

Head out to the beach after breakfast today for some much needed R & R. Have lunch at one of the local shacks and then go for a 5-hour long cruise to bring in the sunset.

Get picked up early from the hotel. We board a catamaran and start our journey to Tortuga Island, a deserted island located just off the coast of the Nicoya Peninsula, a paradise like no other. Breakfast would be served on the catamaran today. We spend the day at Tortuga Island snorkeling, watching the sea life and relaxing at the beach.

Start our day early with a Tour of 10 Hidden Waterfalls, experience the real culture, nature and beauty of Costa Rica, swim in the natural waterfall pools if you wish. Later, have the pleasure to taste the local cuisine at La Casita del Sabor. After the waterfall hopping, we make our way back to San José.

Café Britt
We will visit Café Britt, Costa Rica’s premium organic coffee plantation accompanied by a local. The tour will include learning how gourmet coffee is cultivated sustainably and graded by experts, a stroll through lush gardens and a delicious buffet lunch and a sampling of their coffee beverage, paired with chocolates made by Café Britt. Later understand from your host how Café Britt produces their coffee sustainably and follow a zero-wastage protocol, understand what ethical coffee cultivation is and how it is achieved.