Tag Archives: Costa Rica

Our final stop in Costa Rica turned out to be Cahuita on the Caribbean Sea. We originally travelled from Dominical and Uvita on the Pacific side taking in the scenic mountain route running parallel to Chirripo. For our final 5 days in the country we had planned to get back to the Caribbean side and do a final spot of snorkelling and then try to see the sea turtles coming in to lay their eggs.

We had heard rumours that there were sea turtles in the Manzanillo National Park, next door to Cahuita. So we opted to try our luck instead of trying to get into Tortuguero National Park which seemed a lot more expensive and difficult to get to.

When we arrived in Cahuita we asked around and were told that yes there were turtles nesting in the area but as we were now at the very end of the season the chance of seeing them was very slim. With that in mind and knowing that the price of the tour would be $40 p/p, plus boat expenses which could be up to $20 each, we decided that we were too close to the end of our budget to take the tour with such slim chances.

Instead we opted for a fantastic afternoon of snorkelling at $25 p/p. The price was for a 3 hour tour around the coral reef at Cahuita Point. We had previously been snorkelling in Belize along the barrier reef but were surprised by the amount of beautiful and deadly fish lurking around, including a couple of nurse sharks who swam right past us!

The last few days of our time were spent on the beautiful white sandy beach of Cahuita National Park, where there is no set entrance fee but instead they just ask for donations and you can come and go throughout the day.

The feel of Cahuita is unlike anywhere else in Costa Rica, it’s Tico meets Creole, which means the vibes are very chilled and the place seems to go slower than time itself.

It was a great place to stop and recharge before moving onto South America, and as it was still low season the beaches and town were very quiet allowing us to really soak up the atmosphere!

After our stay in Domincal we headed a little further south towards the national park of Ballena, a whale reserve area. Although out of season we had heard that there were secluded beaches and quiet spots along the coast.

We found a great little place to stay in just 5 minutes from Uvita beach called Felix Cabanas. For $30 per night we had a private cabin with kitchen and bathroom and use of the swimming pool and hammocks. We decided to stay a couple of nights and to explore the nearby beaches.

The best one we found was playa ventanas, about 10 kilometres further south. Although part of the national park the entrance was not manned by any park ranger which made access completely free. When we arrived just after lunch there was not a soul to be seen, we literally had the place to ourselves. The surf here was also less strong than in other areas making it possible to enjoy a swim.

The cove was littered with coconut trees dropping their fruits, so much so we helped ourselves to a couple for later. When we returned to the cabanas we struggled to open the coconut as we did not possess a machete like the locals seem to carry around at all times! However, the owner of the cabanas kindly came to our rescue and showed us how it’s done, allowing us to enjoy chilled coconut chunks by the pool. The perfect ending to our day!

The village of Dominical is still a lesser known beach on the tourist trail and offers you a chance for peace and quiet. We stayed at the Piramy’s hostel which is just across the road from the beach and a little further away from the couple of larger hotels that can be found there.

The accommodation seems to be catered primarily towards dorms but they do offer some pretty good rooms, although basic. Unfortunately the rooms have uncovered windows around the top of the walls which is not great for keeping out mosquitos and other bugs. The beds did have a net over them but it was riddled with holes.

However, if you are looking for a beach front hostel and don’t mind taping up the holes in nets then the hostel is a nice little place.

We only stopped for the one night as we were headed to Uvita down the road and liked the look of the place. The beach is not ideal for swimming as it has pebbles and strong currents but it is almost deserted and offers you a nice place to read a book. If you are into surfing though it is an ideal place for you as we seemed to be the only non-surfers there!

Whilst on our way to Quepos we decided to take a look at the beaches along the way, including Jaco and playa Hermosa.

We arrived in Jaco first and were unsure as to whether to stay or not. The town is literally door-to-door bars, hotels and restaurants. So much so that signs are clambering over each other to try to get your attention.

After asking at a couple of hostels for prices, which by the way are not easy to find amongst the confusion, we discovered that it was actually an expensive place to spend the night, so we decided to move on.

Playa Hermosa, our next stop, proved to be the complete opposite. It seemed deserted in comparison to Jaco, so much so that we found a cabin across the road from the beach for $30.

Cabinas Brisa del Mar were basic but provided all we needed for our stay, including kitchen and private parking. The really nice touch was the noon check out time which gave us time to go to the beach in the morning and then freshen up before heading on.

The beach was nice to relax on but it is not a swimmer’s beach as the surf is quite strong and needless to say this attracts a fair few surfers to the region. So after a couple of hours we decided to head onwards to our main destination, Quepos, which was now just less than an hour away.