el castillo del cacao

We took a taxi over to the chocolate factory. Unfortunately, the US$6 tour is only in spanish and we speak limited Spanish so we did not go. Bought lots of good chocolate though. Note: You may need to walk down a steep hill to get back to the highway to catch a ND$10/pax taxi when you return.

Just got back from Nicaragua. Second time there. This time stopped in the Castillo del cacao. Definitely worth your time. Lots of interesting info and it smells like heaven! Then at the end you can taste and buy Chocolate! Hello it's chocolate! Go check it out

Open on Mondays, however, no chocolate being made that day. If you want to see it being made, go any day but Monday.

I like chocolate. Well, I mean I love chocolate, but it should rather be a small amount of great chocolate than a great amount of cheap chocolate. This place makes a very good chocolate. Not Neuhaus style, but definitely far better than your average chocolate.But the thing here is actually not the chocolate, but the fact that you get to see the full production cycle from beans to chocolate bar.It is a small place, with around 4-5 people in the production line, but that is only perfect. Everything is done with care, and they explained very well to us every step in the process.Go here if you like chocolate, and go here if you are interested in basic production lines.

El Castillo del Cacao is a tiny chocolate making factory that produces high quality chocolate from local cacao. Think Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory, but smaller. Much smaller. There were two staff members on shift (much to our disappointment, they weren’t ommpa loompers) who made a batch of chocolate bars from start to finish, including wrapping the finished product and sticking their labels on with glue sticks. It was a low key production, but very informative and well worth the visit (Especially the Spanish chocolate and samples at the end of the tour).

You must do the tour which tells a wonderful family story. The 2 ladies who started making Chocolate with them in the beginning are still there. See first hand the full process. La piece de resistance, the tasting....you'll buy plenty to take home! It's cheaper here than in the store, available around Nicaragua.

the tour too pricy ,Jose was great he knew well the subject .i love the explanation of the hard work to make chocolate. the women very friendly , the lunch and pinolillo delisioso . what i like the most the cocoa trees been in front of me .

this is one of the best organic chocolat made in nicaragua, also you can see the all proces in the factory, also the history of the cacao in nicaragua

The tour is approx. 30 min and costs 7$ per person. You don't get much, but you get to see how local hand made chocolate is made. You can buy and taste chocolate made there. A nice trip from Matagalpa.

Yes, we enjoyed the tour. Our tour leader hadn't practiced her English for some time, but with our encouragement, she did just fine. We learned a lot and enjoyed the samples and bought some chocolate--sugar free.

We attempted to visit El Castillo del Cacao on a Monday, but it was closed. We tried many times to locate it and finally a man led us there. We would never have found it on our own. There is a white boulder with the name painted on it on the road leading up to the factory. We were able to buy chocolate bars....not a creamy chocolate.

El Castillo de Cacao is a small facility, but the tour proves to be packed with great information about the history of cacao, modern uses, and production of chocolate. We were able to go inside the "factory" (with hairnets and mouth masks for sanitary purposes) to see the process, and at the end of the tour, we were given samples of chocolate with hot coffee! There are tour companies that will arrange all aspects of travel for you, but if you speak Spanish and are comfortable hopping in a local taxi, I recommend arranging yourself, as the cost is only about C$150/US$6 per person for the tour itself, plus about a dollar per person to take a taxi from the far end of Matalgalpa to the Castillo (be prepared to walk up the short hill). Call ahead to arrange the best time to make sure you get to see the production! :)

I went on a tour with a few friends and enjoyed every part. The information provided was extremely interesting and everyone seemed happy to have us and answer any and all questions. We were given a detailed description of how everything is completed. Our tour ended with samples of chocolate and coffee. It was a wonderful experience and it should not be missed on your trip to Matagalpa!

I have visited the chocolate factory several times, and they always surprise me with the delicious chocolate i get to taste with my clients during the process. The history that is shared here is very interesting to be heard and you cannot leave Matagalpa without tasting this chocolate!

My spanish is pretty good so I ended up organising my own tour of the Castillo de Cacao (I didn't go with one of the tour operators). I admit it's a little hard to find.... but what a fantastic tour once you get there. The two women who work at the Castillo de Cacao are amazing and give you a really incredible explanation of how this very small chocolate factory originated and how it has developed.Purchase your chocolate there for a great discount - yes it's very different to Australian chocolate at least - but yummy all the same. Favourite = Ronbons!