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Medicinal Plant Tours
Ancient Plant Wisdom
In Bribri & Cabécar culture, sickness in the body is understood as illness of the soul — and plants are the channel between the two, capable of restoring balance when worked with the right knowledge and intention.
That knowledge lives here, in the gardens, on the mountain, and along the rivers of Talamanca. We offer three different ways to begin learning: at the Lodge, in an elder's home garden, and in the primary forest alongside an Awá — an ancestral healer who has dedicated his life to the wisdom of plants and the spirit world they connect us to.
Se Siwá Lodge Medicinal Plant Experience
Details
Location: Se Siwá Eco Lodge
Duration: Approx. 2 hrs
Group Size: 1-10
Cost: 30,000 Colones (1-6 people) + 5,000 Colones per additional person
This experience takes place at the Lodge, where we will collect plants from our home garden and mountain and then prepare them in the kitchen. You will learn the Bribri & Cabécar philosophy related to each of the medicines and the connection between plant spirits and humans. Together we will prepare different medicines for drinking. You will learn how to identify medicinal plants, their use, how to prepare them and proportions for serving.
Elder’s Medicinal Garden Experience
Details
Duration: Approx. 6 hrs (if departing from & returning to the Lodge)
Group Size: 1-10
Cost: 60,000 Colones (1-6 people) + transportation (if needed). 5,000 Colones per additional person.
In the Bribri and Cabécar matrilineal culture, women hold very important and sacred roles. One of the roles is to keep the siwá (wisdom). Within siwá lies the knowledge of which plants you need to keep around your home for daily life. We will travel to the home of an elder to see how she manages her home garden pharmacy. She will explain to us the medicines that we need for daily living and share advice for specific health concerns. You will learn to identify, harvest and prepare medicines in order to be able to do so on your own. Scheduling this experience is dependent on the availability of the elder.
River Walk & Medicine Plant Tour with an Awá (Spiritual Master)
Details
Location: River crossing at Suretka and then 30 minute community shuttle
Duration: Approx. 5 hrs (departing from & returning to the Lodge)
Difficulty: Easy
Group Size: 1-8
Cost: 80,000 Colones (1-6 people) + 6,000/person transportation. 5,000 Colones per additional person.
Together we walk the Durinak Path along the Lari River with an Awá, an authentic ancestral healer/doctor. Awás dedicate their lives to mastering ancestral plant knowledge passed down through generations — the opportunity to walk and learn alongside one is very rare.
The Lari River is one the five largest and most beautiful rivers in the Talamanca primary forest. It is deeply sacred, as its origin begins in Sulayöm, the sacred mountain of the Bribri & Cabécar people. In our culture, the mountain is the pharmacy, and the Awás are healers dedicated to learning the wisdom, signs and technology of healing with plants.
We will have the opportunity to listen in detail about the spirit of the medicinal plants, their use, how those plants mix with other elements, and the reasons for their use from the world of the spirits. Everything on earth is a reflection of the spiritual world, and all plants are gifts from Sibö and Sulá for healing humans. You will learn the characteristics of many medicinal plants in detail, including interpreting their symbols and the uses for different parts of each plant. This is a very special opportunity to learn from a master and experience the beauty of the Lari River and the primary forest of Talamanca.
The Awá will speak Spanish and Gamita can translate to English.
*Prices are listed in Colones, Costa Rican national currency. For payment we accept cash in Colones or US Dollars, SINPE, Wise or Paypal.
*Reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance.