Four New Signature Encounters in Puerto Viejo—Exclusively from Costa Rican Trails
When our new Experience Designer, Irene Gago, joined Costa Rican Trails, she set herself one question:
“How do we create stories so good that guests can’t stop talking about them on the flight home?”
Her answer debuts on Costa Rica’s Afro‑Caribbean coast, where Puerto Viejo’s patois, pastel houses, and calypso rhythms create a culture entirely its own.
Irene’s inaugural Puerto Viejo Experience Portfolio curates four privately guided encounters that exchange the usual “sun‑and‑sloth” script for deeper flavour, rhythm, and community connection.
The result is a quartet of private encounters that bottle the area’s Afro‑Caribbean flavours, rhythms, and community spirit—and yes, they’re ours alone.
Portfolio Feature: Our New Immersive Experiences in Puerto Viejo
A Celebration of Food, Culture & Connection
Join Doriam in her cozy Cahuita kitchen for an unforgettable Caribbean cooking and dance experience blending rich flavors with vibrant rhythms.
In this private class, you’ll learn to prepare traditional dishes like pati, rice and beans con pollo, and patacones, while Doriam shares her love for local culture and storytelling.
As your meal simmers, the music turns up and the dancing begins—feel the joy of Caribbean life as you move to the beats of socca, reggae, and more.
Dancing to the Coastline’s Rhythm
Step into the rhythm and soul of the Caribbean with this private, immersive dance workshop led by Aldo, a professional dancer trained in Cuba — the birthplace of salsa.
With deep roots in Latin American and Afro-Caribbean dance traditions, Aldo offers a rare opportunity to explore the cultural richness behind the music and movements that define this vibrant region.
An authentic dance journey into the heart of the Caribbean.
Beach Picnic Accompanied By Live Calypso
Celebrate love, family, friendship, or simply the joy of life with an unforgettable beach picnic on the Caribbean coast.
Set under the shade of sea grape trees or a breezy palm canopy, your picnic unfolds on soft golden sand with the sound of waves as your backdrop—and the vibrant rhythm of a live calypso band filling the air with joy.
This is not just a meal, but a soulful celebration—crafted with care, inspired by culture, and designed to stay with you long after the last note fades.
Living Calypso—A Musical Heritage
In a cozy, candle-lit setting, guests experience the intimate Living Calypso encounter.
Kawe Calypso bandleader Danny Williams frames each song with anecdotes of love, politics, and sea lore, reminding guests, “Music is living memory—Calypso tells us what isn’t found in books.”
The session ends with maracas passed hand-to-hand, guests improvising verses under Williams’ gentle guidance—a genuine, interactive immersion into Costa Rican heritage.
Calypso in Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, calypso first appeared around 1870, brought to the Caribbean coast by Black communities who migrated from Jamaica, Barbados, and Saint Kitts. Since then, the people of Limón have embraced calypso, shaping it into something uniquely their own. Here, calypso singer-songwriters are known as calypsonians, a term that originally referred to “a person who spreads gossip, recycles rumors, and shares news while resisting the colonial oppression of the 19th and 20th centuries with a sense of humor and resilience.”