Cahuita is a beach town in Limón Province, Costa Rica.
Cahuita is a rustic alternative to the more touristic spots found further south. The town consists of a main street that runs off the highway and goes all the way to the ocean. Located here are a small selection of restaurants and bars and a bank and a grocery store. Leading away form the main street are mainly dusty dirt roads with guest houses and local residents.
There are two beaches within walking distance of Cahurita. They are Playa Negra, a dark sand beach that has good waves for beginner surfers, and Playa Blanco, a white sand beach located within the picturesque Cahuita National Park.
- Aviarios del Caribe Wildlife Refuge. The worlds only sloth rehabilitation center. It offers visitors a unique opportunity to get up close to one of the world's least understood creatures. A tour lasts about 2 hours and includes a boat tour. Groups welcome. Drinks available in shop, but no food. You can also stay over night in big, clean rooms with or without A/C and have breakfast with the baby sloths. A double room without A/C costs US$96 (May 2009) including breakfast and a shorter tour (without the boat tour, which is US$20 extra). Tour/entrance fee is US$25 pp.
- Playa Negra. A decent swimming beach running for several kilomteres along the sea coast northwest of town. As the name suggest, the sand is dark-colored; it is also very fine, almost like mud; while the place is good for swimming, it is not particularly photogenic.
- Cahuita National Park. This is actually one of the best national parks of Costa Rica. It has various different zones; beach, jungle, etc. and numerous and popular species. There is a also a little white-sand beach just inside the park entrance. The beach is much more photogenic than Playa Negra. If you walk to the Puerto Vargas ranger station on the opposite end of the park you can catch a public bus back to Cahuita—stand on the northbound side of the road when the bus approaches, ₡400 (Mar 2012). The trail from entrance to this exit is about 9 km, but can take 3-4 hr, depending on how much time you plan to spend identifying all the the wildlife.Either way, it is best to go in at around 7AM when no one is there to see some animals normally hiding after the park gets busy or just during the day. And in case you go back at noon, you can stop where-ever big groups gather, because they stop for viewing (mostly large) animals. Donation, US$5 recommended by park, but do not feel bad about paying only ₡1,000 or ₡2,000.
Aviarios del Caribe Wildlife Refuge. The worlds only sloth rehabilitation center. It offers visitors a unique opportunity to get up close to one of the world's least understood creatures. A tour lasts about 2 hours and includes a boat tour. Groups welcome. Drinks available in shop, but no food. You can also stay over night in big, clean rooms with or without A/C and have breakfast with the baby sloths. A double room without A/C costs US$96 (May 2009) including breakfast and a shorter tour (without the boat tour, which is US$20 extra). Tour/entrance fee is US$25 pp.
Playa Negra. A decent swimming beach running for several kilomteres along the sea coast northwest of town. As the name suggest, the sand is dark-colored; it is also very fine, almost like mud; while the place is good for swimming, it is not particularly photogenic.
Cahuita National Park. This is actually one of the best national parks of Costa Rica. It has various different zones; beach, jungle, etc. and numerous and popular species. There is a also a little white-sand beach just inside the park entrance. The beach is much more photogenic than Playa Negra. If you walk to the Puerto Vargas ranger station on the opposite end of the park you can catch a public bus back to Cahuita—stand on the northbound side of the road when the bus approaches, ₡400 (Mar 2012). The trail from entrance to this exit is about 9 km, but can take 3-4 hr, depending on how much time you plan to spend identifying all the the wildlife.Either way, it is best to go in at around 7AM when no one is there to see some animals normally hiding after the park gets busy or just during the day. And in case you go back at noon, you can stop where-ever big groups gather, because they stop for viewing (mostly large) animals. Donation, US$5 recommended by park, but do not feel bad about paying only ₡1,000 or ₡2,000.
- Relax on the beaches around Cahuita during the day and have some drinks in the few bars in town. Playa Negra, a ten minute walk north of town on the main road, is good for swimming.
- Tree of Life, Playa Grande (2 km north of Cahuita center on big beach (follow the signs), +506 87235616, +506 83170325. The botanical gardens have hundreds of different kinds of palms, heliconias, bromelias and many others. Visitors will experience an experience with the plants and animals of the tropical rain forest, nature walks under the canopy, many paved walkways, a beautiful beach in front of gardens, a nursery with export plants, close-up encounters with rescued animals and a gift shop. US$12.
Tree of Life, Playa Grande (2 km north of Cahuita center on big beach (follow the signs), +506 87235616, +506 83170325. The botanical gardens have hundreds of different kinds of palms, heliconias, bromelias and many others. Visitors will experience an experience with the plants and animals of the tropical rain forest, nature walks under the canopy, many paved walkways, a beautiful beach in front of gardens, a nursery with export plants, close-up encounters with rescued animals and a gift shop. US$12.
There are a few gift shops in town that sell a range of local crafts and foods. For essentials, there is a small shopping strip next to the main bus station. Here you will find a bank (with ATM), fruit and vegetable shop, butcher, small supermarket, barber and a doctor.
Restaurants are pretty expensive for Latin America, with prices in line with those in the US (budget US$15-20 for a meal); many serve good local fish.
The is a popular and inexpensive soda about 300 m before the entrance to the national park.
Most hotels and even the soda have Wi-Fi.
Several buses a day heading to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Puerto Limon, Sixaola and San José.