(Rural Roots Canada) – What do volcanos; farms that produce pineapples, bananas, beef, dairy, and buffalo; a coffee and chocolate factory tour, and catamaran sailing all have in common?

They are all part of the latest international RRC Ag Day Tour.

Rural Roots Canada, in partnership with Leader Tours, is excited to offer a new RRC Ag Days experience in Costa Rica!

Set to take place from November 26 to December 7, 2022, this jam-packed tour will take an in-depth look at agricultural practices and provide a healthy dose of adventure, rest, and relaxation.

Stops along the way will give travellers an inside look at an agricultural research facility and beef and dairy operations.

For the java lovers, a Doka Coffee Tour will quench your thirst for knowledge by showing you how coffee goes from bean to brew.

Want to know the work that goes into growing pineapple and bananas? You’ll find out the answers to those questions when we stop at operations that produce these popular fruits.

There will also be plenty of adventure with plans to journey to the rim of the Irazu Volcano, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, and Palo Verde National Park.

Equine enthusiasts will also get to see their fair share of quarter horses.

There will also be plenty of time to get out on the water, highlighted by a sunset catamaran sail.

That’s just a taste of all the things happening throughout this tour. And speaking of taste, there will be no shortage of opportunities to sample the local cuisine during the trip.

All that, and still plenty of time to put your feet up and enjoy the sun and the beach! This tour is the perfect mix for anyone looking for a bit of downtime while getting an in-depth look at food production in other countries.

The RRC Ag Day trip to Costa Rica is a partnership between Rural Roots Canada and Leader Tours.

Leader Tours is owned and operated by Lawrence Rowley, who has been organizing custom Ag tours for over a decade.

To book, email Lawrence at Lawrence@leadertours.ca or call 403 – 764 – 2044.

Pricing is below the Itinerary.

Full Itinerary:

Day 1: Saturday, November 26th 2022, San Jose (D)

Flight schedule to be confirmed

Overnight: Hilton Hotel, San Jose

Day 2: Sunday, November 27th 2022, San Jose (B,D)

Breakfast at hotel, please go at your own time.

Chocolate Factory Tour – Travel to a chocolate factory to learn about the history and sample some tasty local chocolate and enjoy lunch nearby.

City Tour: Travel downtown & split into smaller groups & enjoy a guided tour of the National Theater and take a tour through the central market before traveling back to your hotel to relax.

In the evening enjoy dinner in a locals colonial home…enjoy some traditional Costa Rican food.

Overnight: Hilton Hotel, San Jose

Day 3: Monday, November 28th 2022, San Jose (B,L,D)

After breakfast, travel to Irazu Volcano to walk near the crater and have a look inside. If the weather is clear you will see the Atlantic Ocean from the crater’s rim.

Visit a cut flower and berry producer near Volcan Irazu.

Enjoy lunch enroute to Turrialba before checking in to your hotel.

Tonight, enjoy a hands-on cooking class for dinner!

Overnight: Hilton Hotel, San Jose

Day 4: Tuesday, November 29th 2022 Irazú Volcano National Park. (B,D)

Breakfast at hotel, please go at your own time.

Today enjoy breakfast and the views before checking out and visiting CATIE (Center for Tropical Agronomy Research & Education). The Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) is a regional center dedicated to research and graduate education in agriculture, and the management, conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

Enjoy lunch on campus before driving to Guapiles.

Visit a cattle ranch and meet with a representative from CORFOGA to discuss beef production on the Atlantic and more rainy side of Costa Rica. CORFOGA is the association for the development and production of the Costa Rican beef industry

Papaya Farm & Packing House: In the afternoon we will visit a papaya farm and packing house.

Lunch on campus at own expense, before driving back to your hotel to relax.

Dinner on your own & free evening.

Overnight: Guapiles

Day 5: Wednesday, November 30th 2022 Turrialba (B)

Breakfast at hotel, please go at your own time.

Free day by the pool or sign up for an optional tours.

Sarapiqui River Safari Guided Tour: During this 2-hour river safari, you’ll ride a comfortable boat down the Sarapiqui River and have ample opportunities to spot a range of wildlife.

Canopy Tour: Some 70 percent of all life in the tropical forest exists at the canopy level. During this tour, you’ll fly along zip-lines and experience the forest canopy in a new, exhilarating way

Horseback Riding Tour: Guided ride through some amazing scenery

Guided Rainforest Walk in Sarapiqui: Take a 2.5-hour guided tour through the Tirimbina Rainforest Center with a naturalist guide. Along the way, you’ll learn about Sarapiquí’s intense variety of mammals, birds, insects, and amphibians.

*Please advise Leader Tours if you wish to book an activity or wait until you are at the hotel & book in person.

Overnight: Turrialba

Day 6: Thursday, December 1st 2022, Guapiles (B,L,D)

Breakfast at hotel, please go at your own time.

Enjoy a pineapple farm tour in the morning and a group lunch.

Transfer to La Paz Waterfall Gardens and enjoy a guided walk through La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

La Paz Waterfall Gardens is home to many hiking trails, animal exhibits, rivers, and waterfalls. Their many attractions make them the best eco park in Costa Rica.

From here travel to your hotel in the Alajuela area.

Dinner on your own this evening

Overnight: Alajuela area

Day 7: Friday, December 2nd 2022, Guapiles (B,D)

Breakfast at hotel, please go at your own time.

Coffee Plantation: Doka Coffee Estate Visit Doka Coffee Estate for a tasting and a coffee production tour. This coffee estate is one of the highest quality coffees grown in the rich volcanic soil of Costa Rica.

Learn about our production and the Vargas family, pioneers of the activity since 1940, harvesting times of the fruit, who perform important work, the type of crop, its characteristics, natural methods of crop protection and how all these elements are Combined to get a cup of high quality coffee and a complete experience.

A unique experience of visiting the oldest Wet Mill of Costa Rica (UNESCO 2014) as well as its machinery with more than 120 years, this will allow you to learn each of the stages of the process (separation of qualities, peeling, fermentation tanks and drying off the beans).

Group lunch at a local’s home followed by some free time.

Overnight: Alajuela area

Day 8: Saturday, December 3rd 2022 Guanacaste (B,L,D)

Depart Alajuela for Guanacaste and the best beaches in Costa Rica! En-route visit a large scale farm of Palm Oil, Sugarcane, and quarter horses.

Enjoy a BBQ lunch before driving to your hotel on the Pacific Ocean stopping at a Wagyu farm near Pijije.

Overnight: Guanacaste

Day 9: Sunday, December 4th 2022 Guanacaste (B,D)

Breakfast at hotel, please go at your own time.

Relax by the beach or take in any optional activities in the area (i.e. catamaran sailing, sportfishing, snorkeling, birdwatching tours, etc.)Lots of activities to enjoy at the resort or just relax by the pool!

Group dinner this evening

Overnight: Guanacaste

Day 10: Monday, December 5th 2022, Guanacaste (B,L)

Breakfast at hotel, please go at your own time.

Visit a unique buffalo farm, neighboring Hacienda El Viejo.

Take a boat ride in the wetlands as your guide spots a variety of wildlife.

Finish with a BBQ wagyu lunch and a rum tasting!

Travel back to your hotel in the afternoon.

Overnight: Overnight Guanacaste

Day 11: Tuesday, December 6th 2022, Guanacaste (B,D) (Free Day)

Breakfast at hotel, please go at your own time.

Free day to relax and do your own activities

Optional shopping in Playa Tamarindo—coach transfer for those interested in doing some shopping.

7:00 pm Farewell Dinner.

Overnight: Guanacaste

Day 12: Wednesday, December 7th 2022, flight home (B)

Breakfast at hotel, please go at your own time.

Morning to relax at hotel

*Flights to be confirmed

Flight from Liberia airport to Canada

Tour ends!