Zapotal Community Homestay & Cultural Experience

In the mountains of Costa Rica, there is a small village with fewer than 60 people. Immersed in the cloud forest, Zapotal is a true example of traditional village life, with multiple generations of a family living together in humble homes. Traditionally, the people here depended on livestock and agriculture. More recently, they have focused on tourism. Now, there are restaurants with traditional food, and even a pizza place! Homestays welcome travelers who can also visit the sugar mill, an old cheese factory, and a nursery to learn about the plants and trees. In the last decade, tourism has grown so much that almost everyone in this tiny village is connected to the industry in some way.

Zapotal is also home to Betshy, entrepreneur and grandmother to the only child in the village. Betshy’s real name is Betty. Over the years, hosting more than a hundred volunteers and making new friends around the world, the name “Betshy” somehow stuck. In 2009, she opened the first guesthouse and invited her community to work with her. Right away, Betshy became an “incubator” for the tourism industry in Zapotal, and almost everyone involved in tourism has passed through her doors at some point. Betshy was selected by Costa Rica’s National Bank to become the face of its marketing campaign, granting loans to emerging entrepreneurs, especially women in business. She was featured on bus stop banners around Puntarenas as a representative of female empowerment and welfare. Recently, she remodeled her house to add a spacious kitchen for travelers to take cooking classes. Unfortunately, financial problems have meant that, ironically, Betshy is now having trouble paying back one of the loans she was an advocate for. Zapotal used to receive at least six travel groups a year, but due to the pandemic now has had fewer than a dozen visitors. Betshy is eager to show off her brand-new kitchen, but she hasn’t had the chance. The momentum the village gained from tourism has come to a lull and they are feeling the economic consequences. Everyone in Zapotal is ready to welcome visitors back to share their energy and love of their village. Even though it’s quieter, Betshy remains a valuable pillar of this community.

Fortunately, Betshy has many projects on the go, including an educational farm where she devotes almost all of her extra time. There, she looks after her cows and pigs, talks to her plants and flowers, and fishes for tilapia at her lagoon. Like everyone in Zapotal, she has so much to share, and is waiting for visitors to return so she can invite them inside to cook with her in her beautiful kitchen.