Roça Diogo Vaz
A working cocoa estate on the northwest coast making chocolate on site.
Updated 4 September 2026
UNESCO World Heritage
Diogo Vaz on the northwestern coast is one of the few roças still working as a plantation rather than decaying: cocoa is grown, fermented and dried on the estate and then made into chocolate there rather than shipped as beans, which is unusual for any producing country. Tours cover the plantation, the fermentation boxes and the factory. UNESCO inscribed the estate in 2026 as one of six roças forming a single property.
What's there
- The working plantation - cocoa grown, fermented and dried on the estate.
- The on-site factory - chocolate made where the beans are grown.
- The fermentation boxes - the wooden boxes where the beans are turned.
- The 2026 inscription - one of six roças in the UNESCO property.
When to go
June to September is the drier gravana season. Tours must be arranged in advance. The main harvest is spread across the year.
Things to know
Tours must be booked and are not run daily. The estate is a commercial operation and the visit ends in a shop. The road out along the northwest coast is rough in places.
Nearby
Neves is southeast, and Lagoa Azul is northeast.
What to pack for Roça Diogo Vaz
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
- A reusable bag or container - For market produce and cutting down on packaging. Find on Amazon
- Wet wipes + hand sanitiser - Street food and washbasins do not always go together. Find on Amazon
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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.