Costa Rica has fruits that will change how you think about fruit.
Mamón chino. Guanábana. Cas. Marañón. Most have no name in your language. I grow some of them on my farm — and know every market and roadside stand worth stopping at.
The fruits you need to try
Most have no English name. All are worth knowing.
Mamón Chino (Rambutan)
Covered in soft red spines, white flesh inside — like a lychee but grown in tropical rainforest. Eaten by peeling the spiny skin. Sweet, juicy, slightly tart. Sold in bags at roadside stands all along the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
Season:: June–September
Guanábana (Soursop)
Large green fruit with white creamy flesh. Flavour somewhere between strawberry and pineapple, with a custard texture. Widely used for refrescos (fresh juice). One of the most beloved fruits in Costa Rica — and almost impossible to find ripe in Europe.
Season:: Year-round
Cas
Small yellow-green guava native to Costa Rica. Too sour to eat raw — used for refresco de cas (fresh juice with sugar and water). The national soft drink, essentially. Tangy, bright, and completely addictive. the farm has cas trees.
Season:: Year-round
Carambola (Star Fruit)
Cut crosswise and it falls into perfect stars. Light, slightly sweet, slightly acidic. Eaten skin and all. Beautiful on a breakfast plate at any good lodge. Grows on trees you'll pass on the roadside.
Season:: August–February
Pitahaya (Dragon Fruit)
Pink exterior, white or red flesh dotted with black seeds. The red-fleshed variety is far tastier than anything sold in Western supermarkets. Refreshing, subtle, and visually extraordinary. Costa Planner knows which markets have the red variety.
Season:: May–November
Marañón (Cashew Fruit)
The cashew nut grows on the outside of this fruit. The fruit itself is orange or red — astringent raw but excellent as juice. The smell alone, somewhere between mango and guava, is worth stopping for.
Season:: February–May
Jobo (Wild Plum)
Small yellow-orange fruit that falls from wild trees along roadsides. Sour, complex, used for fermented drinks. Locals pick them straight off the ground. A completely authentic Costa Rican taste.
Season:: March–June
Noni
Gnarly green-white fruit with a fermented, pungent smell. Medicinal reputation outweighs its flavour. Widely used as juice in health-focused communities. An acquired taste — but a genuine Costa Rican curiosity worth trying once.
Season:: Year-round
the farm — fruit straight from the trees
On Costa Planner's 13-hectare farm in the Puriscal region, mangoes, papayas, avocados, oranges, bananas, guavas, and cas grow wild and are picked the morning of your stay. No plastic wrap. No refrigeration. Just fruit the way it's supposed to taste.
Stay at the Farm →Where to find the best fruits
Weekly farmers' market in every major town. Saturday or Sunday morning. Best selection, lowest prices, direct from growers.
Fruit stands along highways — especially on the Pacific coastal roads. Pre-cut pineapple, watermelon, and whatever is in season.
Guests pick from the trees. Mangoes, papaya, avocado, oranges, guava, bananas. Season-dependent but always something.
Ready to plan your Costa Rica trip?
Costa Planner builds itineraries that pass through the right markets at the right season — so the fruit guide above becomes a tasting list, not a regret list.