Costa Rica Coffee Tour | Indigenous People of Costa Rica | Yorkin – Community

Discover the real life and work of The Yorkin villagers. They are Indigenous People of Costa Rica, with several tribes in Talamanca, close to Bratsi (Bambu). Yorkin has an excellent Costa Rica coffee tour.

The Yorkin area has beautiful waterfalls and rivers, and there are lots of local activities, like, as stated, the cacao tour, bow and arrow shooting, canoe trips on the river, and beautiful hiking.

Learn about natural medicines and the Bribri language. Try the local food and drinks. Hike through the rainforest and enjoy yourself with a swim in the crystal clear water.

On this occasion, we go much further into Talamanca’s indigenous territory. From Bribri (the city), we follow the Sixaola River upstream, where we trade the car for a boat trip (hollow tree).

The journey will continue upstream and further into the jungle, which is covered by mountains. Beautiful scenery passes while we turn through each curve, and the water becomes more relaxed and transparent.

Well, away from our usual society, we find the village of Yorkin. Upon arrival, we are welcomed to their community area with some juice and banana cake.

After the introductions, we became more familiar with the place. The people from Yorkin organized to share their culture with us. As we looked around, we learned about natural medicine and practiced our bow and arrow shooting skills.

One of their most common medicines is ‘Hombre Grande’ or Kinine; it is good against internal parasites, stops mosquitos from stinging you, and some say it even helped them fight Coronavirus. Their drugstore is all over the garden.

Lunch of local homemade food, beans, cassava, and plantains combined with some typical flavors exists.

After lunch and relaxing in the beautiful setting, we will focus on Cacao. We will learn about it from bean to bar. This area produces one of the best beans in the world. We will roast, peel, and grind our chocolate the traditional way.

Of course, you get to taste it with some banana on the side.

Before heading back, we could take a dip in the river. As we have reached our furthest point away, it now has deep pools with crystal-clear water.

Duration

Approximately 7 hours, a full-day tour.

What do you bring with you?

Water, swimming suit, sunblock, insect repellent, closed shoes, and a camera.

Our Tour guides

Our guides are genuinely local and experienced tour professionals. They harbor a sincere and profound passion for nature and wildlife, deeply respect Costa Rican culture, are thoroughly prepared, and are licensed by the ICT (Costa Rican Tourism Institute).

They love to show you the rich culture, habits, and activities of the  Yorkin Community and the indigenous culture of the community of ‘the Yorkin Villagers’ based upon their advanced experience.

Pricing

For pricing, see the shop product page and the “Additional Information” Tab; the minimum group size [adults] is four. This tour is offered also available for two persons; see the product page for information.

What is Included

A local Costa Rican lunch, chocolate & fresh fruits are included. As well as the canoe trip from Bribri to Yorkin and all local activities.

What is Excluded

The tours are based upon your transport [upon request, transport can be arranged].

Yorkin is a small indigenous village with less than 500 inhabitants. It is located in the Talamanca district, in the Bribri indigenous territory at the river Yorkin, close to the border of Panama.

Also, part of the biggest national park in Central America is known as ‘la Amistad'(the friendship), which is shared by both Costa Rica and Panama. Including the highest mountain,’ Chiripo.’

Yorkin has always been isolated since it was practically only reached by canoe. Lately, there have been some improvements on the road, and now it has become accessible over land (if the river is not too high). These developments have positive and negative influences on preserving the Yorkin lifestyle.

Doña Ötilia, her family, and other organizations are set on maintaining their culture while making an income from ecotourism and Chocolate production.

On this Yorkin tour, we go way further into Talamanca’s indigenous territory to meet the indigenous people of Yorkin. From Bribri (city), we follow the Sixaola River upstream. Here we will meet the Yorkin Villagers, and they have a perfect Costa Rica coffee tour.

This is an adventurous route that was used by a banana company to take out products by train more than a hundred years ago. Old tunnels still remain as proof of these historic times. Nowadays, people prefer to grow plantain or cook bananas on the banks of river Sixaola, just as the Panamanians on the other side.

As our voyage continues, we pass by little villages getting more typically indigenous, leaving thatched houses and wooden structures becoming a familiar sight. We can stop at some beautiful viewpoints looking over the river and vast mountain range.

Till we arrive at ‘Bambu’ will be where we will trade the car for a boat trip in a hollow tree. Here we meet our captain, a member of the Yorkin tribe; their ancestors master the art of hollowing out a tree and making them into a boat; nowadays, they continue this tradition even though a chainsaw facilitates the work.

Our journey continues upstream further into the jungle-covered by mountains. Beautiful scenery passes by while we turn through each curve, and the water gets more relaxed and clearer.

Well away of our usual society – more than an hour by boat we finally, we will find the village of Yorkin.

On our arrival, we will be welcomed by the Yorkin Villagers, the indigenous people of Costa Rica. We will be introduced to their community area with juice and banana cake. After introductions, we get more familiar with the place. The people from Yorkin organized to share their culture with us.

As we take a look around, we get a chance to learn about natural medicine and practice our bow and arrow shooting skills.

We will do the cacao tour, swim, and canoe on the river, jungle rainforest trekking, visit and meet the Shaman, visit the Bribri waterfall, handcrafts presentation, and courses, visit the farms and plantations, and more.

We offer multiple-day tours to Yorkin, seeing the number of activities and the stunning environment.

The bow and arrows are made of a Palm species called ‘Chonta’, a tough wood. Few people still use them for real, even though they do less hunting, it is lots easier now they have rifles.

On multiple-day tours, we can combine a lot of extra activities, during the days, like trekking, long kayak river trips, and more.

Learn about it, ‘from bean to barr’. This area produces one of the best beans  in the world. We will roast, peel and grind our own chocolate, the traditional way. Of course, we get to taste it, with some banana on the side.

I am always interested in finding out more about the spiritual side of things as, for example, the cacao tree is referred to as a female spirit. If you share cacao drink with them, you traditionally become part of the family.

A couple of years ago, the organization of people from Yorkin started a new project. The idea was to collect cacao from all surrounding neighbors and process it into the best chocolate in Costa Rica.

It would be a great opportunity for the tribe to make an income generated locally. This way their culture would be better conserved while living on their lands instead of working away for a Banana Company.

They got a good grinding machine (melancheur) and other provisional equipment. Somehow things did not work out till now. We are working on a new plan to see what we can organize. This is the time for some last questions.