HOW TO go to COSTA RICA’S CAHUITA national PARK

Updated: 3/17/21 | March 17th, 2021

The Caribbean coastline of Costa Rica is typically dominated by two places: the Amazon-like jungle of Tortuguero in the north as well as the party/beach paradise of Puerto Viejo in the south.

But traveling the Caribbean coast, there was one location I liked best: Cahuita.

Located an hour north of Puerto Viejo on the southern Caribbean coast, it’s a prominent stop for numerous travelers however it is nowhere near as congested as other areas along the coast. many travelers go to the national park with the exact same name. The town is extremely little (it’s house to under 10,000 people) as well as it’s predominantly made up of little restaurants as well as guesthouses — not trip shops as well as bars like you’d discover in Puerto Viejo.

And the park? The park is amazing.

Covering over 2,600 acres on land as well as with a marine area of 55,000 acres, it’s not unexpected that the park is house to an amazing amount of nature as well as wildlife. There are over 35 kinds of coral in the reefs within the park (which span around 4km) as well as there are around 135 different kinds of fish — which you can see if you go snorkeling in the area. The beaches are a nesting ground for sea turtles.

It’s a paradise.

The park itself opened in 1970 as well as acquired national park condition by 1978. It’s the only national park in the country that does not fee admission (though donations are welcome).

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My Experience at Cahuita national Park

To provide you a sense of what the park is like, here’s a short video from my time there:

Unfortunately, the day I visited, numerous of the tracks were closed because of heavy rains as well as flooding. (I spent my very first two days right here inside your home since of 24-hour rain!)

The path from Cahuita town to the other end of the park is 8km. When I went, only the very first 2km were open. That was still sufficient to hang out on a gorgeous beach, see howler monkeys, iguanas, white-faced monkeys, remarkable numbers of birds, as well as gorgeous butterflies. If I saw that in an area close to town, I can only picture what it would be like even more inland, away from many people.

Tips for going to Cahuita national Park

To assist you make the most of your visit, right here are some useful suggestions as well as things to consider:

Wear good shoes – The primary path is a 5km loop, so you’ll want to wear great footwear if you plan on walking the full path (it’s flat so you can do it in sandals if you want, however shoes are most likely best).

Bring your bathing fit – possibilities are you’ll want to swim or snorkel while you’re right here so don’t fail to remember your towel as well as bathingsuit.

Don’t fail to remember water – It can get rather warm if you hike the path or lounge out on the beach, so bring lots of water (at least 2 liters).

Stick to the path – prevent damaging the ecosystem by staying on the trail. Don’t try to touch any type of of the wildlife, either.

Bring bug spray – The mosquitos can rather quite bad, so make sure you bring bug spray!

Bring your own toilet paper – The toilets in the park frequently won’t have toilet paper, so bring your own just to be safe!

Stay dry – The rainiest months to go to are June as well as November, so try to prevent those if you’re wanting to prevent the everyday downpours.

Practical info for Visting

Hours: The park is open everyday from 6am to 5pm. If you’re planning to snorkel or dive in the region, underwater exposure is finest between February as well as April.

Cost: The park is totally free however they do request donations (your donations assist keep the park open so please provide generously!).

Guides can be hired in advancement or at the gate. expect to pay around $20 USD for an hour guided tour. Guides have binoculars so you can see all the animals up close. many guides don’t show up up until around 8am so if you requirement a guide, don’t show up as well early.

Getting there: You can take a bus from San José or Puerto Viejo. Buses from San José are about $9 USD each method as well as take around 4-5 hours. The bus from Puerto Viejo takes around 30 minutes as well as costs $1.50 USD. A taxi from Puerto Limon is $15 USD.

***
If you ask me, it’s one of the most underrated locations to go to on the Caribbean coastline of Costa Rica.

If you are coming down the coastline toward Puerto Viejo, stop in Cahuita for a few days. While the beach may not be as nice, hiking as well as wildlife are much better. If I didn’t have such restricted time during this trip, I would hAve ble lenger.

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Fotokreditt: 1 – Eric Fredericks, 2 – Haakon S. Krohn, 3 – yepyep