Doka Estate Coffee and Sugar Cane Tour with Butterfly Garden

During this educational Costa Rican coffee tour, you will experience firsthand how the plantation employees strive to obtain the perfect balance between nature and science; you will learn about the different cultivation methods and age-old brewing techniques.

The Sugar Mill is the next stop; you will get to see the inner workings of a sugar cane mill, which is called a Trapiche. You will learn all about how cane sugar is made and processed. Your guide will take you through each of the steps: growing, harvesting methods, extraction, evaporation, boiling and storage. Besides tasting them you will also learn about the sugar cane by products, such as molasses and cane fibers and their respective purposes. 

With the sweet flavor of the sugar cane still in your mouth, you are ready to the next stop, the Bonsai Trees and Orchid Garden.

Following the coffee growing culture existing in the family since 1940, was born a special fondness for the development of Bonsai that are created from material found in the farms, You will see a family collection of 250 bonsai. Greenery, water fountains and orchids also surround the garden.

The last stop is butterfly garden. This lovely facility is home to 15 species that undergo the complete metamorphosis within these walls. Among the specie you will be able to observe the Blue Morpho, Monarch, Owl Butterfly and the Heliconias. Also in the garden you will find each butterfly’s host plant, aerial trails, watersheds and botanical gardens. Reproduction does not take place in the garden, but at a separate facility. Your guide will explain the metamorphosis process to you in every stage, while from egg to adult butterfly. There are signs that point out specific plants and species to help you find them. Magnifying glasses are also available to help you get a closer look at these interesting creatures. If you are lucky, you may get a chance to see a pupa hatching.