Cahuita

Cahuita is a beach town in Limón Province, Costa Rica.

Understand
Cahuita is a rustic alternative to the more touristic spots found further south. The town consists of a main street that runs off the highway and goes all the way to the ocean. Located here are a small selection of restaurants and bars and a bank and a grocery store. Leading away form the main street are mainly dusty dirt roads with guest houses and local residents.

There are two beaches within walking distance of Cahurita. They are Playa Negra, a dark sand beach that has good waves for beginner surfers, and Playa Blanco, a white sand beach located within the picturesque Cahuita National Park.

By car
Cahuita is fairly straightforward to get to as it is located on a main highway (Route 36) that runs from Puerto Limon to the Panama border.

By bus


There are several buses departing San José to Cahuita from 06:00 till 16:00. Typically, these buses have Sixaola (Costa Rica's border town on the border with Panama) as their destination. Note that San José has many bus terminals, and the location of the terminal from which buses to Cahuita and Sixaola leave may change. As of the late 2013, schedule and map brochures distributed by the tourist authorities in San José still showed Terminal del Caribe as these buses' point of origin, but the location has changed to the San Carlos bus terminal. Before traveling, try to get the latest update from the bus company or from your hotel.

According to schedules, the travel time from San José to Cahuita on a direct bus is 4 hours, but you should add at least 30 min. Although the buses are direct, they make a fairly long stop in Puerto Limon, where you can get a quick meal at a bus station restaurant.

There are also slower (local service) buses running hourly between Puerto Limon and Sixaola; they, too, stop at Cahuita. From San José the cost is about US$4 and from Limon about $1.50

By private shuttle
Interbus runs services between Cahuita and San José for around US$35 per person taking 3-4 hr.

By taxi
Taxis from Puerto Limon cost ~US$15. Taxis from San José cost ~$150.

Get around
The town is fairly small and can easily be navigated by foot. For getting to the beaches and your accommodation however, you may prefer to rent a bicycle.

Do

 * Relax on the beaches around Cahuita during the day and have some drinks in the few bars in town. Playa Negra, a ten minute walk north of town on the main road, is good for swimming.



Buy
There are a few gift shops in town that sell a range of local crafts and foods. For essentials, there is a small shopping strip next to the main bus station. Here you will find a bank (with ATM), fruit and vegetable shop, butcher, small supermarket, barber and a doctor.

Eat
Restaurants are pretty expensive for Latin America, with prices in line with those in the US (budget US$15-20 for a meal); many serve good local fish.

The is a popular and inexpensive soda about 300 m before the entrance to the national park.

Sleep
There is lodging of all price ranges here. On Playa Negra you can camp for free right on the beach for one night or ask in the hostels if they allow you to pitch your tent in the yard for a couple of dollars. In exchange you can use their showers and restrooms.



Connect
Most hotels and even the soda have Wi-Fi.

Go next
Several buses a day heading to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Puerto Limon, Sixaola and San José.