How it works
Your local host walks you through each step, from the cane field to the still, in the easy, unhurried rhythm of the hacienda.
Culture add-on · Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Hacienda El Viejo Rum Experience — from cane to your own glass
How authentic Costa Rican rum is born, on the banks of the Tempisque River — and a rum with your own signature to take home.
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Quick answer
The Hacienda El Viejo Rum Experience follows Costa Rican rum from the cane field to your glass at a sugar estate on the Tempisque River, Guanacaste, Costa Rica: the plantation, the artisanal extraction and cooking of the cane juice, and the distilling, with your own signature on the rum. It lasts about an hour and is an add-on to our Palo Verde river cruise, from $200 per private group.
About 1 hourCane to glassHands-onPalo Verde add-on
Last verified September 2026 by Miller Contreras, naturalist guide
Duration
About 1 hour
Group
100% private
Guide
Local host
Setting
Hacienda El Viejo
Type
Add-on
Take home
Your own rum
Culture · Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Costa Rican Rum, From the Cane Field to Your Glass, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Discover how authentic Costa Rican rum is born, from the cane field to your own glass. Set among the sugarcane plains of Hacienda El Viejo, on the banks of the Tempisque River, this hands-on add-on to your Palo Verde cruise walks you through the full craft of rum-making — and lets you put your own signature on it.
Follow the journey from the sugarcane plantation through the artisanal extraction and cooking of the cane juice, the distillation that yields the first pure spirits, and the aging that gives rum its character. Each step is explained by your host in the easy, unhurried rhythm of the hacienda.
Then comes the part that makes it yours: at the flavor station you blend and craft your own rum flavors — and take your creation home with you. It's a sensory, interactive finale that turns a tasting into a keepsake of your day in Guanacaste.
Part of a private day
See the day →
Where does it fit in your day?
The rum experience isn't sold on its own — it joins our private Palo Verde day, and it is booked under the same terms.
Palo Verde National Park Experience
The wildlife of the wetlands on the river, then the craft of Guanacaste rum at the hacienda.
+ from $200 / group
See the day →
“Per private group” is a minimum, not a cap — each extra guest is added at a reduced per-person rate. Taxes included. Tell us your group size and where you're staying — we confirm the exact quote on WhatsApp.
Real photographs from our days
Photos from the rum experience
Hacienda El Viejo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Drag to explore.
The copper stillWhere the first pure spirits come from
The Mill HouseWhere the cane is pressed
The agingRum resting in oak
The flavor stationSpices to blend your own
The tastingAt the hacienda bar
Why book with us
Book direct with the operator
- We run these tours ourselves. No middleman, no reseller.
- Private from two people on most experiences — no strangers in your van.
- The price you see is the price you pay: taxes and door-to-door pickup included.
At the hacienda
What’s included in the El Viejo rum experience?
The full craft of rum-making, in the easy, unhurried rhythm of the hacienda.
The cane & the still
Extraction to distillation
The artisanal extraction and cooking of the cane juice, and the distillation that yields the first pure spirits.
The aging
In the barrel
The aging that gives rum its character, explained by your host.
The flavor station
Hands-on
Blend and craft your own rum flavors.
Your bottle
Take it home
The rum you create goes home with you — a keepsake of your day in Guanacaste.
Included
- See the full rum-making process: cane field, extraction, distillation and aging
- Learn the artisanal craft from your local host at Hacienda El Viejo
- Craft your own rum flavors at the flavor station
- Take home the rum you create
- Set on the historic sugar estate by the Tempisque River
- Booked as part of your Palo Verde day, and covered by the same terms.
Before you go
What should you know before you go?
Duration
About 1 hour
Style
Private
Type
Add-on
Setting
Sugar estate
Take home
Your own rum
The setting
The sugarcane plains of Hacienda El Viejo, a historic sugar estate on the banks of the Tempisque River.
Pairs with
The Palo Verde river cruise — and, on the same day if you like, the hacienda’s Cultural Experience.
Booking
Booked as part of your Palo Verde day and covered by the same terms.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
No — it is an add-on to our private Palo Verde day, from $200 per private group. “Per private group” is a minimum, not a cap: each extra guest is added at a reduced per-person rate. We confirm your exact quote on WhatsApp.
About an hour, explained step by step by your local host in the easy, unhurried rhythm of the hacienda.
You follow the rum from the sugarcane plantation through the artisanal extraction and cooking of the cane juice, the distillation that yields the first pure spirits, and the aging that gives rum its character. Then, at the flavor station, you blend and craft your own rum flavors.
Yes. The rum you create at the flavor station goes home with you — a keepsake of your day in Guanacaste.
It is a historic sugar estate among the sugarcane plains on the banks of the Tempisque River, in Guanacaste, Costa Rica — in the same wetlands you explore on the Palo Verde river cruise.
Yes. The rum experience is part of your Palo Verde day, which includes private transportation, lunch and hotel pickup along the Guanacaste coast — from Tamarindo, Playas del Coco and the Papagayo Peninsula to Liberia and more.
Yes — both can be added to the same Palo Verde day. The Cultural Experience takes place at the same hacienda — the casona, local crafts, marimba and regional food — and is also from $200 per private group. Ask us and we will quote both together.
Twenty-four hours before your tour begins, counted from the start time and not the day. Cancel before that and you get a full refund.
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Make your own rum part of the day
Pair the wetlands of Palo Verde with the craft of Guanacaste rum — add the Hacienda El Viejo rum experience to your river cruise. Our guides’ eBird lists are public — you can read them before you write.
Prefer a form? Write to us here → · Part of the Palo Verde Experience · Also at the hacienda: the Cultural Experience
By the Guanadreams team
Led by Miller Contreras — naturalist guide, born and raised in Guanacaste, Costa Rica · 30+ years in tourism and 20+ years guiding
Led by Miller Contreras — naturalist guide, born and raised in Guanacaste, Costa Rica · 30+ years in tourism and 20+ years guiding