Teeming with wildlife and with a single, gentle trail to follow, Cahuita National Park is a great and easy way to experience Costa Rica’s nature.
When exploring the Puerto Viejo de Talamanca area of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, I highly recommend visiting Cahuita National Park.
What I love most about this protected area is that it’s full of wildlife and how easy it is to access, unlike some of the other national parks in Costa Rica where you need to do lots of trekking.
Once you enter the national park, all you need to do is follow the flat, sandy trail that takes you through the reserve. Just make sure to keep your eyes peeled for animals hidden in the treetops and scurrying along the ground.
In this guide I’ll cover the things to do in Cahuita National Park, how to get here, costs and timings.
Cahuita National Park key information
The national park spans an area of 2,732 land acres and 55,200 sea acres, includes lush forest, pristine beaches and coral reefs, and is home to several species of animals such as snakes, monkeys and lizards. Much like a peninsula, a big chunk of the park juts out into the Caribbean Sea.
An 8 km trail runs along the perimeter of the reserve connecting 2 different entry points: Playa Blanca (also called Kelly Creek) and Puerto Vargas. You can walk the trail which is flat, sandy and gentle the whole way.
The government and the local community share responsibility for protecting the national park. This is a unique setup in Costa Rica and it gets people of all levels, locals and officials, involved in conversation, which I think is brilliant.
Cahuita National Park entry points
The national park has 2 sectors: Playa Blanca – also known as Kelly Creek Station – and Puerto Vargas.
The Playa Blanca entry point is in Cahuita town, while the Puerto Vargas entrance is just off the Ruta Nacional Primaria 36 Highway 3.5 km before you get to Cahuita. This is the main road connecting Puerto Viejo to Cahuita.
Both sectors are open every day 8:00 – 16:00 but park rangers will begin ushering visitors out from around 14:30.
The national park entry price differs between the entry points. At Playa Blanca, entry is donation based and you can give as much or as little as you like, as long as you donate something. We were a group of 4 and between us we donated $10 US.
At Puerto Vargas there is a fixed entry fee of $5.65 US per foreign adult. There doesn’t seem to be an explanation for this and your experience in Cahuita will be the same regardless where you enter.
Therefore, I recommend entering at Playa Blanca (Kelly Creek Station) to save yourself a few dollars.
Things to do in Cahuita National Park
In Cahuita National Park you can hike, spot wildlife, swim at nice beaches, snorkel among vibrant coral reefs and kayak.
Spotting wildlife
The main reason to come to Cahuita is to get a glimpse of the animals that call the park home. There’s a wide range of wildlife here including iguanas, capuchin monkeys, sloths, black hawks and the venomous yellow eyelash palm viper.
Needless to say, you should enjoy the wildlife from a distance to not disturb animals but also so you don’t put yourself at risk.
Watch out for racoons too; these guys are not afraid to go through your bags for food even when you’re watching. They’re brave and are not intimidated easily. We had a couple of run ins with racoons who were trying to steal our bags when we were relaxing on the beach.
Walking the trail
To explore the national park and reach its beautiful beaches you’ll need to follow the hiking trail. This is hardly a hike and more a walk in the park…quite literally.
The trail is 8 km long and it follows the coastline, albeit under the cover of trees, snaking its way through the sandy ground. Easy underfoot and flat the whole way, you’ll have no problems completing it. It’s not too long of a walk and should take you around 2 h not including stopping for swims.
Just be sure to bring enough water. I visited Cahuita during the dry season and, despite the tree coverage shielding us from the sun, worked up a sweat and needed plenty of fluids.
Keep in mind too that it’s 8 km one way and therefore 16 km if you want to return to the same entry point. If you drive to Cahuita, then you can take a taxi between the entry points so you don’t have to walk all the way back to your car. You can find a place to park on a road in Cahuita town or in the carpark at the Puerto Vargas entrance.
Cahuita National Park beaches
The beaches within Cahuita are Playa Blanca and Playa Vargas. Both are virgin beaches, with bright white sands and a treeline almost hugging the shore. When the tide is in, there’s just a narrow strip of sand separating the land from the turquoise sea.
The water at these beaches is truly a stunning turquoise colour. And like anywhere along the Caribbean coast, it’s also warm and inviting. After a sweaty walk along the trail through the forest, you won’t hesitate to go for a swim.
Although I didn’t see any, I was told that there are stingrays in the water, so keep an eye for those. I’ve been stung by a ray before and it’s not fun.
Guided tours in Cahuita
Spotting animals is tricky, but guides know where to look and are experts at picking up on even the smallest of signs. Paying for a guided tour in Cahuita will boost your chances of seeing wildlife massively.
While we did see animals, there were plenty of species we missed simply because we didn’t know what to look for. If you’re keen to spot animals and would be disappointed if you didn’t, then I recommend paying for a guided tour.
You can walk in the national park and enjoy its beaches without a guide, but you’ll have to book a guided tour to swim around the coral reef. The reserve was specifically set up to protect the reef which, at 600 acres, is the largest in Costa Rica.
The reef is made up of around 35 species of coral and over 100 species of fish, and molluscs, crustaceans and sea turtles live in it.
Cahuita tours start at around $60 US for 3 h of kayaking and for a combined animal spotting and reef snorkelling tour, you’re looking at around $180 US. While I didn’t do a tour, snorkelling and kayaking here does look like a lot of fun.
Where is Cahuita National Park?
The national park is a 16 km car or bus ride from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in Limón Province on the Caribbean coast. The Playa Blanca end of the national park borders Cahuita town.
How to get to Cahuita, Costa Rica
Getting to Cahuita town from San José, the capital city, or nearby Puerto Viejo is easy.
From San José it’s roughly a 4 h drive. You take the Ruta Nacional Primaria 32 all the way across the country to Limón (the city) before heading south on Ruta 241 and later continuing south on Ruta 36.
The MEPE bus from San Jose to Cahuita takes around 5 h. It leaves every 2 h or so from the MEPE terminal in San Jose on Ave 7/9, Calle 12 and costs $12 US. Here’s the bus schedule and pricing.
Most people who visit Cahuita base themselves in Puerto Viejo as it’s much closer. If driving from Puerto Viejo, then just take the Ruta Nacional Primaria 36, the main road between the two towns. It should take around 25 min.
You can also take a MEPE bus from Puerto Viejo to Cahuita for 1,000 CRC ($2 US). This leaves from the main beachfront terminal in Puerto Viejo and drops you off in Cahuita, a short walk from the Playa Blanca entrance to the national park.
Cahuita town
Staying in Cahuita is a more convenient option for visiting the national park and there os accommodation for different budgets.
Along the main road you’ll find plenty of places to eat and drink too. Leaving the town to the west (heading up the coast) there are also several beaches including Playa Negra and Playa Grande.
If you prefer a quieter vibe, then I recommend staying in Cahuita. Whereas if you prefer a livelier scene, you should stay in Puerto Viejo and do a day trip to Cahuita National Park. But if you want the best of both, then you could split your stay between Cahuita and Puerto Viejo – I met several people who did this.
When to visit Cahuita National Park
Costa Rica’ dry season typically runs December – April and this is when the weather is warmest and skies clearest. This is great for spotting wildlife and enjoying the beaches in Cahuita. However, the country has many different microclimates and the weather can differ depending on the region.
Lots of people visit the national park so I recommend heading there early in the morning. Getting there for the 8:00 opening time will hopefully give you a chance to see animals before the crowds arrive. Going to Cahuita during a weekday is ideal as most locals will be at work.
More adventure travel guides for Costa Rica on A World Over
Cahuita National Park is a fun day of wildlife spotting and swimming. There’ll likely be plenty of other people in the park when you go, so you’ll get to share the experience with others.
Keep in mind that you are in a wildlife refuge, so take all rubbish out with you and don’t feed any animals. Have fun at this great reserve and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
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