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Eco-Ethno Tours: Adventure Travel in Costa Rica » Boruca Village Tour

Galería Namu is proud to act as a connection for you to enjoy a memorable visit to Boruca, the main village of the Brunka (Boruca) tribe, located approximately five and a half hours south west of San Joé on the Pacific Coast, and two hours South of San Isidro del General in the beautiful Terraba River valley. Your immersion with the culture, the people and their customs will be a rewarding and unforgettable experience.

The Brunka (Boruca) tribe is rich in many cultural aspects of their daily life and seasonal ceremonies. They have expressed a genuine desire to invite visitors to come and experience their way of life, and to show them the variety of traditions which are still an integral part of their culture. Apart from sharing with you their rich heritage, these tours serve as an important way to bring a different economic prospect to a community in need of expanded market possibilities. It is a dignified and mutually beneficial way to augment their limited finances.

This tribe, like all of the tribes in Costa Rica, is small, numbering less than 3,000 people. The village of Boruca has 430 people. Nonetheless, it is culturally very rich. The mother tongue, although its use is in decline, is Brunka and Spanish is mainly spoken. Many of the old ways are still practiced, and this tour will offer the visitor an opportunity to witness Brunka custom such as, mask making and weaving artisans working in their homes or workshops. Knowledgeable guides will take you to their sacred places, where you will encounter the plants and animals so important to Brunka traditions.

Together with tribal members, Namu has put together a memorable opportunity for visitors to Costa Rica who would like a culturally enriched experience. Your visit with Brunka (Boruca) families will facilitate your understanding of the cultural richness of this country’s aboriginal people. Indeed they are proud to offer this opportunity to relate their culture, sacred tribal places and art.

Tour Content

Home stay with Brunka (Boruca) families.
Guided walking tours of the surrounding areas including waterfall and river (for swimming if desired).
Legend and story telling.
Demonstrations by artisans of mask carving, drum making, jicara carving, etc.
Textile thread dying and its weaving by the women, not only fascinating to watch, but also to learn the process of dying the cotton using a myriad of natural dyes and the use of their traditional backstrap – loom weaving technique.
Visit to their tribal museum/cultural center.
Guided tour through a scenic trail to a rainforest area in the process of being reforested, where your guides will show you an array of nocturnal animals.

This visit can be taken as an overnight trip, but the variety of activities available would make it possible to stay many more days.

Cost: $65 per person per day including all meals, lodging and guided tours.

So the most convenient alternative is to take a taxi to Boruca village after you reach Buenes Aires The cost should be approximately $28.

How to get there

This tour is well suited for people who are on their way to the Osa Peninsula or who are headed down to points South on the Pacific coast.

Transportation is taken from San Jose to the town of Buenes Aires. There is a bus at 8:30am, and several others that should meet your schedule. Although there is a bus that goes to Boruca village from Buenes Aires, there are only two per day, and they are not at very convenient times. So the most convenient alternative is to take a taxi to Boruca village after you reach Buenes Aires The cost should be approximately $19.

If you have your own car, you will take the InterAmerican Highway up to the sign for Buenes Aires, which will be a left turn that you do not take, but continue on to the roadside village of Brujo after which you will cross a trestle bridge over the Terraba River and then turn right onto an ascending gravel road sign-posted ‘Boruca’. This road is a secondary road and the ascent into the village will take about 40 minutes of scenic driving.