Small Group Cacao Walking Tour in Puerto Rico
Description
Step into the lush landscapes of our farm and embark on a captivating two-hour walking tour that takes you through the heart of a thriving 20-acre cacao farm. Wander along meticulously prepared hillside walkways, exploring our sustainable farming practices that include contour farming. Discover how we meticulously prepare worm tea and manage our organic compost. Learn from our expert farm attendants who will guide you through the fascinating life cycle of cacao—from the delicate flower to the rich fruit. Witness a live cacao harvesting demonstration and savor the unique opportunity to taste cacao fruit straight from the tree. Indulge your senses in a variety of smelling and tasting sessions where you can enjoy the subtle nuances of cacao at different stages of its transformation from bean to bar. Treat your taste buds to rich hot chocolate and sample chocolates of 65% and 75% cacao content. Refresh yourself with a cup of aromatic cacao husk tea.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our knowledable guide will show you the wonderfull world of cacao farming. The tour includes bean-to-bar explanation and cacao tasting.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(49)
The tour was incredibly interesting, the surroundings were beautiful and the guides were knowledgeable & passionate about their delicious chocolate! Of course the tasting was a highlight! Sad that I’ve already finished off most of the chocolate I brought home, but will definitely order this very special chocolate. It’s wonderful to see these young people who are so devoted to organic, sustainable farming practices and a top notch product!
Thank you so much, Laura. We’re really glad you enjoyed the tour, the surroundings, and of course the tasting. Hearing that you already finished most of the chocolate you brought home is honestly one of the best compliments we can receive. It also means a lot that you recognized the passion and effort our team puts into sustainable and regenerative farming practices. While we are not formally certified organic, we strongly believe in caring for the land responsibly and encouraging others to move in that direction as well. Thank you again for supporting our farm and local agriculture here in Puerto Rico. We truly appreciate it and hope you continue enjoying the single origin fine craft trinitario chocolate at home and feel free to reach out to us for online ordering
Fascinating morning learning about the transformation of chocolate from sapling to a rich, delicious chocolate bar. The main cacao plants are categorized into three primary varieties—Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario. You learn of their history, where in the world they are grown, their hardiness and subtle taste differences. As you walk through the farm, you can see the delicate flowers on the trees, hear how they are pollinated and grow into pods. Every detail is important. The pods are picked at just the right time, cracked open and seeds are extracted. The process is clearly explained from start to finish. The tour then moves to a hands on presentation where you can smell and taste different phases of the chocolate production. If you are visiting Puerto Rico's Western area, this is a trip not to be missed!!!!
Thank you so much! We really appreciate such a thoughtful review. One of our goals is for visitors to truly understand how much work, biology, timing, and care go into transforming cacao from a small flower and pod into finished chocolate. We’re especially happy that you appreciated the details about the different cacao varieties and how each one has its own history, characteristics, flavor profile, and level of hardiness depending on where it is grown around the world. Those differences are a fascinating part of cacao agriculture and chocolate making. We also love hearing that you enjoyed the hands-on tasting portion of the tour and our single origin, fine craft Trinitario chocolate. Being able to smell and taste the different stages of the process helps people connect much more deeply with what chocolate really is before it becomes a finished bar. Thank you again for visiting our farm and for encouraging others visiting western Puerto Rico to experience it as well. And if you ever crave the chocolate again, feel free to reach out to us for online ordering.
Talks about PR’s agriculture & cacao farming interspersed with walking through the cacao farm & seeing the trees, flowers, & a variety of cacao pods in different stages of growth. Water & umbrellas were provided, & the process of making cacao into chocolate was described with examples at each stage. We sampled cacao husk tea & four different percentages of cacao made on the farm. Our kids ages 7-13 found it interesting.
Thank you so much. We’re really glad your kids found the tour interesting. That’s something we care a lot about. We try to make the experience engaging for all ages so everyone can connect with where food comes from. We’re also happy you enjoyed walking the farm and seeing cacao at different stages. We aim to make the full tree-to-bar process clear and easy to follow, so it means a lot to hear that came through. Glad you enjoyed the tasting and the cacao tea as well. We truly appreciate you visiting.
Wonderful and informational tour. Our kids loved it too! Karilyn was an excellent tour guide. She went above and beyond to teach us and help us stay cool in the heat. Beautiful farm. So grateful we had this experience.
Thank you so much. We’re really glad you and your kids enjoyed the tour. Karilyn will really appreciate your kind words. She puts a lot of care into making the experience both informative and comfortable, especially in the heat. We truly appreciate you visiting.
Had such a a fun time with Karilyn! She taught me and my partner so much about the farm, their regenerative farming practices, and the history of cacao farming in PR. I left feeling so happy to learn more about how Puerto Rico tends to their land, and even happier to support a small family farm. The tour was very intimate, just me my partner and Karilyn. It was so sweet to connect with her. And the tasting at the end was just perfect— I’ll be on the lookout for cacao husk tea for I think the rest of my life.
Thank you so much. We’re really glad you enjoyed the tour and your time with Karilyn. She puts a lot of care into every detail, and she’ll truly appreciate your kind words. That kind of personal connection you described is exactly why we offer the small group tour option. It allows us to be more thoughtful with the experience, go deeper into the details, and really connect with each group. We’re also happy you enjoyed the tasting and the cacao husk tea. Thank you again for visiting and for supporting our farm.
Rafael, who owns this farm and led the tour, gave us an excellent tour and insight into his Cacao farm. We spent about 90 minutes in the field learning about the Cacao trees and the trials and tribulations of starting this farm from scratch. We went on a Friday and only had 4 people in our group which made it much more intimate. Try going during the week for smaller group size. The tour ends with a chocolate tasting which includes some surprisingly good cacao tea.
Thank you so much. We’re really glad you enjoyed the tour and the time on the farm. It means a lot to hear that the smaller group made the experience more personal. That’s something we aim for, especially during the week. We’re happy you enjoyed learning about the process and the realities of building the farm, and glad the tasting and cacao tea stood out as well. We offer tours Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and try to keep them small so each group gets that kind of experience. We truly appreciate you visiting and sharing your experience.
Really nice experience, very educational and you get to eat amazing chocolate in the end.
¡Muchas gracias! Nos alegra mucho que hayas disfrutado la experiencia y el tour. Nos esforzamos en que sea educativo pero también entretenido. Nos alegra que hayas disfrutado la degustación de chocolate y el té de cacao al final. Gracias por visitarnos.
I am a professor of horticulture and I was very impressed with Rafael's knowledge of cacao production at his beautiful farm. He talked about his triumphs and failures with good humor and warmth. I, along with my 10 student group, really enjoyed tasting all his different types of chocolate as well as tasting the material around the raw beans. I would highly recommend this tour.
Thank you so much. It truly means a lot coming from you and your students. We always look forward to your visits and the opportunity to share the farm in that kind of setting. I really appreciate the conversations we’re able to have each time. Being able to exchange ideas and experiences with people working and studying in agriculture adds a lot of value on our end as well. I’m glad you enjoyed both the field portion and the tasting. And thank you again for the coffee souvenir, that was a very thoughtful gesture and we truly appreciate it. We’re grateful for your continued support and look forward to having your group back again.
This tour of a small cacao plantation is one of the best tours I’ve ever taken. Rafael, guide and farm owner, knows how to make his journey to become a successful cacao farmer deeply compelling. His learning about his land, how site-specific cacao growing is is quite an epic tale of learning, testing, observing, measuring, celebrating. He’s a great communicator, very open and able to answer all manner of questions. His farm is in the Puerto Rican highlands, beautiful and steep. The chocolate tasting at the end was profoundly appreciated in the light of the knowledge of ALL that goes into chocolate!
Loved the experience! Fascinating explanation of the process of making chocolate and the history of cacao. Chocolate was really rich and creamy, amazing flavor!
