Cahuita National Park Costa Rica: A Guide | travelers and dreamers (2023)

Do you want to escape the heavy tourism along Costa Rica's Caribbean coast? So Cahuita is an excellent place to stay for a few days. You won't find crowds like in Puerto Viejo and Tortuguero here and the atmosphere is incredibly relaxed. The highlight of this small town is Cahuita National Park. A perfect slice of tropical jungle with a great variety of animals to see!

Costa Rica is known for protecting its biodiversity. Approximately 28% of the country is a nature reserve, game reserve or national park. One of the smaller national parks is Cahuita National Park. Cahuita National Park was established in 1970 to protect coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea. It later became the park as it is known today, with coral reefs, beaches and forests. The water is teeming with fish and other marine life. The forest consists of tropical jungle and mangrove fields. You can discover the park by walking along a designated trail and bathing in the crystal clear waters.

There are two entrances to Cahuita National Park. The first is located in central Cahuita and is called Kelly Creek. The other entrance is called Puerto Vargas. Which one you choose depends entirely on what you want. We entered the park through Kelly Creek and exited through Puerto Vargas. The trail is at its best from Kelly Creek, so if you're going to save the best for last, it might be a good idea to do the opposite.

There are two beach areas within the park called Playa Blanca and Playa Vargas. Bathing is prohibited in some parts of the beaches as they serve as a sheltered nesting site for turtles. When entering the park, pay attention to the map. As you enter the park at Kelly Creek Station, you'll see a gorgeous white-sand beach that's likely packed with tourists sunning themselves or lounging in the shade of almond trees. Walk a little further into the park. The stretches of beach are getting smaller, but you're sure to find a little piece of tropical beach that you only have to share with a few monkeys.

Due to the fragile state of the coral reefs, diving in Cahuita National Park is not permitted without a certified guide. We haven't snorkeled in Cahuita, but have heard that Willie's Tours is a good tourist agency to book a snorkeling tour. It costs $30 per person and requires a minimum of two people. Marine life on display includes reef sharks, sea cucumbers, lobsters, turtles, rays and many other tropical fish species.

In addition to the underwater world that can be seen on a snorkeling tour, the animal encounters on land are priceless. We saw sloths, raccoons, iguanas, chestnut toucans, howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, yellow-eyed flukes anda variety of birds, crabs and snails. This park is a bit underrated when it comes to wildlife viewing. We saw more animals here than any other park we have visited in Costa Rica.

The entrance to Kelly Creek opens at 6am. M. and closes at 5 p.m. M. You can enter the park for free, but it is customary to donate. They use the donations to maintain the park. The opening hours of the entrance to Puerto Vargas are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This entry is not free, but requires a $5 entry fee.

If you want to stay near the park for a few nights, I recommend itairbnbWe stayed at Zinja and Alonso's in Playa Negra. They are great hosts and the location and accommodation are simple but beautiful. Squirrels and toucans can be easily observed from your small terrace in the morning. They also made us fresh lemonade and took us to visit family at a farm and restaurant in a rural part of the country. This is a truly authentic experience. If you have some extra cash to spend, staying in the jungle is a good ideaChamana Öko-Lodge.

LEVERAGE!

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• July 6, 2022