Costa Rica partnership

One lucky winner and their guest will explore some of Costa Rica’s most popular highlights on this 10-day holiday with Journey Latin America. Beginning in Costa Rica’s capital, San José, then heading to Arenal, known for its conical volcano and incredible biodiversity, the trip will include exploring Monteverde’s misty cloud forest, before finishing in Manuel Antonio National Park, a tropical paradise of rainforest, mangroves, and palm-fringed beaches where monkeys roam and sunsets dazzle. 

This adventure blends nature and wildlife with thrilling activities—hike in lush rainforests, zip line through the jungle, and explore the canopy from a suspended walkway. This is the ultimate journey through Costa Rica’s most iconic landscapes, packed with beauty, biodiversity, and unforgettable experiences.

Costa Rica’s incredible biodiversity wasn’t always like it is today. In the 1980s, deforestation was rife, but over the past 30 years, Costa Rica has become a global pioneer in the protection and regeneration of its natural resources and has demonstrated that it is possible to reverse ecological loss to the benefit of its people. 

Costa Rica is home to over 500,000 species of flora and fauna, including 900 bird species, and five of the seven sea turtle species, making it one of the most biologically rich nations on Earth. Over 25% of its territory is now protected, reflecting the deep national commitment to conservation.

Since 2018 the Eden Project has been supporting this transformation through a project on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula.  Known for surfing, ecotourism and being one of the world’s five “Blue Zones” - places where people tend to live longer, healthier lives, the peninsula is also amongst the last areas of tropical dry forest, one of the most endangered habitats in the world. 

In a 65,000-hectare protected area on the peninsula, we’re supporting a range of initiatives that involve local communities, farmers and organisations, all with the aim of securing a sustainable future for the forest, the people and the wildlife.  The work includes a cacao agroforestry programme where cacao crops are grown amongst other indigenous trees. The cacao benefits from the extra shade and the farmers benefit from selling the cacao pods (the source of chocolate) as well as other crops from the trees, such as banana and timber.

We've provided farmers in the area with thousands of cacao plants, training for their cultivation and production connections for buyers. Through this regenerative way of farming, the forest is re-growing, the wildlife is returning and the farmers have agency and stability after years of logging and ranching in the area that has devastated their land. The work continues, towards building long-term environmental and social sustainability on the peninsula.

This summer, we’ve updated our cacao exhibit in the Rainforest Biome to reflect the work we are doing in Costa Rica. Working with Costa Rica Tourism, we’re taking visitors on a journey through the rainforest to discover cacao – the chocolate plant – how it can be grown sustainably and how everyone can support this practice.  The new planting scheme focuses on shade-grown cacao and how farmers in Costa Rica are creating agroforestry cropping systems to produce more sustainable chocolate and take care of the land and wildlife at the same time. It features a representation of an iconic, traditional Costa Rican ox-cart, used since the 1800s to transport precious cargo such as cacao pods, and adorned with intricate and colourful artwork sometimes used to distinguish the area the farmer is from.

The new exhibit adds another Costa Rican element to the Rainforest Biome, complementing our existing Eco-Lodge exhibit: a sanctuary that brings to life the country’s commitment to eco-tourism, and showcases its sustainability credentials. A simple, relaxed ‘lodge’ style building, using natural materials to fit with the tropical backdrop of native Costa Rican plants, including heliconia, brugmansia and anthurium, all inviting visitors to discover more about this beautifully biodiverse country.