The Maleku Indigenous Reserve is in the Northern Region of Costa Rica. The reserve consists of 3 different towns that are called Palenques; Margarita, Tonjibe and El Sol, all within a territory of 2993 hectares (7396 acres). The population of 1000 inhabitants speak the dialect known as Maleku Jaica around 80% of the time. The main objective of this tour is to learn about the indigenous lifestyle in the present and what they've done to rescue their traditions and customs.
Our tour starts at 8:00 am from La Fortuna. After a 1-hour drive through the northern plains, we will arrive at Tonjibe Palenque where we will be welcomed by the locals. After a short presentation we will begin a walk through the village to learn important details of the village, such as the way in which its dead are buried, the typeof palenques that they built in antiquity, craftsmanship as a way of subsistence in the present, the use of cocoa in their agriculture, and the way they created their clothing. Later, we will continue with a walk along a small path of 600 meters in the forest to receive interesting information about medicinal plants and trees that their ancestors used and which they currently profit from.
At the end of the tour we will go to a Palenque to an enjoy a traditional Costa Rican lunch with a Malekutouch. Around 1:00 p.m. we will have finished the visit to this village and begin our drive back to La Fortuna.
Español 