Puerto Viejo and its surrounding area draws visitors from all over the world for two main reasons – its breathtaking coastal beaches and lively inland rainforests. Cahuita National Park, located on the coast about ten miles north of the city of Puerto Viejo, combines the best of these two.
HOW TO GET THERE
I can’t recommend our method of biking, as the way back was a bit of a misadventure for us. There are other ways of getting there from Puerto Viejo like bus (which does run quite sporadically), or taxi, which would be significantly more expensive than our ~$6USD rental bikes (but much more convenient if your bike breaks down on the side of the road).
Once in the area, finding the entrance to the park in the tiny town of Cahuita is a very simple task – there are clear signs leading the way in both English and Spanish.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Before we even dismounted our bikes, we were greeted by offers to “rent a local guide” and “take a tour of the park”. Smelling a bit of a scam, we politely declined and proceeded into the park.
One of the cool things about Cahuita (and what made it so attractive to us), is that there is no set entrance fee. Instead, Cahuita National Park only asks for a donation, with a suggested amount of $5 per group. This must be a successful system, because the park had a beautifully maintained trail, very clean bathroom and overall great facilities.
While the landscape of Cahuita National Park is fairly similar to the rest of the coastline, what sets it apart is its wildlife. Almost immediately upon arrival, we spotted a group of five capuchin monkeys playfully swinging from the branches above. Maybe 100 meters down the road, we spotted a group of tourists huddled around a bright yellow snake perched on a branch, ready to strike.
We also discovered that the local tour guide service was not necessarily a scam… these animals are really hard to spot (thanks, evolution). We attempted to walk away from the other groups and spend time staring at the trees, but were relatively unsuccessful in spotting much apart from the dozens of friendly raccoons that roamed the park (not that they weren’t adorable).
So we developed a strategy – walk behind tour groups who had hired local guides and follow their pointing fingers to see what they were looking at. This strategy was extremely successful! Throughout our four mile round trip walk, we were able to see two groups of monkeys, a baby sloth, spiders, geckos, and even a vine snake that was being held by one of the guides. It was like being on safari!
At the end of our tour, happy and sweaty from our walk, we ended our time there by hanging out at Cahuita’s beautiful beach. It was a day well spent, and a must-do for the area!
