Top Central Valley Cooking Classes

Spend a half-day at a farm in La Fortuna for a cooking class that features some of Costa Rica’s favorite dishes. Start with a tour of the farm’s orchards and gardens, collect some ingredients for your meal, then head to the kitchen to learn to prepare classics such as gallo pinto (rice and beans). Top off your experience by enjoying the meal with your hosts.

Combine learning to cook with learning to dance with this combo experience. You'll learn how to make traditional Costa Rican food and sit down to eat your creation. Once you're done, you'll work off your meal with a dance lesson focused on Latin dance styles such as salsa, merengue, cumbia, and bachata.

Take the stress out of eating and drinking at night in a new city with this fun-filled dinner and nightlife experience. Explore markets, check out neighborhoods you might otherwise miss, and indulge in a delicious three-course gourmet dinner with wine pairings. Learn about local food and culture from your guide throughout the evening.

Don’t just feast on delicious ceviche and empanadas, learnt to cook the Latin American delicacies during a cooking class in La Fortuna. Enjoy personalized attention from your cooking instructor as you learn about Costa Rican cuisine, while enjoying views of the mighty El Arenal volcano and sipping cocktails.

Learn the art of the Costa Rican cocktail in this small-group tour, where your instructor will teach you all about local alcohols and the best ways to create great drinks. This is a small-group tour, where you’ll keep costs down, but still have an intimate experience of only eight per group. Dinner is also included, along with all your beverages.

In the hands of experts you will discover in an entertaining way the entire process of cocoa to become chocolate, you will also receive all the supplies to manufacture and carry your own personalized chocolates.

Learn to cook some traditional Costa Rican food from a local grandmother, who knows all the secret tips. Dona Chela will help you to prepare the dishes with ingredients from her garden, which you can also wander around before and after you cook. You'll cook your food in the traditional, old school way, by using the wood-fired stove in the kitchen.

If you are looking for a pleasant place connected with nature where you can enjoy with your family or friends and spend an unforgettable experience, Agroecoturística Don Jorge specializes in Chocolate and Coffee, which includes tours of the trails of cocoa and coffee plantations, you will find diversity in flora. and birds, visit the waterfall, cane processing and finally the chocolate workshop where you can make your own chocolate bar. Our motto "From the seed to the palate". We are waiting for you to enjoy a family farm

Get a taste of authentic Costa Rican life and cuisine as you join a local family for a cooking class and home-style meal. Along with a guide, visit the home of your hosts outside of La Fortuna and learn about household customs and cooking techniques. Join in the preparation of a typical meal, and then savor the fruits of your labor alongside new friends.

We believe that a healthy and prosperous life starts with what we eat; also, gastronomy and family recipes connect us as human beings. Eleven years ago we decided to switch our farm from a "traditional" crops to organic ones to improve our own health. In this experience we'll walk through our organic farm with the last bits of sunlight looking for the fresh ingredients we'll need to prepare a delicious dinner and share our culture with you. We hope that, besides providing a delicious foodie experience, what we do inspires more people to care about the source of their food and protect our planet. We have veggie and vegan options. Please do let us know if you have any other allergy and/or dietary restriction.

This is the only activity in La Fortuna that mixes Coffee, Chocolate and Honey in the same experience of flavors and aromas. It is an activity suitable for the whole family, both children and older adults can enjoy it. It is also an educational activity that is highly visited by schools and colleges in the region.

We believe that a healthy and prosperous life starts with what we eat; also, gastronomy and family recipes connect us as human beings. Eleven years ago we decided to switch our farm from a "traditional" crops to organic ones to improve our own health. In this experience we'll walk through our organic farm with the last bits of sunlight looking for the fresh ingredients we'll need to prepare a delicious dinner and share our culture with you. We hope that, besides providing a delicious foodie experience, what we do inspires more people to care about the source of their food and protect our planet. We have veggie and vegan options. Please do let us know if you have any other allergy and/or dietary restriction.

This small–group tour lets you learn all about the sacred superfood that is Costa Rican cacao, and also interact with a local family. Besides being delicious, cacao also has medicinal properties, and your guide will tell you all about them. Tour the plantation, try local fruit, and try some cacao drinks, too.

If you’re looking for a way to connect with the local people in Costa Rica, taking a cooking class in a private home is ideal. Your hosts will teach you about their culture, traditions, and cuisine, and give you a tour of their organic garden. Learn to cook dishes such as marinated shredded chicken and rice, followed by traditional desserts and washed down with a freshly prepared mojito.

Join a local chef for an afternoon cooking class near the La Fortuna waterfall. Learn how to make Costa Rican dishes such as ceviche, patacones, cashew-encrusted seabass, and, of course, dessert in a relaxed atmosphere. You can choose to participate in the meal prep or simply observe, plus sip on unlimited mojitos. The class is designed for both beginners and seasoned cooks.

We want to give our guests a special experience. By showing you around on our organic farm and allowing yourself to pick the cocoa fruits from the trees and be a part of the whole process from start to end. Our farm has the most beautiful view of the Arenal volcano and away from the noise of the city. Our guides are born and raised in the same environment and you can see and feel how passionate they are about it when they explain about the cocoa. The atmosphere a our farm is very relaxed and comfortable. Our chocolate tour is small groups of maximun 10 people.

The canyoning and cooking class combo is perfect for couples and groups of friends who would like to explore both the Costa Rican rainforest and the local, tropical cuisine. - Full Day Canyoning and Cooking Class combo with an afternoon break at your hotel - Includes bilingual guides, transportation, lunch, snack - Starts at 7am, and lasts for 6-7 hours - Family + Kid Friendly!

With the help and instruction of the cooks, the travelers will be able to prepare a typical dish, in the class they will learn and put into practice the culinary techniques for the creation of the dish, information about the traditions and customs of Costa Rican cuisine will be disclosed, they will learn about new local ingredients and their uses and we offer alternative dishes if the traveler is vegan or has any allergies, the latter must be notified in advance to the people who will teach the class

It is an activity where you will enjoy a real experience of what it is to work on a coffee farm, where you will share with the collectors and the owner, you will be able to feel what a collector feels in his daily work, you will be able to carry out other activities adjacent to coffee production such as it is fertilizing, weeding, spraying etc. It is a unique and 100% real experience. Also, if they wish, they can have breakfast or lunch on the farm and also have the opportunity to see a great diversity of birds and our river with the waterfall.

Embark on a truly one-of-a-kind adventure with our 2 Days, 1 Night All-Inclusive Package, carefully crafted to immerse you in the unparalleled beauty of Costa Rica's Volcan Tenorio National Park. What sets this experience apart is the perfect balance of thrill and serenity. Day one introduces you to the mystical wonders of the rainforest with an expert-guided hike, unveiling the mesmerizing Rio Celeste waterfall. Delight your senses in a chocolate tour, diving into the artisanal world of cacao. Cap off the day with a magical night walk, revealing the secrets of the nocturnal rainforest.

After making a coffee in Costa Rica´s traditional “coffee maker”, sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of the rainforest that surrounds the experimental farm filled with herbs, fruit trees, and much more. For the non-coffee drinkers, try another Costa Rica beverage or a herbal tea. With your coffee energy boost, it is now time to see why the Aztecs called chocolate the food of the gods and how it is transformed from some fruit on a tree to a delicious snack in a bar and a soothing hot chocolate drink. Using traditional century-old techniques, create your own personalized chocolate bar that is yours to enjoy. This Tastes of Costa Rica experience is a must for coffee fans, chocolate lovers and foodies. This hands-on gastronomical journey is educational, entertaining, and delicious!

Enjoy panoramic views of the Chachagua Forest Reserve and the guide will be able to take photographs of different animals, including birds and sloths. The tour also includes a short walk to visit a 60-meter-high ceiba tree. Our guides have extensive knowledge of the flora and fauna and will provide explanations about nature during the horseback tour. You will have the opportunity to enjoy a typical Costa Rican lunch, which is a part of a cooking class. You can also roast your coffee and make tortillas at the end of the tour. The tour covers a total of 5 kilometers around our rainforest reserve and is highly recommended for families and nature lovers. Guests can collect ingredients during the horseback ride to cook their lunch at the typical Don Lelo ranch

The cooking class will make use of the ingredients harvested at the farm, and guests will be guided by a local chef. During the class, participants will have the opportunity to roast their own selected coffee beans, learn how to make traditional tortillas with cheese, and create hash browns using yuca. This hands-on experience will empower guests to discover the flavors and techniques that make Costa Rican cuisine unique This culinary experience lasts for four hours and is available once a day with prior reservation. Whether you are a food enthusiast or simply looking to explore the local culture, the cooking class at Rancho Don Lelo promises to be an unforgettable and enriching experience