The Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) is one of the worlds premier centers dedicated to research and graduate education in agriculture and the management, conservation, and sustainable use of natural resources. CATIEs story begins in May 1940 during the VIII American Scientific Congress in Washington DC. Henry Wallace, the United States Secretary of Agriculture at the time, proposed the creation of an institute dedicated to tropical agriculture. The institute would lend its support to American countries in agricultural research and help train their national personnel. On July 1, 1973, CATIE was created through an agreement between Inter-American Institute for Agricultural Sciences (IICA) and the Costa Rican government.
Since the centers creation, in alliance with local, national and international organizations, CATIE has become a center for academic excellence, technical cooperation and research. The center has dedicated its efforts to improve the standard of living of rural families in the American tropics, while embracing holistic vision of human activity and its environment. The information CATIE generates is fundamental in understanding the genetic structure of plant populations, organizing the collections, defining strategies to collect new samples, and in providing pertinent information for genetic improvement programs.
This tour will take bikers through the tropical plantations and botanical gardens of CATIE. The topography of the trails is not difficult. All level bike riders and children older than eight years old can enjoy this trip.
During the bike ride, a guide will explain the great diversity of the forest and fruit plantations such as: caf, cacao, sugar cane, citrus, plantains, bananas, macadamia, pineapple, mangostan, mango, avocados and many other exotic species from tropical countries. Bike riders will see the fruits in the plantations when it is the specific time of the year for the fruit.
Thanks to the diversity in flowers and fruits, the plantation is also an ideal site for the observation of birds, mammals and some reptiles.
Bike riders will finish the tour with a visit to the Tropical Botanical Garden, which has a collection of some of the most important tropical plants in the world. In the garden, visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the colors, smells, textures and forms of the plants and their products. Riders will be provided with top-quality mountain bikes in excellent condition and safety helmets which you will be required to wear.

What to bring to CATIE Mountain Bike Adventure Tour?
• Shorts (no jean shorts), tennis shoes, shirt, a hat or a visor, sunglasses, a bottle of water, insect repellent and sun block.
• Extra clothes may be needed at the end of the tour.
• This tour is available for adults and children older than eight years old.