Spend a day with a farming family in Sarapiquí and follow heart of palm from the field to the plate.
In the green countryside of Horquetas de Sarapiquí, many families still live from what they grow. This Costa Rica heart of palm tour takes you to one of those small farms, where the owner opens her land to visitors and shares the story of a crop that shapes both the local economy and the local kitchen.
Here, heart of palm is simply called palmito. During this palmito farm tour, you learn how the palms are grown, why the young shoots are harvested for their tender heart, and how the mature trees go on to produce pejibaye, a fruit Costa Ricans have long enjoyed. It is a hands-on look at rural life, told by the person who works the land every day.
The heart of palm plantation visit ends where every good farm story should: at the table. In the family's small soda, a traditional Costa Rican eatery, you taste several homemade palmito dishes, simple and full of flavor, each one tied to what grows just a few steps away.
Have breakfast at your hotel, then set off around 8:30 a.m. toward Horquetas de Sarapiquí, a lush rural area known for its tropical crops and family-run farms. Around 11:30 a.m., the owner of a small family plantation welcomes you. She explains each stage of growing palms for palmito, as heart of palm is known here, and walks you through the plant's life cycle: young shoots are harvested for their tender heart, while mature palms bear pejibaye, a fruit much appreciated in Costa Rican cooking. After a tasting of fresh heart of palm, you join the family soda to discover traditional recipes. Depending on what is prepared that day, you may try palmito ceviche, palmito lasagna, palmito bread, chorreada de palmito, palmito simply cooked on its own and the classic picadillo de palmito: honest home cooking rooted in the region's harvest.
Minimum 2 participants. No payment now: we confirm availability within 48 hours, then send you a secure Banco de Costa Rica payment link.
You leave around 8:30 a.m. for Horquetas de Sarapiquí. Around 11:30 a.m., the owner of a small family farm explains how palms are grown for heart of palm and how mature palms produce pejibaye. The visit continues with a tasting of fresh heart of palm, followed by traditional palmito dishes at the family soda.
No. Transportation from your lodging is not part of the standard package, but it can be offered as an option. Just ask the agency team when you request your quote.
The tasting of fresh heart of palm and the palmito dishes served at the family soda are part of the visit and serve as lunch. Breakfast, drinks and any other meals are not included.
It depends on what is prepared on the day. Dishes may include palmito ceviche, palmito lasagna, palmito bread, chorreada de palmito, plain cooked palmito and traditional picadillo de palmito.
The visits described in the program with their guide, entrance fees to the sites visited, the 13% tax on tourist activities and assistance from the agency team, who answer your questions in English. Tips, personal expenses and travel insurance are not included.
A farm, a family and a kitchen full of local recipes: this Costa Rica heart of palm tour offers a quiet, genuine window into rural life in Sarapiquí. Since 2014, our team in San Francisco de Heredia has been building trips around encounters like this one, and we would be glad to fit this day into your own itinerary. If it speaks to you, feel free to ask us for a personalized quote.
