In 1937 gold was first reported to be found here on the Osa Peninsula, which began the area’s first gold rush. But the gold miners who first came to this area looking for riches in the rivers were not the first people or culture to exist in this area. The Guaymi indigenous tribe were living here for thousands of years before that time, and still exist today on a protected piece of land about 30 minutes away.

While this settlement is relatively secluded and the indigenous people generally tend to minimize the amount of time they visit with outsiders, there is an elder tribal chief named Mariano who wishes to invite those interested to his family home to share aspects of his tribal history. Mariano (with the help of your guide who will translate from Spanish) will share his knowledge of edible and medicinal plants, philosophy on how we humans should fit into the natural world, beliefs on how to ward off evil animal spirits, tribal language, games, stories and practices, and first-hand accounts of how the arrival of Catholicism in the 1970s effected their way of life.

We highly recommend this tour for anyone remotely interested in cultural anthropology or firsthand historical accounts of how things once were. If you have ever wished to speak to or learn from an individual who was alive during an entirely different reality, this is your chance. This is a half day tour, and it will leave at 8am and return by 12 noon.