Hi there,
On our third day in Costa Rica, we grabbed our backpacks (one large on our backs and one small on the front) and walked to the bus station, which was 15 minutes from our hotel. The bus was a horrible rickety clunker, which made me think how wonderful the buses we had traveled through Mexico were.
It was 4 hours trip along the coast in the middle of the rain. When we arrived, we realized that the backpacks that were in the compartment below had gotten wet. Imagine my indignation at having to hang out almost all the clothes.
One of the things we found when looking for hotels in Cahuita is that prices started at $20 per night in the low season and all the hotels were horrible.
We booked at the Buena Suerte Bed & Breakfast. Its owner was an Italian who had been in Costa Rica for 5 years, with very long fingernails and brown teeth from so much smoking. The hotel had a horrible shared kitchen and the room was scary: furniture from 50 years ago, a fan that made noise like it was going to explode, old sheets and the bathroom looked like a prison. Let’s not talk about the lighting in the room.
The wonderful thing there was waking up listening to the racket that the howler monkeys make.
In Cahuita there are a couple of small markets, and they are very expensive. 500 grams of pasta cost 4 euros. Another thing that shocked me is that there was no variety of fruits and practically no vegetables; Because everything is so green and has a Caribbean climate, I was expecting markets full of many types of fruit and vegetables (as you find in Mexico).
The first day we went to visit the Cahuita National Park where you give a donation to enter which should be a minimum of $5. This is the only park where you pay an affordable price, because in the rest of Costa Rica they do not go below $15.
It is a protected natural area in the province of Limón and was created in 1970 to protect the flora and fauna, coral reefs, and marine ecosystems. It is considered one of the areas of greatest scenic beauty in the country for its white sand beaches and blue sea. Even so, the water is not crystal clear, it is quite cloudy since it is attached to the humid tropical forest.
To walk, you have a route of several kilometers and if you go all the way, you reach the limit with Puerto Viejo. We walked 6 km and returned to reach the entrance before the park closed since the hours of operation of the park are limiting.
The path is full of hermit crabs and leafcutter ants that line up across the entire path, so be careful not to crush anyone. Iguanas and lizards are everywhere, and you can also see sloths in the treetops; since they are almost always sleeping, what you see are brown or gray specks, depending on the type.
The vegetation is intense, and you almost always see the beach on your left. The signs warn you that there are crocodiles in the rivers and lakes, and you find little animals from the first moment. We saw a raccoon eat sea grapes and go across the river.
We also saw many capuchin monkeys and one almost attacked Diego. It seemed that he wanted to take the backpack. From there, we got a little scared of these monkeys, because everywhere, they are a mafia. They are not like the rest of the animals that run away from people, quite the opposite.
The park closes at 4:00 p.m., like almost all natural parks in the country. We had lunch at a soda that was next to the hotel (where the waitress was very unfriendly) and went to the Black Beach, which is a 20-minute walk away. The only beaches in Cahuita are those of the national park and the Black Beach, nothing else.
In the Black Beach there are more waves than in the beaches of the national park and it is famous for surfing. When we were there, the beach was full of young people and had a good atmosphere. We stayed there until nightfall.
In short, the Cahuita National Park is worth it, and I would almost say that it was my favorite because it has the best beaches. In terms of nature and vegetation, I think Drake Bay wins, but it is not very pleasant to swim in those beaches because the water is brown. So, from total experience, I think this one is my favorite.
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