Digital field guide
The culture behind the Cultural Experience Tour — what Guanacaste’s farm families eat, celebrate and say, and why coffee, cacao and sugar cane still matter.
Pura vida
“Pura vida” is what Costa Ricans say when they meet you, when they thank you and when they mean “it’s all good”. Translated literally it means “pure life”. In practice it is an attitude: unhurried, friendly, and more interested in the moment than the schedule.
In rural Guanacaste that attitude comes with a particular history. This is cattle country — the word sabanero means the cowboys who worked the plains — and for generations families here lived from cattle, corn, beans, coffee and cane. Much of what you taste at Diamante’s Traditional House is that life, kept alive on purpose.
The Cultural Experience Tour takes you through the botanical garden to the Traditional House, where a guide demonstrates cacao, coffee and sugar cane with tastings.
Three crops
Cacao, coffee and sugar cane each tell a different part of Costa Rica’s story.
Cacao has been cultivated in this region for centuries, long before chocolate was a global product. The pods are opened, the beans fermented and dried, then roasted and ground. Cacao was so valuable that it was used as currency in parts of Mesoamerica.
Coffee arrived in Costa Rica in the 1800s and reshaped the country’s economy. Costa Rican beans became famous for their quality, and coffee is still how many families describe the morning: un cafecito, a small cup, taken slowly.
Cane is pressed for agua dulce, a warm, sweet drink that is the original energy drink of the countryside. The leftover fibre, bagazo, is dried and used as fuel.
Food
Costa Rican food is not spicy and rarely complicated. It is rice, beans, corn, plantain and whatever the sea or the farm gives that day.
You will find gallo pinto, casado and fresh fruit at the ocean-view buffet at Diamante, alongside vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Calendar
Guanacaste has its own rhythm, and its biggest celebration is in July.
The day Guanacaste joined Costa Rica in 1824. The province celebrates with parades, marimba music, folk dancing, cattle shows and tope horseback processions.
The busiest holiday week of the year. Families travel to the coast, and the park and beaches are at their fullest.
Every town has its patron saint festival, with processions, food stalls, bull riding in a traditional ring and late-night music.
From May to November the hills turn green and afternoon showers are common. Fewer crowds, cooler mornings, and the forest at its loudest.
Speak a little
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pura vida | Hello, thank you, it’s all good |
| Buenas | The standard greeting when you walk into a shop or a room |
| Maíz | Corn — the base of tortillas |
| Agua dulce | Fresh sugar cane juice |
| Cafecito | A small cup of coffee |
| Sabanero | A Guanacaste cowboy, from the plains |
| Trapiche | The mill that presses sugar cane |
| Finca | A farm |
| Pulpería | A small village shop |
| Gallo pinto | Rice and beans, the national breakfast |
| Buen provecho | Said to people who are eating |
| Con gusto | You’re welcome |
The Cultural Experience Tour is guided, lasts about two hours and includes the Wildlife Sanctuary Discovery Pass.
Book a pass in a couple of minutes, or call (506) 2105 5200 and our reservations team will help you choose. Open daily, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
