Cérémonie du cacao et plantes médicinales

What an incredible tour! Our group was wanting to learn about the indigenous culture and our tour leader, Juan delivered! The entire experience was even more than we had hoped! We learned about the culture, experienced the cacao ceremony, and took a hike through the jungle to learn about some medical plants. To top it off, we saw Howler monkeys with babies.

It was wonderful to learn about the cacao ceremony 👏 I highly recommend this tour if you want to experience and take home the sacred knowledge of the indigenous people, which is becoming increasingly rare.

This was an amazing experience to see history and an indigenous culture. This is a unique experience to see the traditions of the Maleku Tribe. La Poorna you’ll have multiple tours that offer similar experiences, but this is a unique experience, a honors tradition, and the people of Costa Rica.

This was a very fun educational tour! On our trip to Costa Rica we wanted to learn about the indigenous culture and this did not disappoint. Our guide brought us to a Maleku community and we were told some stories about the origin of their people. We do not speak Spanish so our guide translated everything for us, which was much appreciated. We had the opportunity to grind the cacao that we then drank after being blessed by a Maleku elder. Along the way our guide answered lots of questions we had about Costa Rican culture, food, and more! Highly recommend this tour if you want to expand your knowledge of medicinal plants, learn the significance of cacao, and take home with you some sacred knowledge from the indigenous— which is becoming increasingly rare.

I booked and prepaid for this experience, but was extremely disappointed that I was contacted the day before to cancel due to not enough people booking. I was so looking forward to the experience during my time there .

Today, I had the privilege of learning about the Maleku, one of not many remaining indigenous tribes in Costa Rica. After the country gained independence, they were given back a portion of their ancestral lands. The Maleku people generously shared their culture with me, teaching me their language and showing me how they create their traditional clothes, build their homes, and prepare their food. I also had the honor of participating in a sacred cacao ceremony. Instead of hugging or shaking hands, they greet one another by tapping the shoulder twice while saying "Capi Capi," which carries a similar sentiment to "Pura Vida" or "Aloha." Thanks Juan for the experience! 🙏

I had the chance to experience this magical encounter with a family who is striving to keep the Maleku history and traditions alive, and who is keen to share it with interested foreigners in a very simple way. This felt so much more than a touristic experience - the discovery of their efforts to reforest the land and protect nature, learning about medicinal plants, and the cacaco ceremony were all part of a very spiritual, genuine and extremely touching moment. I would highly recommend it to anyone interest in the Maleku culture, or more generally indigenous traditions. They are setting an example for our crazy materialistic woeld. Thank you Juan for guiding me there :)