The sea seen through branches at a viewpoint in Cahuita

Costa Rica / Caribbean Coast / Cahuita

Caribbean Coast · Limón

Cahuita,Costa Rica.

The quieter village next door to Puerto Viejo, with a national park at the end of the main street.

≈ 17 kmnorth of Puerto ViejoBuilt arounda national park
Why go

Same coast, half the volume

Cahuita is a small Afro-Caribbean village that traces its roots to fishermen and farmers who settled here in the 1800s. It runs slower than Puerto Viejo, and its reason for being is the park that starts where the houses stop.

≈ 17 kmnorth of Puerto Viejo
1–2 nightsor an easy day trip from Puerto Viejo
≈ 7 kmof flat coastal trail, one way
On footthe village is walkable end to end
Our take. If Puerto Viejo feels a notch too busy, this is where you move. If you love a bit of life at night, keep Puerto Viejo as your base and come to Cahuita for the park. Puerto Viejo or Cahuita: how to choose.
The park

The reason you come

Cahuita National Park protects a stretch of lowland rainforest, a white-sand shoreline and an offshore coral reef. The coastal trail runs flat between the trees and the sea.

  1. Kelly Creek gatein town, by donation
  2. Playa Blancaalong the trail
  3. Punta Cahuitawhere most turn back
  4. Puerto Vargas gatesouth, small fixed fee

Schematic, not to scale. Most visitors walk an hour or two in from Kelly Creek and turn back at Punta Cahuita. See our wildlife guide for what to look for. You cannot swim out to the reef with your own gear.

Entrances

Kelly Creek (in town, by donation); Puerto Vargas (south, small fixed fee)

Trail

≈ 7 km one way, flat, between jungle and sand

Wildlife

Sloths, howler & capuchin monkeys, coatis, land crabs, seabirds

Reef

Snorkelling by licensed guide and boat only, booked in town

Best water

Clearest roughly February–March and September–October

A white-faced capuchin hanging in a tree at CahuitaA white-faced capuchin at Cahuita
A raccoon feeding on a coconut at the edge of the beach at CahuitaA raccoon at the edge of the beach

Want a guide for the park?

There is a Cahuita National Park and water experience tour. A guide at the gate is optional but changes what you see.

See the Cahuita experience

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A white-sand beach and a tree leaning over the water at Cahuita
White sand and shade at Cahuita
Beaches

One white, one black

Two beaches, on either side of the village, and they could not be more different.

White sand

Playa Blanca

Runs along the park itself, just past the Kelly Creek gate: pale sand, palms leaning over the water, and the trail as your only approach. Swimming is best near the gate, where it is calmer.

Black sand

Playa Negra

At the northwest edge of town: a long black-sand beach that holds a Bandera Azul Ecológica flag for water quality. The better swimming beach: clean, usually calm and rarely crowded, and an easy walk or cycle from the centre.

Around the village

Cahuita in pictures

A beach, a viewpoint, a sloth on the move and lunch.

The sea seen from under the trees at Cahuita
A sloth crossing a dirt track at Cahuita
The sea seen through branches at a viewpoint in Cahuita
A plate of chicken, rice and beans, plantain and salad at Cahuita
A white-sand beach and a tree leaning over the water at Cahuita
Getting there

On the same road as Puerto Viejo

Cahuita sits on the coast road about 17 kilometres north of Puerto Viejo, and on the San José bus line, so it is easy to reach either as a base or as a day out.

From Puerto Viejo

  • 15–20 min by car or taxi
  • ≈ 25–30 min by MEPE bus

From San José

  • ≈ 4 hours on the MEPE bus from the Gran Terminal del Caribe, which stops in Cahuita before Puerto Viejo
  • Or by shared shuttle

Around town

  • On foot
  • A bike helps for Playa Negra
The day trip. Take an early bus, walk the park from Kelly Creek, have lunch in the village and head back mid-afternoon.

Where to sleep

Cahuita is about 25–30 minutes from Puerto Viejo by local bus. Our stay guide covers the five areas of the Puerto Viejo coast and three hotels we picked, so you can decide whether to base yourself there and come to the park for the day.

Explore places to stay
Keep exploring

Where to next?

OverviewThe Puerto Viejo guideTown, beaches and the lay of the land StayWhere to stayAreas and three hotels DoThings to doExperiences on the coast ArriveSan José to Puerto ViejoShuttle, bus or car ComparePuerto Viejo or Cahuita?Choose your base LookWildlife on the coastSloths, birds, monkeys PlanWhen to goRain, lulls, months

Bus times: MEPE, as published by Puerto Viejo Satellite; they change with the season. Photographs are credited on Photography credits.