Costa Rica’s Caribbean Side: Incredibly Beautiful

Costa Rica's Caribbean side is usually said to be less beautiful than its counterpart on the Pacific coast.

But let me tell you right away: the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica has some incredible places to show off its wild beauty.

Be it the truly amazing nature in the National Park of Tortuguero, the laid back attitude in the quirky town of Puerto Viejo or the crystal clear waters in Cahuita National Park.

The Caribbean side of Costa Rica is magnificent!

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Costa Rica's Caribbean side: what they say

We got warned before heading to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica: a lot more rain, a lot less wildlife and the beaches aren't that beautiful either.

Lets be honest right away: it sure does rain more. But choose your month wisely and you will actually have LESS rain than in the rest of the country at the same time!

Costa Rica's Caribbean side: what it's really like

If you don't have time to visit the whole Caribbean side of Costa Rica extensively, here are the three best places you definitely should add to any itinerary:

Why these three? Simply because they showcase what the Caribbean side of Costa Rica is all about: incredible wildlife (despite what you heard) in Tortuguero, beautiful white sand beaches in Cahuita and a mix of Afro-Caribbean flair in Puerto Viejo. 

Also: the food is amazing! That mix of Caribbean flavours like coconut milk and curry with the typical ingredients of Costa Rica is sublime! 

Think Caribbean chicken marinated in coconut milk but with patacones, which are chips made from fried green plantain and rice! 

1 - Tortuguero National Park

Paradise beaches? 

Not really because that's not what Tortuguero is all about.

Think lush green rainforest divided by several river branches and canals, densely populated by Costa Rican wildlife.

No wonder they call it 'Costa Rica's Amazonas'. 

The northern part of Costa Rica's Caribbean side is widely dominated by this pretty spectacular jungle.

Yes, it does rain a lot - agreed! But Tortuguero is not the place you'll look for crystal clear water, white beaches and yummy cocktails to bathe in the sun. No.

Then why bother visiting?

Tortuguero is adventure, wildlife and an incredible phenomenon: turtle nesting.

They do this between February and November, the months depending on which variety of turtle is nesting at that moment: Green, leatherback, hawksbill or loggerhead sea turtle. 

We witnessed not only the nesting but also the hatching of cute tiny baby-turtles as well! 

A boat trip on the canals is quite fun too. If you're fond of exotic birds, that's definitely a thing to do! You might spot a few monkeys and caymans as well - we did.

How to get there?

That's a bit complicated, I admit. If you're starting from San José it's a 2h30 to 3 hour drive to get to the 'Embarcadero La Pavona'.

From here, boats will take you to Tortuguero in about 1 hour. There are no roads leading to the National Park.

There is a tiny airport, though. But the cost of a little plane taking you here is way too high in our honest opinion. Plus: you can already spot wildlife on they way to the only town in the National Park.

2 - Puerto Viejo: Caribbean lifestyle

Surfer-dudes, Afro-Caribbean music, laid-back mentality and a mix of tico* and Caribbean cuisine: this pretty much sums up this quirky little town.

You'll find a huge amount of stores selling everything from beachwear to souvenirs and the restaurant scene is even more diversified: sodas** offering local Costa Rican cuisine, Asian food, vegan cafés and french bakeries. 

*tico is what a Costa Rican calls himself

**a soda is a smaller Costa Rican restaurant, budget-friendly

What to do?

Although the town is rather small, you'll probably get caught up in the reggae and surfer scene very quickly.

If that's too 'alternative' for you, Puerto Viejo has some really cool beaches and pretty amazing snorkel spots.

Also, the Jaguar Rescue Centre is worth a visit. Unlike what the name might suggest, you'll find other wildlife like monkeys here as well. The animals are in captivity, yes. But only for the amount of time they need to get 'back on their paws' to head into the wild again.

Other then that, just enjoy the breezing life and EAT! So many delicious choices, you can easily spend a few days here just trying out different cuisine-styles.

3 - Cahuita National Park

Fauna & flora

Cahuita National Park, located in the southern part of the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, is both a terrestrial and marine park.

You'll find around 35 coral species, more than 120 types of fish, crustaceans and molluscs in these waters: talking about an ideal place to snorkel!

And the terrestrial part ain't bad either: coatis, pacas, sloths, racoons, howler monkeys, Capuchins and so on. Not to mention plenty of birds like kingfisher, ibis, toucan.

And don't forget the iguanas... they do fall from their tree from time to time. Happened to me. That was quite a scare as it was a huge one and it landed right before me.

It was veeeeery fast too, rushing to the water as soon as it landed.

Plenty of wildlife, right?

Little paradise: beaches & hiking

Yes, here you will absolutely find the typical Caribbean paradise beaches you have dreamed about! White or black sand, depending what side of the park you are at that moment, crystal clear blue waters and green palm trees. 

All of it right next to a densely populated rainforest.

Said rainforest offers several hiking trails that are very easy to manage. People even did them in flip-flops as they planned on spending a few hours at one of the deserted beaches afterwards.

Where to stay?

Less than 1 hour from Puerto Viejo, this is obviously a must-do when visiting the latter. But you could also choose to stay in the teeny-tiny town of Cahuita, there are a few hostels and hotels here, check them out:

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