Tropical Agriculture Center

 
Location: 3 miles southeast of Turrialba; 43 miles from San Jose

Area: 2,500 acres

About:

Founded in 1940, the Center for Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education (CATIE) is one of the world's most important centers for tropical agricultural research. CATIE's grounds host thousands of plant species from around the world, including several varieties of cacao, plantains, palms and thousands of kinds of coffee. 

Visitors are welcome to tour CATIE's grounds, which include a picturesque and educational botanical garden. Here, guests are invited to view more than 350 tropical plant species from around the globe, including Tanzania, Brazil, Mexico, Ethiopia and Kenya. Tropical fruit taste testing is a perennial favorite with first-time visitors, and most leave CATIE having sampled several new and exciting fruits.

CATIE offers three basic tour packages. The first is a two-hour jaunt through the botanical garden, where birds serenade from above and tropical trees and plants rise up all around. From tiny orchids to towering Guanacaste trees, this tour is an ideal introduction to tropical plant life. CATIE's second tour lasts approximately three hours and, in addition to the botanical garden tour, includes a trip to the center's extensive collections. Visitors will see more than 95 species of exotic trees and plants from around the world, spread over almost 25 acres. In addition, guests will learn about the CATIE-developed process for producing a more eco-friendly heart of palm.

The third tour lasts four hours, and includes the botanical garden tour, collections tour and also a tour of the CATIE campus, including its small lake. Of the more than 850 bird species that live freely at CATIE, 200 make their home on or around the lake, providing excellent opportunities for birdwatching.  In addition to CATIE's extensive botanical garden and scenic grounds, the center is home to one of the world's foremost agriculture education programs.

The institute offers Masters and Doctoral programs on its Turrialba campus, welcoming professors from Latin America, North America and Europe and producing some of the best researchers and developers in ecological agriculture, agroforestry, environmental economics and forestry. Together, CATIE's students and professors help forge new paths in agro-development, such as creating disease-resistant fruits or breeding animals for climates different than their native. 

Hours and Admission:

Open Monday- Friday: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Weekends and Holidays: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; tours by reservation

Guided tours: US$15 for visitors and $1 for Costa Rican residents

Contact Info:

Tel. 2556-2700