Are you a “foodie” or spice lover, an advocate of “green” living and ecology? Is creative cooking one of your favorite hobbies? If so, Villa Vanilla Spice Plantation is the place for you.
Villa Vanilla Spice Plantation is a spice farm in beautiful Costa Rica. Their goal is to be totally sustainable. They grow many different spices, and vanilla, cocoa, and ceylon (cinnamon) are the most popular.
What to Expect
Due to high demand from the tourist population and the hotels in the area, they have created a “Spice Plantation Tour“ where knowledgeable guides identify the various fragrant spices, medicinal plants, and plants from which essential oils are made to visitors.
The tour is a slow ambling walk through the scenic plantation and will appeal to all your senses, during which you will be stopping for samples and inhaling the delightful aromas along the path. As advocates of sustainable development they also demonstrate with pride the cultural practices on the farm which is organic and biodynamic.
Hours of Operation
The Spice Plantation Tour takes only half a day and is available in the morning or afternoon at 9a.m. and 1p.m. You will experience the sights, tastes, and aromas of vanilla, cinnamon, pepper and other tropical spices, essential oil plants, and a wide variety of exotic tropical plants.
Contact Information
Henry Karczynski, Manager:
Cel. 506-8839-2721, Farm 506-2779-1155 (011 prefix)
Website: www.rainforestspices.com
Email: info@rainforestspices.com
Directions from San Jose, Costa Rica
From San Jose, take Pan Am Hwy 1 west driving past the airport. From Alajuela continue your journey heading towards Atenas and S. Mateo. From S. Mateo take the road heading South towards Jaco and Quepos. Just before you reach Quepos there will be a split in the road. Turn left towards Playa Dominical. When you reach the first intersection take a left turn (you will see a service station to your right). Drive 6.2 kms to another split in the road. (passing through a small town called Naranjito.) Take a left turn at the next split in the road and drive for another 3.9 kms. Villa Vanilla will be on the left (the town is called Villanueva).
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This was the first trip to Costa Rica for my husband and I. I ready about the Villa Vanilla Spice tour online and it was on the top of our list of things to do. We really enjoyed our tour! Our tour guide (Gisele) was extremely knowledgeable and very friendly. We learned so much about Costa Rica’s spices, herbs and plants. Not only did we learn about the medicinal purposes, but we also learned about the utilitarian purposes for many of the plants. The tour ended with a lovely tasting made especially for us by Villa Vanilla’s own pastry chef (Chelsea). We loved the spice shop and ended up getting all of our souvenirs from there for friends/family. I’m a “food-ie” and can’t wait to cook with my new spices and herbs! Our household is mostly organic so it was fascinating to learn about Villa Vanilla’s organic/bio-dynamic/recycling process. We met with Henry the owner and he beams with pride and joy when he talks about his crop…it really is his “baby”! Not only does this staff “love what they do”, but they “do what they love”. This team is saving our environment…we need more people like them. We HIGHLY recommend this tour!
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