Santa María & Valle de Dota

Introducing Santa María & Valle de Dota

Centered on a green, grassy soccer field, Santa María de Dota is surrounded by lavish plantations. It’s a great place to stretch your legs, though it’s so quiet you can practically hear the coffee drying.

Coffee production is the economic lifeblood of this little village, from the surrounding farms to the Coopedota processing facility in town (which you’ll find on the east side of the soccer field). Coopedota can give you the complete picture of where your caffeine fix comes from: the Coffee Experience (541 2828; coffee-experience@coopedota.com; tour US$12) is a half-day tour that takes guests to an organic coffee farm, visits the production facility and – most importantly – offers tastings of several different kinds of coffee. The co-founder and manager of the café previously won third place in a national barista competition and is locally famous for her signature coffee drinks.

A tree-hugger paradise, Actividades Arboreales (874 0817, in Canada 456 2477; www.treewalking.com; Providencia de Dota; 6hr tour for 2 people US$60) offers all sorts of adventures in the treetops. The farm, La Cabana, is rigged with treetop platforms, linked by suspension bridges and slack lines, creating a ‘canopy maze.’ For the purist, this place is also great for good old-fashioned tree climbing (or not so old-fashioned, like climbing up the inside of a 30m strangler fig). The price includes transportation from Copey de Dota or Ojo del Agua. Otherwise, if you have your own vehicle, drive east from Santa María and continue 12km past El Toucanet Lodge. Coming from the south, turn off the Interamericana at Ojo de Agua; drive about 21km south and west.

Last updated: Aug 17, 2009