In a nutshell
- Costa Rica is home to seriously incredible coffee and some genuinely great chocolate — and the tours here are a real highlight.
- On a coffee or chocolate tour, you’ll see exactly how these products are made from plant to finished product — and taste everything along the way.
- We recommend basing yourself in La Fortuna — you can easily pair the tour with a visit to Arenal Volcano National Park. Our top hotel pick: Hotel Roca Negra Del Arenal.
- Our top booking pick: the 2.5-hour Coffee and Chocolate Tour with North Fields — great value at 40 euros.
- In this article, we’ve covered everything you need to know to plan your coffee and chocolate tour in Costa Rica.
What You Need to Know About the Coffee and Chocolate Tours
Costa Rica is famous for incredible coffee and truly great chocolate. On a coffee or chocolate tour, you’ll see exactly how those humble little beans become the finished products you love — from plant to cup (or bar).
If you love coffee and chocolate as much as we do, a tour is an absolute must on your Costa Rica vacation.
You won’t just see the entire process — you’ll also get fascinating background info about everything surrounding it. And the best part: you get to taste everything along the way.
On our chocolate tour, for example, we got to mix in all kinds of things — chili, pepper, salt, peanut, orange, and yes, actual tequila — into our liquid chocolate and snack on it right there. Honestly, it was so good!
You can do the tours separately — either a coffee plantation tour, a Costa Rica chocolate tour, or both. Or you can jump straight into a combo tour and cover both in one go.
Better yet, you can do a tour year-round — no need to plan around the best time to visit Costa Rica.
Where You Can Do a Coffee and Chocolate Tour
You can find coffee and chocolate tours all across Costa Rica. For us, La Fortuna was the perfect base — the area is seriously well known for both exceptional coffee and delicious chocolate.
On top of that, you can easily pair your tour with a visit to Arenal Volcano National Park. The volcano is one of the most stunning attractions in Costa Rica and worth seeing no matter what.
Since we’d already done a dedicated La Fortuna coffee tour experience back in Salento in Colombia, we focused on the chocolate side of things with Rainforest Chocolate Tours. That said, we can also recommend the coffee tour with North Fields Coffee and the combo tour with Don Juan Tours.
Wondering where all of this is? We’ve marked La Fortuna and all three farms on the map below.
How to Book Your Coffee or Chocolate Tour
For most coffee and chocolate farms, you could just show up and join a tour. But for peace of mind, we really recommend booking online in advance to guarantee your spot.
The coffee and chocolate tour with North Fields Coffee Tour costs 40 euros and runs about 2.5 hours.
Coffee and Chocolate Tour with North Fields in La Fortuna
The Costa Rica chocolate tour with Rainforest Chocolate Tours costs 30 euros and lasts about 1.5 hours.
Chocolate Tour with Rainforest in La Fortuna
The combo tour with Don Juan Tours runs about 2 hours and costs 53 euros.
Coffee and Chocolate Tour with Don Juan in La Fortuna
How to Get to the Coffee and Chocolate Farms
Before heading out to the farms, you’ll first need to get yourself to La Fortuna.
We’ve put together detailed directions from the capital San José in our article on Arenal Volcano National Park.
Everything you need to know about getting to La Fortuna by car and bus
Once you arrive in La Fortuna, you’ll come in at the bus station. From there, no public buses run to the farms — your best bet is a taxi or Uber.
Where You Can Stay in La Fortuna
Your best bet is to base yourself in La Fortuna. From town, you can easily reach all the key spots in the area — including the coffee and chocolate farms.
Casona Rústica: Super affordable bungalows with a lovely garden, a pool, and a delicious breakfast.
Hotel Roca Negra: Bungalows with a pool, volcano views, and seriously good value for money.
Arenal Observatory Lodge: A lodge set inside a protected area, with its own hiking trails and stunning views of the volcano.
Hotel Arenal Glamping: Cozy luxury tents with a fantastic pool area and incredible volcano views.
Our Best Tips for Your Visit to the Coffee and Chocolate Farms
At the end of your chocolate tour, ask your guide for the best recipes! You can easily recreate the chocolate at home — and they make amazing Christmas gifts.
Pick up some coffee after your coffee plantation tour so you can enjoy it back home. Go for whole beans — freshly ground always tastes the best!
If you have enough time in the area, we’d strongly suggest doing two separate tours rather than the combo. You’ll get a much more in-depth experience with both the coffee and the chocolate that way.
