Chocolate Tour & Arenal Hot Springs: Make Your Own Bar

Process cacao from harvest to finished bar, then relax in natural hot springs

A 12-hour private class from San Jose combines hands-on chocolate making at a farm overlooking Arenal Volcano with a full afternoon at Baldi Hot Springs' thermal pools. You'll learn the history of cacao in Mesoamerica, participate in every step of chocolate production, make your own bar with choice of ingredients, and finish the day soaking in multiple pools and a steam room with lunch and drinks included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Chocolate tour and hot springs visit

• Pickup from hotel
• Drive through Costa Rican countryside
• Explore chocolate history and processing
• Participate in chocolate making
• Visit Baldi Hot Springs
• Relax in thermal pools
• Enjoy buffet lunch

Stops and time spent at each 2 stops

1. La Fortuna de San Carlos 2h
2. Baldi Hot Springs Entry included 3h

What’s included

• Private deluxe transportation from your San Jose hotel with return.
• private professional guide in English or Spanish.
• entrance fee to Baldi Hot Springs.
• lockers and towels at the springs.
• two-hour hands-on chocolate-making class where you process cacao and create your own organic bar with choice of ingredients.
• buffet lunch with unlimited soft drinks and coffee.
• access to multiple thermal pools, steam room and water slides at Baldi Hot Springs.

Times

Looking for another day or time? ›

• Every day 07:00

Information

Learn to make organic chocolate at a working cacao farm near Arenal Volcano, then soak in Baldi Hot Springs' thermal pools with lunch included.

Group Private 6 similar group tours ›

Live guide English and Spanish Another language? ›

Meeting point and pickup Hotel pickup included. See the pickup points

Book up to 18h before

Ages Adult (13 and older) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Infant (1 to 3 years): free

Cancellation and refunds Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund. It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Good to know

Low physical effort

More information The pickup points, the operator’s instructions and every other detail are in the full listing. See the full listing

Traveler reviews

5.00 ★★★★★ Exceptional 4 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

The experience

The chocolate portion runs about two hours and puts you in the actual process: harvesting the fruit, drying and grinding the seed, developing the traditional drink ancestors made, and crafting a high-quality organic chocolate bar you take home. The farm sits with views of Arenal Volcano across the landscape, so the learning happens in the setting where cacao grows. A private guide walks through the history (how the cacao tree was considered a gift of the gods, used in ceremony and as currency across Mesoamerica) before you move through each production stage yourself.

After chocolate, the day shifts to Baldi Hot Springs, a resort complex built around thermal pools fed by geothermal activity. You'll find multiple pools at different temperatures, a giant steam room, water slides, and quiet lounging areas. Lockers and towels are provided. A buffet lunch with unlimited soft drinks and coffee is included, so you eat on-site without leaving to find a restaurant.

Hotel pickup from San Jose and return are part of the booking, and the private transportation is air-conditioned. The guide speaks English or Spanish, and children from age one are welcome on the tour.

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 12 years); Infant (1 to 3 years): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly do I learn to make in the chocolate part of this tour?

You make your own organic chocolate bar from scratch, choosing different ingredients to blend into it. The two-hour hands-on session covers the full production chain: harvesting the cacao fruit, drying and grinding the seeds, preparing the traditional ancestral drink, and finally forming and finishing your own bar to take with you.

Is Baldi Hot Springs just one pool, or are there multiple ones to try?

Baldi Hot Springs has multiple thermal pools at different temperatures, plus a giant steam room, water slides, and relaxing areas, so you can move between them throughout the afternoon. The pools are fed by natural geothermal activity in the area.

Do I need to arrange my own way to the chocolate farm and hot springs, or is transport included?

Private transportation from your San Jose hotel is included in the booking, and the vehicle is air-conditioned. The driver brings you back to your hotel at the end of the day, so you don't arrange separate transfers.

What's included in the lunch at Baldi Hot Springs?

A buffet lunch is provided with unlimited soft drinks and coffee included. You eat at the resort without needing to leave the grounds or pay extra for meals during your time in the pools.

Operated by Greenway Nature Day Tours. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago