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Puerto Viejo Costa Rica

This beautiful beach town in Limon on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica holds many surprises. For those who like a more active holiday in Talamanca, Puerto Viejo has it all. Long walks on pristine beaches, experiencing exotic flora and fauna in a day tour in a wildlife refuge, snorkeling or diving among the many reefs in its crystal clear waters, world-class surfing, mountain biking, kayaking and cultural visits to indigenous peoples. There are several hotels and cabins where you can stay. You can find screened wood cabins with shared baths, and bungalows with private baths, well separated from the dinning room on landscaped grounds near the beach before entering Puerto Viejo. Limon is a very laid back province and the multicultural traditions have indeed made quite a difference from any other areas in Costa Rica. Some of the hotels are very simple and some even have cooking facilities and small refrigerators. There are also real estate options for rent or for sale. Some of the restaurants are famous for their Caribbean style seafood and the reggae music played on weekends, but you can also find amazing international cuisine in this area of Costa Rica. Other places are known for the natural juice drinks and delicious breakfasts. Women in town make coconut bread, jam, biscuits, and other goodies traditional of Limon.

Puerto Viejo’s pace is slow and relaxed and laid back, in true Afro-Caribbean style. It is built around a lovely bay with calm water for swimming. The distance from San Jose to Puerto Viejo is 130 miles (210 km). Driving there is easy; you can follow the signs to Limon passing through the national park of Braulio Carrillo and through the cloud forest. At the city of Limon you will find signs that will direct you to Puerto Viejo when you are approximately 33 miles (53 km) from town. There are buses that leave San Jose at several times during the day, which you can catch at the new Caribbean bus terminal (Gran Terminal del Caribe) on the Calle Central. It takes 4 ½ to 5 hours to get to there by bus. It is always important to ask if the bus will take you directly to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca because there are some buses that will take a turnoff to the town of Sixaola. You can also take a domestic flight that lands in the nearby air strip.

Salsa Brava Beach is one of Puerto Viejo's bay entrances and it is the big attraction for surfers. It has some of the best surfing in Costa Rica but only for expert surfers. The waves are challenging and it has very dangerous reefs. The peak seasons are December through April and June through July. The sea is calmer in September and October when the rest of Costa Rica has its rainiest season and possibly the “temporal”, a rain that last for days. In the opposite direction from Puerto Viejo, there is a long beautiful stretch of pristine beach which extends past Playa Chiquita to Manzanillo and beyond Monkey Point (Punta Mona) and Gandoca. Much of this region is under protection by the government of Costa Rica as a wildlife reserve, and is a wonderful place for nature hiking. The beaches in this region often have tranquil tide pools which are perfect for swimming, beautiful coral reefs, and lush jungle coming right down to the sand. You can also find Playa Chiquita which is in Manzanillo, very close to Puerto Viejo. Costa Rica got its name for the many coasts that surround it, in this same Atlantic coast we can find Uvita, wich is the place where the first Europeans landed and named it. Playa Chiquita is where the Festival of South Caribbean Coast is held is April. This festival is so good that it has been covered by international press such as Canadian Broadcast Radio and CNN Destinations. National and International artists share the small Caribbean style stage, already inspiring many of the children attending to artistic pursuits.