CATIE Botanical Garden

CATIE, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center, was founded at Turrialba in 1942 and holds one of the most important collections of tropical crop genetic material in the world: an international cacao collection of several thousand accessions, a coffee collection, and germplasm banks of peach palm, fruit trees and forage species maintained for breeding and conservation. The grounds, around a thousand hectares in the Reventazon valley, include a botanical garden laid out from the 1920s with tropical ornamentals and timber species, lakes with waterbirds, and trails. Guided tours cover the collections and the research; the cacao tour, which follows the crop from tree to chocolate, is the one most visitors take.

What you'll find

• The cacao collection - the international germplasm bank and its trees.
• The coffee collection - the varieties held for research and breeding.
• The botanical garden - the ornamental and timber tree collections.
• The lakes - the water bodies with herons and other birds.

When to go

December to April in the drier season for the trails; the Turrialba valley is wet year round. Tours run on set schedules and should be booked. Mornings are best before afternoon rain.

What to expect

This is a research institution first and visitor provision is secondary; tours need arranging and are not always available. The grounds are large and involve walking. Rain is likely in any month. The collections are working plots rather than display gardens.

Nearby

Turrialba lies west; the Reventazon river runs alongside.