My third destination in Costa Rica; Cahuita. Cahuita is a town situated on the Carribean Coast close to Puerto Viejo. It is smaller than Puerto Viejo, with less nightlife and closer to the National Park. It had lots of lovely Carribean and Costa Rican restaurants as well as the atmosphere you’d expect from any beach town.
Accommodation:
Cabinas Cahuita (Cabinas Cahuita, Cahuita – Updated 2024 Prices (booking.com))
The owners at Cabinas Cahuita could not have been friendlier, sitting down with us on the first day to help us book any extra trips or activities. They were able to advise us on the best bus routes, local knowledge, where to see sloths and caimans in the area and what to try at the restaurants. There was a small pool, a garden to hang washing in and overall fantastic. It is also only about 100m from the bus stop, and very central.
Day 1: Arrival in Cahuita
We took an early morning shuttle from La Fortuna to Cahuita, arriving in time for lunch and a coffee at the cafe opposite our accommodation. We spent the afternoon wandering around Cahuita and exploring a little of the national park, having a chilled out day on the beach.
Day 2: Cahuita Point and Beach
Our second day in Cahuita was Christmas Day, due to our travel period. One thing to note if you are travelling over Christmas is that in the more touristy areas, this is their peak season and you don’t need to worry about shops and restaurants being closed. We walked to Cahuita Point in the national park, looking at the monkeys. The closer you get to Cahuita Point, the fewer people there are on the beaches. If you are looking for a quieter beach experience, it’s definitely worth walking the extra twenty minutes or so.
Day 3: Surfing
With booking help from our hosts at Cabinas Cahuita, I went surfing at Silver Roots Surf School. This was an amazing experience, with pineapple and bananas provided in our break, only three people on the surf class for a couple of hours meaning that you got a lot of time with the instructor.
Day 4: Jaguar Rescue Centre and Puerto Viejo
To visit the Jaguar rescue centre, you’ll need to use public transport and get a bus towards Manzanillo. It’s about a 20 minute ride and you can get off within very easy walking distance of the Rescue Centre. You have to book to get in, however it is very worth it to see the baby sloth amongst other animals such as crocodiles, snakes, ocelots and caiman.
We then walked back to Puerto Viejo which was a walk along the seafront before getting food at a bakery in Puerto Viejo and having a little look around before getting a bus back to Cahuita.
Day 5: Chocolate Tour and Coastal Walk
As well as surfing, doing a chocolate tour had been on our bucket list for Cahuita. Rather than taking a full tour with pick up, we got a taxi out to the chocolate centre and took a tour that involved looking around, learning how chocolate is made and collected form cacao before trying some ourselves.
To get back to Cahuita, we had to get another taxi about 5 minutes down the main road before dropping us off in Puerto Vargas. From Puerto Vargas, it was a couple of hours walk right by the sea back to Cahuita. All of the walk was in Cahuita National Park and during this walk we saw a wild sloth with a baby clinging to it, which was definitely one of my nature highlights.
Food Recommendation:
Taste of Cahuita (CAHUITA’S TASTE – Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number – Tripadvisor)
As well as free samples of their Caribbean cider, the food was delicious and authentically Caribbean. While there isn’t as much choice as some other restaurants, what they do serve is lovely and if you do choose local dishes like the empanadas, it can be a lot cheaper than some other places.
