Doka Coffee/Poas questions
 

Have any you taken the tour at the Doka coffee farm? Did you have to make reservations? Did you like the tour?

Also, for Poas, is there a time of day that is best to go? Can we just drive there ourselves? Is there an entrance fee or anything?

PL offers a tour to both of these places. Do you think we are btter off paying for the tour, or can we drive ourselves to both of these places?

Thanks! :)

We were at Peace Lodge last year, we had a vehicle, so opted to drive ourselves. So yes you can drive yourself very easily.

We spent the mornings in La Paz and arranged, through Peace Lodge to have a private tour of Doka, which was actually us and 2 other couples that had come from another area. Just talk to someone at the front desk and they will arrange it. Doka is between SJ and PL.

Yes, I enjoyed the tour, I love coffee and learning everything about it was very interesting to me. Basicly the Doka tour, is a Doka employee that takes you through the operations and explains everything from planting to shipping. I don't have any idea what a group visit vs a private visit would be.

As for Poas it is a very short drive, remember to try and get there early, before the clouds. We seemed to not be able to remember this!

Definitely do the Poas volcano early in the morning. You will have the best chance of seeing the crater then. Remember that even if you get there and it is clouded over, you should hang around for a bit. The clouds move in and out very quickly. When we visited a few years ago we arrived in heavy cloud cover and drizzle. We thought there would be no chance of seeing the crater. But within 10-15 minutes the clouds were blown away and we were rewarded with a spectacular view.

mosey10
You can do both of these in one day easily. You should (as others have said) arrive at Poas between 8:00 and 9:00 for best chance of crater viewing. There is easy hiking also through the secondary tropical forest. This would be the only advantage to a tour--having a guide to give information about flora and fauna. But not necessary. There are restroom accomodations while hiking as well. Seems like it cost less than $10 pp to get into Poas.

You'll have time to see the crater, hike a bit, and enjoy a nice lunch somewhere on your way to Doka. Check out www.dokaestate.com.

The site doesn't give times, but when we went last July, I seem to remember 9:30 and 1:30. Peace Lodge can verify times for you. I know we left Las Orquideas (on a last minute whim) hoping to arrive in time for the 1:30. It was about 20 minutes drive and well marked along the way. We were a tad late, but so was another couple after us. There were only 6 persons on the tour--it was very informal. Don't remember the cost, perhaps about $15 pp--but not for sure. It wasn't much.

Poas is very near La Paz, so that will help you some. From Poas, it isn't all that far to the Doka Estate. It is an excellent tour--very informative, with a very nice gift shop. Tres Generaciones coffee is excellent and not sold in stores or gift shops. Have fun!

Thanks guys! Great info! I will be sure to be at Poas first thing in the morning. :)

I found this on their website:

Daily Tours on our Coffee Farm:

High Season
September 01 - March 31

Green Season
April 01 - August 31

Schedule Tours:

Monday - Sunday: 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM

For reservation contact your travel agency or DOKA ESTATE.