kekoldi indigenous reserve

Do not miss to learn from the indigenous people what "pura vida" really means. You may follow a knowledgeable guide like the amiable Keshua who will exercise arrow shooting with you, produce chocolate, put Indian makeup on you, explain the medicinal plants, other fruits and crops and teach you the local Bribri language. Check out an overnight stay with the Yorkin Bribri people at the ATEC office in Puerto Viejo to get even more close to the indigenous life and culture

the best. do not miss it. so authentic and amazing, we went on a hike to a waterfall through the jungle. it's about an hour hike to the tree house.

A beautiful reserve; Keashuar is a great guide and his family is very friendly. We enjoy the tour a lot! Natural Mystic Travel included the tour here during our stay and we had a wonderful time!

We toured Costa Rica for 2 weeks and our guide, a wonderful naturalist, assured us that our best rain forest hike would be at the Kekoldi indigenous reserve. He was indeed correct. Lukas, our Bribri guide, was kind and gentle and clearly loved his culture, his people, his work and the land. We started our visit spending a long time at the iguana farm. He taught us all about why and how they farm the iguanas and we learned a bit about the Bribri people. Then we headed into the rainforest where we saw tarantulas, bullet ants, butterfliess laying eggs, many, many plants and tress that had medicinal uses he could explain to us, tiny bright green and black frogs, termite nests, many new birds and spiders, millipedes and on and on. At the end of the hike (we did a short hike, only about an hour as we had small kids with us) we were hungry and Lukas found a tree with delicious fruits and picked a big bunch for us. The knowledge that the indigenous people of Costa Rica have about plants and nature is astounding. I highly recommend this trip.

Very interesting to see and learn more from the ancient cultures... Who says Costa Rica has no culture...! very much they do!I went on a day tour and was introduced to all aspects of the ancient BriBri culture; they way they live, their beliefs, their tradition and the untouched nature! Beautiful!

Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve Tour with Cahuita Tours – 5 out of 5 One of the highlights of our trip. We had a great guide – Adol. The Kekoldi Green Iguana farm was very interesting, the waterfall shop intriguing and the bathe in the pool refreshing (although we don’t fall for waterfalls quite as much as our American cousins!). Best of all was meeting the Bri-Bri medicine man, being shown all the plants he uses and then making and drinking chocolate with his family. Magical and great fun. A wonderful introduction to the forests of Costa Rica and we saw plenty of wildlife along the way – keel-billed toucan, a tarantula, a snake, leaf-cutting ants, bullet ants and lots of birds and butterflies.

We hiked through the reserve with a very knowledgeable guide, Keysuar. If you can, ask for him. We were the only ones on the trip and it was so beautiful hiking through the jungle and so rewarding to get to the waterfall were we went swimming.

The forest is spectacular the falls is worthwhile (bring your swim suite). Be prepared for some steep descent and ascent, but nothing dangerous.

We spent 13 days in Costa Rica and this was my favorite tour. It was authentic and very informative. I learning how they live off of the land and medicinal plants. I also enjoyed making chocolate out of cacao. Learning about the iguanas was also very interesting. Our guide Antonio was extremely knowledgeable and a really great guide. We learned so much from Antonio. I think I should have been born a BriBri. I would love to spend more time learning their culture.

This is a tour not to miss! If you want to learn about the Bri Bri culture and how they are keeping their culture alive plus some history of the area, you will be quite satisfied. Visit the simple homes of two Bri Bri families, one you will learn about the Iguanas, the other about medicinal and everyday use plants as well as make some fresh cacao! We enjoyed seeing some wildlife in the area but mostly enjoyed learning about the plants they use which are all around us all. One family was building a new room and it was incredible how the used the natural woods of the area and how durable these woods are, the floor is made of palm bark which we walked on a floor like this that was 80 years old. So simple yet lasting, just as the tour was with us!! Antonio was our guide, he was so knowledgeable and made this tour amazing!

learning about their attempt to repopulate iguanas into the area is really cool! But the best part is after the tour hanging out with the locals and eating a typical BriBri meal with them and listening to stories. A very magical place.

Viewing the iguana project and hearing about the importance of preservation is only a small part of the experience. we also had a delicious jungle meal, heard a Bribri creation story and had a small glimpse into the lives and culture of the Bribri

This is a rural but welcoming tour. No fancy shops or performances. Our guide was quite knowledgable about the flora, fauna, and culture of the BriBri people. The iguana restoration was quite interesting. The hike to the viewing tower included many bird species, a poison dart frog, bullet ants, a sloth, and many great cultural/historical stories. We tasted plants along the way and learned about medicinal uses and ritual practices. When we left, we were invited back as friends, not tourists.

The guide Alex is super gifted at explaining the magic of the trees, plants and spotting animals of all kinds. Plus he speaks 4 languages!

This is a very nice place to visit to get away from the local parties and other tourist traps and add some genuine culture to your trip! The people here are so kind and happy to have you visit their reserve. They have an Iguana rescue area, complete with some of the most serious guard-turkeys you will ever encounter. Learn about the Kekoldi people and their efforts to keep their tradional lifestyle at their reserve just outside of Puerto Viejo central.