Hot Spots:
Bribri Reservation and Volio Waterfall
This waterfall and hike are often part of the BriBri Reservation tour offered by several, if not all, the tour companies in Puerto Viejo. A fairly easy hike with several stream crossings (be prepared for wet feet) leads you to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole. Boulders and logs fill the entryway to the pool. The waterfall empties from 50 feet above you, spilling along rocks along the way. The water is cool and refreshing. The hike takes less than 30 minutes and is slightly uphill with several steep stair-stepped ascents and descents. Parts of the trail are slippery when wet as are the river crossings.
La Ceiba Reserve
There is an enormous Ceiba tree at the private La Ceiba Reserve located south of Puerto Viejo. The tree is 18 meters around at its widest point and it is a 55 meter walk just to circumnavigate the base of the tree. (There are big roots to walk around.)
Beaches:
There are a series of white and black sand beaches strung along the coast from Puerto Viejo to Manzanillo, all easily reached on bicycle. Many beaches are recipients of the ecological blue flag award: Playa Negra in Puerto Viejo, also, Playa Cocles, Playa Chiquita, Punta Uva, Ned Creek and Gandoca.
Playa Negra
This black sand beach (rich mineral sand with Hematite) is to your left as you enter Puerto Viejo. Following the beach just past the old barge towards the town, there is a reef just off shore. Playa Negra is very popular with locals and is a great walking beach.
Salsa Brava is Puerto Viejo’s famous surf break located off the beach behind Stanford's on Playa Negra; it is renowned in the surfing community. Read more about Caribbean Surf Breaks
Playa Cocles
Just south of Puerto Viejo, Playa Cocles is a beautiful white sand beach and is a great spot to watch local surfers. Currents are often strong so swimmers are advised to look out for green flags put out by lifeguards that mark areas safe for swimming. There are a few nearby restaurants and hotels that you can walk to from the beach.
Playa Chiquita
Chiquita is a peaceful beach about halfway between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo, great for sunbathing and swimming.
Punta Uva
Many say this is the most beautiful beach in the area; there is also great swimming. The turn off for Punta Uva is 5km before Manzanillo and is well marked with a black and white sign.
Manzanillo
The white sand beaches in Manzanillo are uncrowded and tranquil. Snorkelers can swim to coral reefs close to the shore.
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National Parks & Private Refuges:
The village of Puerto Viejo does not have any parks, however with just a short drive north to Cahuita or south to Punta Uva, visitors can enjoy these three parks:
Cahuita National Park
Cahuita National Park is a beautiful coastal park known for its living coral reefs, abundant marine life and white-faced capuchin monkeys that guard the noni trees at Cahuita Point. Coral reefs, mangrove forests and white sand beaches provide habitats for the variety of wildlife that exist in Cahuita National Park.
Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
The Gandoca - Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge protects almost 70% of the southern Caribbean coast and includes some of the areas most beautiful beaches. The Wildlife Refuge officially begins at the Cocles River (south of Puerto Viejo) and extends 30km down to Río Sixaola at the Panamanian border, protecting along the way gorgeous beaches, coral reefs, lowland tropical forests (some primary), and several of Costa Rica’s most endangered habitats including the only jolillo palm swamp in Costa Rica.
Aviarios Del Caribe (The Sloth Rescue Center)
The Sloth Rescue Center is a privately-owned wildlife sanctuary in the Estrella River delta near Cahuita. Several sloths live in their educational facility, where visitors can closely observe them. The main objective of Aviarios del Caribe Wildlife Refuge aside from caring for a growing number of resident sloths (currently more than 75), is to educate the public about sloth habitats, life cycles and conservation.
Read our Travel Blogs about the Sloth Rescue Center (January 2007)
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Museums, Gardens & Chocolate Plantations:
Cacao Trails
A combination of chocolate museum, botanical gardens, wildlife sanctuary, Indian museum and organic farm, this unique park offers a little something for everyone, including guided tours, a beautiful pool and on-site restaurant boasting tasty Caribbean dishes. 2 - 6 hour tours are available by reservation. Tel: (506) 2-756 8186 Cell: (506) 8-812 7460; email info(at)cacaotrails(dot)com
Cahuita Butterfly Garden
Home to over 15 species of butterflys, this center provides an excellent opportunity to observe exotic butterfly species while learning about their life cycles and habitats.
Punta Uva Butterfly Garden
An enclosed butterfly garden where many species of butterfly flutter about. Eggs are collected daily from the foliage in the garden and allowed to reach maturity in a protected environment away from predators. The owner of the butterfly garden also raises eyelash pit vipers. She has successfully raised and released ten pit vipers into the wild.
ChocoRart Cacao Plantation
To experience chocolate in its purest form, visit the ChocoRart organic cacao farm and chocolate factory in Playa Chiquita, just south of Puerto Viejo. Owned and lovingly operated by a Swiss couple, their cacao is harvested, fermented and cooked in the same traditional manner that the Mayan Indians used for thousands of years. Sugar is added to the chocolate as are natural ingredients like ginger, coconut, vanilla and nuts. Tours are offered by reservation only and chocolate tasting is included.
Shops and Markets:
The center of Puerto Viejo is lined with markets and souvenir shops where visitors can buy indigenous Indian crafts, sarongs, handmade jewelry and clothing. Street vendors line up along the beach-side of the road in between central Puerto Viejo towards Stanford's selling jewelry, T-shirts and souvenirs.
Tribal Market
Located in Playa Chiquita, on the beach side of the road, this unique store sells everything from Central American folk art to handmade Indian jewelry, all at reasonable prices.
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