Costa Rica

Cahuita National Park

Places To See - Parks, Reserves and Protected Areas

Location: Limon Province, South Caribbean coast of Costa Rica in Cahuita

Size: 2732 terrestrial acres and 55,000 marine acres

Date of Creation: December 1982

Part of: Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area

About:

Cahuita National Park is a beautiful coastal park known for its living coral reefs, abundant marine life and white-faced capuchin monkeys who guard the Noni trees at Cahuita Point. Coral lined shores and white sand beaches create inland ecosystems that house a variety of wildlife in Cahuita National Park.

In 1915, the former president of Costa Rica, Alfredo Flores, was returning to Limón from a sea voyage to Sixaola, when he and his crew became shipwrecked at Tuba Creek and walked to the early settlement of Cahuita, formerly known as “The Bluff”. The locals were so friendly and helpful that the President felt inclined to give thanks to the residents. So, he returned to Cahuita and purchased all the land that was part of the Cahuita settlement for 500 colones and donated it, lot by lot, to the residents of The Bluff (including the titles). For this reason, Cahuita National Park is the only national park in Costa Rica that truly belongs to the people, not the government.

Cahuita National Park is a relatively small park that protects delicate marine ecosystems and lowlands of Cahuita’s coastal region. It has easy access from the town of Cahuita or from Puerto Vargas. If you enter from town, you will find the Kelly Creek station at the south end of town. There is a donation box here for admittance. All the money donated here stays within Cahuita to support the community and its national park.

A beautiful, 2 km long white sand beach, known as Playa Blanca, stretches all the way to Cahuita Point and tropical lowland forest borders its shores. The first part of the beach (first 500km or so) are marked as unsafe for swimming, but beyond that, crystal clear warm waters await. Coral reefs are not far off shore. Just don’t walk on them if you snorkel from shore. A trail leads from this beach all the way around the Puerto Vargas ranger station passing through swampy forest, mangroves and white sand beaches.

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Weather:

The south Caribbean is hot and humid year round. The best times to visit for snorkeling are from September until mid-November and March thru May.

Activities:

The park is perfect for light hiking along the paths that meander along the coast. Bird and wildlife viewing are popular activities since sloths, howler and white-faced monkeys are commonly sighted. Camping is permitted at Playa Vargas, less than one mile from the ranger station. There is a paved road to the beach and camping area. Here there are latrines, outdoor showers and potable water. There is also an administration center here.

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Trails:

There are several trails in the park. The most popular trail begins at the Kelly Creek ranger station and connects to the camping area at Puerto Vargas, about a four-mile walk. This trail follows the beach most of the way and ends at the southern tip of the reef (around the bend from Cahuita Point) and meets up with a road leading to the ranger station at Puerto Vargas.

Flora & Fauna:

Common sightings in this tropical humid rainforest include the white-faced capuchin monkey, coatis, green iguanas, sloths and raccoons. Howler monkeys are also heard frequently. Land crabs and whiptail lizards move in abundance along the trails and scarlet macaws, toucans and herons fly above. Several species of sea turtle are known to nest on the beach south of Punta Vargas: leatherback, hawksbill and green sea turtle.

Amongst the coral reefs, queen angel fish, parrot fish, manta rays, reef sharks and many, many other species (123 species) of stunning, brightly colored fish swim alone or in schools. Octopus, lobster, eels, anemones and crabs hide amongst the reefs. More than 35 species of coral are found here along with 128 species of algae, 140 species of mollusk and 44 crustacean species.

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Fees and Schedule:

Kelly Creek Ranger Station: Open from 8am-4pm. Admittance is by donation (all proceeds remain here in Cahuita)

Puerto Vargas Station: Open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. with a mandatory $6 admittance fee. If you are camping, you must enter through this station.

Getting There:

From the town of Cahuita, find the southern end of town and you will find the Kelly Creek station. To get to Puerto Vargas, stay on the main paved road (route 36) for 1km pass Cahuita and turn left at the sign for Puerto Vargas.

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