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Puerto Viejo: Bribri Shaman Ceremony, Cacao & Waterfall Swim

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.99 (70 reviews) 99% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellation

1/7

Duration5h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Bribri culture up close with shaman rituals cacao making and waterfall swim

You’ll meet a Bribri shaman at his home near Puerto Viejo, learn about medicinal plants used in traditional ceremonies, try your hand at making real cacao (and taste it), share a homemade lunch, then hike through rainforest to swim beneath a hidden waterfall. It’s an experience that lingers long after you leave—the kind that changes how you see things.

Prices and availability checked: 2026-08-18

Step-by-step itinerary

Enter Bribri shaman's house
Learn about Indigenous Cosmovision
See medicinal plants preparation
Learn uses of medicinal plants
Enjoy traditional Bribri meal
Hike to Bribri waterfall
Swim in the waterfall

The Experience

“If you listen, the forest will tell you what it needs,” our shaman said quietly, his hands moving over leaves I couldn’t name. We’d just stepped into his round wooden house near Puerto Viejo—smoke from the fire curling up to the beams, mixing with the smell of earth and something sharp I still can’t place. He showed us jars of dried roots and leaves, explaining each one in Spanish (with our guide translating) and smiling when we tried to repeat their Bribri names. I kept losing track of time—there’s no rush here, just stories and small gestures.

I didn’t expect to feel so calm watching him crush herbs for a healing ceremony. There was a moment when everyone went quiet except for the birds outside. Even my friend stopped fidgeting. Afterward, we learned how they make cacao—grinding beans by hand until my arms ached (the shaman laughed at my technique). The first sip of pure cacao was nothing like chocolate back home: bitter, thick, almost smoky. It kind of lingered on my tongue all through lunch—a simple meal but honestly one of the best I’ve had in Costa Rica.

The hike to the waterfall wasn’t long but felt wild—mud squelching underfoot, sunlight flickering through giant leaves. We could hear water before we saw it. The swim was cold enough to shock me awake; I remember laughing too loud and not caring who heard. On the way back, our guide pointed out a plant he said keeps away mosquitoes—I picked some just in case (no idea if it worked). Sometimes I still think about that quiet in the shaman’s house or how sweet everything tasted after swimming.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup in an air-conditioned vehicle from Puerto Viejo area hotels, entry into the shaman’s home for medicinal plant ceremonies and explanations (with translation), hands-on cacao making and tasting pure cacao drink, plus a traditional Bribri lunch before hiking out to swim at the rainforest waterfall together.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Life Culture Travel