An abandoned chocolate farm set where the land sweeps back from the Caribbean to steep, jungle clad hills was converted, beginning in 1987, into an experimental farm; our goals guided by permaculture and our drive to collect tropical plants.

The garden areas, (approx. 4hect.,10 acres), combine natural settings with the large upper canopy trees dominating. Between forested zones are open areas of cultivated crops and landscaped gardens.  Corridors of rainforest make it into a fascinating nature park.

Cultivated crops include well-known spices, (pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, etc.) and our collection of over 60 varieties of tropical fruits. Something is always in season and the sampling of these fruits is a highlight of most visits.

For many the beautiful flowers and large, dramatic foliage forms are the most fascinating feature of the tropics. Of ornamentals, our specialty is the bromeliad. We work commercially with bromeliads and maintain almost a hundred varieties in a shade house and landscaped throughout the grounds. Heliconias, orchids, gingers, palms and many other families of beautiful plants and curiosities are represented.

Our bromeliad gardens provide a refuge for poison dart frogs of which you can see four varieties within a 100 meter area. This is natural, and we believe that in Costa Rica you can only see this in Talamanca. The wealth of birds and Butterflies is staggering.

We have a small medicinal section and we investigate ethnobotanical uses for plants.

Visitors can taste the fruits and natural chocolate
Smell the spices and fragrant flowers
See the frogs, birds, and plants
Learn about medicinals and ethnobotnicals