Placencia: Belize Maya Chocolate Making Experience

Highlights

• Learn directly from Maya cacao farmers on their working farm
• Grind roasted beans on a traditional stone metate by hand
• Walk a living cacao orchard — see pod to bean firsthand
• Hear cacao's role as sacred currency in Maya ceremony
• Small group of 12, with hotel pickup in A/C vehicle

Description

Led by Maya cacao farmers on their own working orchard in Southern Belize, this 5-hour experience takes you through every step of chocolate the ancient way — with your own hands, on the land where the beans grow. You'll start with hotel pickup in an air-conditioned vehicle, then arrive at the farm to meet your hosts. Before touching a single bean, they'll share how cacao shaped Maya civilization: sacred in ceremony, valuable enough to be traded as currency, and still central to daily life in these villages today. Next, walk the cacao orchard to see how the trees grow and how pods are harvested, fermented, and sun-dried using methods passed down for generations. Then the hands-on work begins. You'll roast cacao beans over an open flame, peel them by hand, and grind them on a stone metate — the same tool the Maya have used for centuries. Shape your own chocolate to take home. Finish with a tasting of traditional Maya chocolate drink and an assortment of handmade Belizean cacao products. Browse local cacao goods and crafts before the ride back to your hotel. Groups are capped at 12, so you get real time with your hosts — not a demo, a conversation. Ideal for families, couples, and travelers drawn to food and culture at their source.

Includes

Round-trip hotel transportation (air-conditioned vehicle) Local Maya tour guide / cacao farmer host Hands-on chocolate-making activity (take-home chocolate included) Traditional Maya chocolate drink and tasting Bottled water

Excludes

Meals Gratuities Personal purchases from the farm shop

Important Information

• Please contact the activity provider to confirm all pickup details and provide the name and address of your hotel.

Easy cancellation

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund