Nature & outdoors

Nature

In the city

Playa Chiquita

Playa Punta Uva

Playa Escondida

Cacao Trails - Museo de Cacao

Outside the city

Day trip (<1 hour drive from the city) Cahuita/ Cahuita National Park - Cahuita is a village near the border with Panama. It's a gateway to Cahuita National Park famous for its coral reefs and the rainforest that is home to toucans, monkeys and turtles. You can also visit the black-sand beach of Playa Negra in the north of the village, known for its strong waves. Farther north, there is a Sloth Sanctuary that cares for injured sloths.

The Bribri Talamanca Indigenous Territory Reserve - this is one of the four Costa Rican indigenous territories of the Bribri ethnic group.

Gandoca-Manzanillo Refuge - Sprawling preserve with beaches & wetlands, protecting a vast coral reef & mangrove oyster beds.

Weekend Trip (>1 hour drive from the city) Bocas del Toro, Panama - Although Boca del Toro is in Panama, it's very close to Puerto Viejo. It is a gorgeous archipelago where you can snorkel and watch dolphins swim.

© Parque Nacional Cahuita