Puerto Viejo: Native Caribbean Cooking Class & Dinner

Puerto Viejo cooking class with local flavors, ancestral recipes and shared stories

You’ll join a small group in Puerto Viejo for an intimate native Caribbean cooking class led by a local host. Learn to prepare rice & beans with chicken using fresh coconut milk, hear stories of town history, and share dinner together as the sun fades. Expect laughter, new skills, and genuine connection.

Step-by-step itinerary

Caribbean cooking and cultural insights

• Select fresh local ingredients
• Prepare fresh coconut milk
• Cook rice and beans with chicken
• Make Caribbean sauce and ripened plantains
• Prepare green salad
• Learn about Puerto Viejo history
• Discuss Afrocaribbean culture and heritage

The experience

I’ll be honest. I signed up for this Puerto Viejo native Caribbean cooking class mostly because I was curious what “real” rice and beans tasted like here. I didn’t expect to get coconut under my nails or laugh so much with strangers over chopping onions. Our host, Maribel, greeted us barefoot at her open-air kitchen, already stirring something that smelled sweet and earthy. She handed me a chunk of fresh coconut and showed me how to grate it for the milk: my arms still felt it the next day.

We talked about where the plantains came from (her neighbor’s tree, apparently), and she explained how this recipe had been passed down through her family for generations. There was a moment when she paused to tell us about the first Afro-Caribbean families who settled in Puerto Viejo. I could hear kids playing somewhere nearby, roosters too. The rain started halfway through but nobody minded. We just kept talking while the chicken simmered in that thick, spiced sauce. I tried saying “rice & beans” in her accent: Maribel laughed and corrected me gently (I definitely didn’t nail it).

Dinner was simple but honestly perfect: rice & beans cooked in coconut milk, chicken in a sauce that tasted like sunshine after rain, fried ripe plantains on the side. We ate together at a long table while Maribel told stories about old Puerto Viejo, not all happy ones, but real. I still think about how the air smelled like woodsmoke and herbs. If you’re looking for a private Caribbean cooking class that feels more like visiting someone’s home than a lesson… well, this is it.

What’s included

Your evening includes hands-on preparation of traditional rice & beans with chicken using fresh coconut milk and local ingredients, guided by your host Maribel. You’ll share stories of Puerto Viejo’s culture while enjoying dinner together at her home kitchen: vegetarian or vegan options can be accommodated if requested in advance.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to SaturdayDeparts at 17:00

AgesAdult (13 to 90 years) · Child (5 to 12 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Stroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Josefina Morales Gallimore

Traveler reviews

4.95★★★★★★★★★★

113 verified traveler reviews

5 ★107

4 ★6

3 ★0

2 ★0

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 12 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What dishes do you cook in this Puerto Viejo cooking class?

You’ll prepare rice & beans with chicken in Caribbean sauce, plus green salad and ripe plantains.

Is dinner included in the private Caribbean cooking class?

Yes, dinner is included. You eat what you help prepare during the class.

Are vegetarian or vegan options available?

Yes, vegetarians and vegans are welcome. Just inform your host ahead of time.

Where is the Puerto Viejo cooking class held?

The class takes place at a local home kitchen in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.

Is there pickup or transportation provided?

No hotel pickup is mentioned but public transport options are available nearby.