Espiritu Santo Coffee & Sarchi Oxcart Factories

Espiritu Santo Coffee & Sarchi Oxcart Factories Photo #1 of 2 Photo copyright ShoreTrips.com.

Overview

Nature and culture...coffee and shopping--any way you look at this tour, it's a winning combination!

For coffee lovers, naturalists, culture vultures, and leisure travelers alike, this combination tour of one of Costa Rica's premiere coffee plantations, together with a visit to the craft town of Sarchi, is a fascinating way to experience this unique vacation destination.

This tour includes:
- Round trip, private, air-conditioned transportation from the cruise ship pier
- Bilingual tour guide
- Entrance fees and tour of the Espiritu Santo Coffee Plantation
- A visit to the town of Sarchí for sightseeing and shopping in the oxcart factories and craft shops
- Lunch in downtown Sarchi

The Espíritu Santo hacienda is surrounded by a 640-acre plantation of prime coffee-growing land, where the secrets of great coffee are carefully guarded.

On this trip, you will learn about coffee-growing, harvesting, and roasting as you tour the property and see all the stages of the process--from seedling to fragrant steaming cup.

And, of course, you will taste some of the world's best quality coffee, grown right here at the beautiful hacienda Espiritu Santo.

After your coffee tasting, you will travel to Sarchi, a neighboring center of this country's artists and artisans. You will stop for lunch first at a typical, local restaurant. After lunch, you will continue your exploration of the town.

In the enchanting village of Sarchí, many houses are adorned with colorful gingerbread trim--just one example of the wood craftsmanship for which this little town is famous. With its pink church, trimmed in pale green, it is truly a fairy tale town.

In its many souvenir shops, you will find an astounding array of crafts and other wooden products, as well as items made of cloth, glass, bronze, and other materials, making gift choices a delightful challenge.

It is here, in Sarchi, where you will see craftsmen meticulously hand painting the colorful oxcarts and oxcart wheels that you will see elsewhere in Costa Rica.

- Please note that in Costa Rica there is some confusion about ship time vs. local time. Please see the purser on your ship to clarify whether your ship changes its time to local time so you do not miss your excursion. It is your responsibility to confirm this while you are sailing.
- While your transfer will be private, we cannot guarantee that the tour will be private.
- A vegetarian lunch option is available by prior arrangement.
- Wear comfortable hiking shoes and light clothing.
- Bring a raincoat or umbrella, a jacket or sweater, and a hat.
- The rainy or “green season,” which typically brings sunny mornings and afternoon showers, lasts from May to November, but it's best to be prepared for rain at any time of the year.
- Transportation for 2-7 passengers will be in a minivan with a guide/driver.
- Transportation for 8-20 passengers will be in a minibus with a guide and a driver.
- Transfer from port to plantation and return from the oxcart factories takes approximately 1.5 hours each way.

- It is very important that you check in on time for this tour. Late arrival for check-in may result in missing the tour, which would not entitle you to a refund.
- A minimum of 2 passengers is required to operate this tour.
- This tour does not run on Saturdays.

Days offered: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday

Departures:

• 08:30 AM, duration: 8 hours Departure time is 8:45am. Duration is approximate. Return to ship by 4:30pm.