The freshest cup of coffee in Costa Rica….roasted by YOU!

Out of all the coffee tours in Costa Rica…Finca Flor Mar is best experience bar-none. This family owned and operated farm invites tourists into their home for a homecooked meal & on-the-spot roasted coffee….the catch is that YOU roast the coffee & get an authentic, hands-on Tico cooking lesson!

Take a guided excursion around the farm with the owner, Ken Lander, as he shares with you the farm’s organic and sustainable processes, step-by-step. Finca Flor Mar’s non-traditional, innovative techniques have brought organic, environmentally friendly, community conscious, sustainable practices into the small town of San Rafael. The switch to non-chemical, biodegradable, water-conserving, non-polluting practices is helping to preserve the beautiful country of Costa Rica for generations to come.

Finca Flor Mar is located on the outskirts of Monteverde. Ken picks up groups (in his very cool 1970 Jeep…you will feel like you are in a movie!) at the Pension Santa Elena and brings you out to the farm. You will tour the Costa Rica coffee plantation, learn about organic coffee growing, harvesting, and drying. Then join the Landers in their home to roast coffee and learn the secret ingredients in Gallo Pinto (the signature Tico rice & beans). Ken’s friendly daughter and son-in-law come over for their daily 4 o’clock cup of freshly roasted joe & talk with the day’s visitors.

 Finca Flor Mar is also said to have the best coffee in Costa Rica. All the finest Monteverde restaurant serve their organic Costa Rican coffee exclusively.

This is a truly unique experience and a peek into real-life Costa Rica today. Go visit and bring home to your friends the best coffee of Costa Rica that you roasted on the coolest farm in the country.

50 Popular Surf Breaks in Costa Rica
(break type and location only)

1. Ollie’s Point - Right Point Break - Northern Guanacaste - access by boat from Tamarindo or Playa Coco.
2. Witch’s Rock - Beach Break - Northern Guanacaste - the beach at Santa Rosa National Park.
3. Playa Grande - Beach Break - A hike north of Tamarindo across the estuary.
4. Tamarindo - Beach Break - The beach directly in front of town.
5. Pico Pequeno - Rock Reef - Directly in front of the hotel Tamarindo Diria.
6. Langosta - Rock Reef - A few kilometers south of Tamarindo.
7. Little Hawaii - 30 minute drive South of Tamarindo.
8. Negra - Rock Reef - 30 minutes South of Tamarindo, 5km South of Avellanas.
9. Junquillal - Beach Break - 10 minutes south of Playa Negra, 45km south of Tamarindo.
10. Marbella - Beach Break - An hour south of Tamarindo, north of Playa Ostional.
11. Ostional - Beach Break - 20 minutes North of Nosara.
12. Nosara - Beach Break - 1 hour North of Samara.
13. Playa Guiones - Beach Break - Mellow surf town 1 hour north of Samara. (often called Nosara)
14. Samara - Beach Break - Central Nicoya Peninsula. Poor quality surf most of the time.
15. Camaronal - Beach Break - 30 minutes south of Samara and Carrillo.
16. Santa Teresa - Beach Break - On the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula.
17. Playa Carmen - Beach Break - Southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula.
18. Boca Barranca - Left Point Break - 20 minutes from Puntarenas.
19. Caldera - Left Point Break - 15 minutes south of Boca Barranca, toward Playa Jaco.
20. Tivives - Left Point Break - In the Puerto Caldera area, 30 minutes from Puntarenas.
21. Escondida - Rock Reef - A private beach north of Herradura bay.
22. Isla Herradura - Rock Reef (Left Point) - The Herradura side of the island between Jaco and Herradura.
23. Jaco - Beach Break - 2.5 hours from San Jose, 1 hr south of Puntarenas.
24. Roca Loca - Rock Reef Right - 2km south of Jaco on the way to Hermosa.
25. Hermosa - Beach Break - 5km south of Playa Jaco on the way to Quepos.
26. Playa Tulin - Beach Break - 5km south of the Backyard Hotel in Hermosa, down the newly paved beach road.
27. Esterillos Oeste - Rock Reef - 22km south of Jaco, 40km north of Quepos. A very mellow beach and wave.
28. Esterillos Centro and Este - Miles of Beach Breaks and rivermouths- 27km south of Jaco, 40 north of Quepos.
29. Bejuco - Beach Break - Between Jaco and Quepos.
30. Quepos - Left Point Break - Quepos harbor, the rivermouth in front of the breakwater and boats.
31. Playitas - Manuel Antonio - Rock Reef - 5km south of Quepos in the Manuel Antonio National Park.
32. El Rey - Beach Break - 20 minutes south of the Quepos hospital and airport. Limited beach access
33. Playa Matapalo - Beach Break - 20 minutes north of Dominical, heading toward Quepos.
34. Dominical - Beach Break - 48km south of Quepos, 6hrs from San Jose via San Isidro.
35. Dominicalito - Beach Break - 5km south of Playa Dominical.
36. Punta Dominical - Left Point Break - 10 minutes south of Playa Dominical. Just after Dominicalito
37. Cabo Matapalo - Rock Reef Right - Tip of the Osa Peninsula, 1.5 hrs from Puerto Jiminez.
38. Backwash Bay - Rock Reef - The small bay next to Cabo Matapalo, on the Osa Peninsula.
39. Pan Dulce - Right Point Break - 5km from the tip of the Osa Peninsula, near Cabo Matapalo.
40. Zancudo - Beach Break - Between Golfito and Pavones on the Golfo Dulce. Good fishing.
41. Pavones - Left Point Break - 1hr south of Golfito on the southern entrance of the Golfo Dulce.
42. Punta Banco - Rock Reef - 10km south of Pavones heading toward Punta Burica and Panama.
43. Isla Uvita - Coral Reef - The island off the Caribbean town of Limon.
44. Bonita - Coral Reef - 4km north of Puerto Limon on the Caribbean side.
45. Westfalia - Beach Break - The beach running south of Puerto Limon near the airport.
46. Cahuita (Black Beach) - Beach Break - 45km south of Limon, Cahuita Coral Reef National Park
47. Puerto Viejo - Beach Break - An hour or so south of Limon.
48. Salsa Brava - Coral Reef - In the middle of Puerto Viejo. One of the heaviest waves in Costa Rica.
49. Cocles - Beach Break, Some Coral Reef - 3km south of Puerto Viejo.
50. Manzanillo - Coral Reef and Beach Break - 20-30 minutes south of Puerto Viejo.

(article from CRsurfReport.com)

Costa Rica Scuba Diving & Snorkeling

Costa Rica Scuba Diving & Snorkeling is rich and abundant with a great variety of fish and under water life to enjoy. As a general rule, the best time to enjoy Costa Rica Scuba Diving & Snorkeling is when water visibility is best, in the dry season. During the rainy season, the rivers swell and their outflow clouds the ocean. At this time it is recommended to find available off shore locations where viewing is better and you will be able to best enjoy Costa Rica Scuba Diving.

Costa Rica Scuba Diving & Snorkeling is blessed with warm waters, averaging between 24C-29C at the surface. There is a thermocline around 20M below the surface, where it drops to 23C. If you keep it near the surface, Costa Rica Scuba Diving & Snorkeling can be done without a wet suite.

When visiting Costa Rica, Costa Rica Scuba Diving & Snorkeling is a wonderful activity that the whole family can enjoy. It is recommended that you inform yourself about diving accreditation if you plan to also spend time exploring Costa Rica Scuba Diving. Check out the site for Professional Association of Diving Instructors at www.padi.com or the Divers Alert Network site at www.diversalertnetwork.org. (copy and paste addresses in to a new browser to explore these sites)

Costa Rica Zip Line

Costa Rica Zip Lines are probably the most exciting way to enjoy the rain forest. A Costa Rica Zip Line is not going to provide you the meditative experience of patiently viewing the rain forest, but it will definitely get your heart pumping in a way that only a Costa Rica Zip Line can.

Imagine the sensation, of flying through the rain forest with the wind blowing across your face as you race towards your next destination. If you want to know what a monkey or a bird feels like, then a Costa Rica Zip Line is for you.

There are inherent dangers involved in going on a Costa Rica Zip Line. Costa Rica Zip Lines can be dangerous, and travelers have been injured, and in a couple of cases killed. Costa Rica Zip Lines are not recommended if it seems rainy or stormy, since lightning has been known to strike. The more reputable Costa Rica Zip Line providers are aware of these dangers, and have taken precautions to prevent injury to their customers.

Make sure to only go to reputable Costa Rica Zip Line providers as the ones advertised through this site.

Our favorite one in all of Costa Rica is Selvatura. You can visite them directly at:

Monteverde Costa Rica Canopy Tours | Monteverde Zip Line | Costa Rica Zip Lining Tours

Corcovado National Park
Located on the Osa Peninsula, Corcovado National Parkcovers 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres). It is in one of the rainiest regions of the country with nearly 6 meters (20ft) of rain a year. Due to its enormous biological diversity, Corcovado had become an important international research center for the study of tropical rain forest ecology. This park is not easily accessible. It is a park only for those who are willing to make a considerable commitment in time and energy. There are several ways to sample the beauties of Corcovado, from charter flights and luxury eco-lodge accommodations, to grueling hikes, battling insects, and sleeping in a tent. Corcovado has something for everyone.
Corcovado National Park has three ranger stations.  Sirena Station, near the beach, has wonderful trails. The station’s food and accommodations are basic. Los Patos Station is a 11km (7 mile) hike from Sirena.  The new, airy Danta Corcovado Lodge is on the way to Los Patos Station and has dormitory and private rooms available.  The actual entrance to Corcovado is another 8 km (5 miles) away. The hike to the next station, San Pedrillo, requires careful planning.  Two rivers must be crossed during low tide. This 7-10 hour hike includes the beautiful Llorona Waterfall.
The main habitats in the park are montane forest, cloud forest, alluvial plains forest, swamp forest, holillo forest (with predominant growth of Raphia taedigera), freshwater herbaceous swamp, mangrove swamp, and rock or sandy seashores. Approximately 500 species of trees have been recorded in the park. This is a quarter of all the tree species in Costa Rica. Some of the giant specimens reach heights of 40-50 meters.  These include the purple heart (Peltogyne purpurea), poponjoche (Huberodendron allenii), butternut tree (Caryocar costaricense), espave (Anacardium excelsum), and crabwood (Carapa guianensis). In the lowlands stands what is probably the tallest tree in the country, a silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra). It has enormous buttresses and towering over 70 meters high.  The fauna is incredibly rich and to date 367 species of birds, 140 mammals, 177 amphibians, and reptiles, 40 freshwater fish, and approximately 6,000 insects have been recorded in the park. Corcovado protects the country’s largest population of scarlet macaws (Ara macao) as well as other endangered species such as the jaguar (Felis onca) , crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus), tapir (Tapirus bairdii) and possibly the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja).  The lake, a herbaceous swamp that covers around 1,000 hectares serves as an enormous wildlife refuge and as a nesting site for sea turtles.  Orchids, bromeliads, philodendrons, and ferns grow attached to trees high in the forest where they find light, airborne nutrients, and water. The dense growth of epiphytes creates the perfect home for the small red and blue poison arrow frog, who live in pools of water caught by bromeliad leaves. Mushrooms and fungi of interesting shapes and vibrant colors grow on rotting tree trunks.