PUERTO VIEJO : 10 THINGS TO DO
10 THINGS TO DO IN PUERTO VIEJO
Puerto Viejo is a town on the Caribbean coast close to the border of Panama. With its Caribbean vibes, nature, and beach parties, it's the perfect place if you want to disconnect from reality. You should know that Costa Rica is quite an expensive destination in Central America, but it's also ideal if you are a nature lover.
1. Walk to Playa Cocles. From Puerto Viejo, there's a beach path that goes to Cocles. It’s a really nice path between nature and the sea. About 20 minutes later, you'll arrive at Playa Cocles with its mystic rock in the middle of the sea. The vibes are really nice, but be careful – the waves are usually super strong! It’s also known as a surf spot.
2. Go to Playa Negra. Playa Negra is a black sand beach in Puerto Viejo. It’s a really long beach perfect for a morning or sunset walk. You can also usually swim there as there aren't too many waves.
3. Watch sunset at Puerto Pirata. The sunsets are just amazing in Puerto Viejo, and one of the best spots is at the bar Puerto Pirata. Enjoy a nice cocktail or beer while watching this amazing sunset view. If you like parties, we advise you to stay late because there are usually beach parties there.
4. Relax at Playa Chiquita. Playa Chiquita is a beach south of Puerto Viejo, accessible by bike in about 30 minutes. It’s a really quiet beach with no strong waves and not a lot of people. Lots of rocks and corals create pools for swimming, and if you bring your mask, you can snorkel and see some fish. A bit further, you also have the beach of Punta Uva, which is also super nice and a good spot for surfing.
5. Drink pipas. You will find pipas everywhere. Pipas are green coconuts. The coconut water is delicious and super tasty!
6. Discover the National Park of Cahuita. The National Park of Cahuita is north of Puerto Viejo. There are two entrances: one in the town of Cahuita and the second on the road between Cahuita and Puerto Viejo. We advise you to enter via the town entrance, where the entrance fee is a donation (so you can give what you want), and to exit via the second entrance. We went at the opening and stayed until 2/3 pm, taking food with us. We really liked this park because first, it has different landscapes, and also because you will see lots of animals. We saw birds, monkeys, crabs, raccoons, squirrels, snakes, frogs…
7. Zipline. We advise you to book a zipline activity with Nativos. It was a super experience! It was Dani's first time. He was a bit scared on the first few, but from the third zipline onwards, he started to love it! For me, it’s the kind of activity I love to do. And it was the first time I did it in the jungle, amidst these incredible landscapes. We even passed next to a sloth that was looking at us! It was just amazing! Highly recommended.
8. Rent a bike. We advise you to rent a bike; it will allow you to travel around and discover different beaches. You can find bike rentals everywhere in town.
9. Discover the National Park of Manzanillo. The National Park of Manzanillo is south of Puerto Viejo. We believe the entrance fee is also a donation. At the beginning of the park, you have a nice lookout. However, the path afterward isn't amazing; we definitely preferred the path in Cahuita National Park. It was also super muddy because of the rains, and we didn’t see any animals. But we found an amazing hidden beach, and just for that, it’s worth going. It wasn't easy to find the beach; we asked many people on the way. Some had found it, others hadn't. At first, we didn’t find it; it was finally on the way back that we saw the path to this amazing spot. To help future travelers, on the path, you will see a private property with a blue house on your right. The path will be on your left, in front of the property. It’s a really small path, so look carefully ;)
10. Eat a Caribbean dish on the beach. We found this little restaurant in Puerto Viejo that cooked traditional Caribbean dishes right on the beachfront. It’s perfect for lunchtime and not too expensive. The name is Soda El Ranchito.
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