Puerto Viejo is a laid-back beach town in the very south of Costa Rica on the Carribbean coast. There are so many amazing things to do in Puerto Viejo. Several people have told me about how beautiful and off-the-beaten-track it was compared to other places in Costa Rica. When I hear about a beach town being “laid-back” and “not too touristy” it makes me want to go there.

And Puerto Viejo didn’t disappoint! As soon as I stepped out of the bus I fell in love with the vibes there. It kind of reminded me a little bit of Puerto Escondido in Mexico.

The most important thing first: In this blog post I’m talking about Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in Limón. Not Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. These two are sometimes confused. Once I asked someone about the bus connections and he gave me directions to the wrong Puerto Viejo. Luckily my friend noticed, because I wouldn’t have noticed and imagine ending up in the wrong part of the country! 

11 things to do in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
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How to get to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Many travelers skip Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica because it’s further away from other places and people say it’s hard to get to. Honestly, it’s not that bad at all. There are two companies that run daily busses between San José and Puerto Viejo: MEPE and Transportes Caribeños.

I took the MEPE bus and I really recommend it. It was clean, comfortable and on time. The journey from San José to Puerto Viejo by bus takes around 4.5 hours and you’ll make a stop in Limón where you can use the bathroom and buy some food and drinks.

Be aware that there’s no bathroom on the bus. Oh, and there’s like zero leg space. I’m not that tall but I had to squeeze in – I really don’t know how tall people do this.

The ticket price from San José to Puerto Viejo by bus with MEPE is around € 10. You can check the bus schedule on their website.

Alternatively, if you prefer to travel more comfortably, you could book a shared shuttle. They pick you up from your accommodation in San José and you can enjoy a more comfortable ride with reclining seats, power outlets and on-board wifi.

How many days to stay in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Considering how long it takes to get there I would recommend to stay at least 3 nights in Puerto Viejo. That will give you enough time to explore the main sights and beaches, but if you want to immerse yourself more in the beach life of Puerto Viejo, you should stay a little longer. There are many things to do in Puerto Viejo.

I stayed 3 nights in Puerto Viejo and 2 nights in the smaller neighboring village Cahuita.

Best things to do in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica is your perfect place for relaxation, beach-hopping, sunsets and slowing down. Sounds good? Then don’t miss these 11 things to do in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica:

Beach hopping

Punta Uva Beach, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

The number one thing to do in Puerto Viejo is to explore the beaches. When you head south from Puerto Viejo there are several beautiful beaches to discover:

  • Playa Cocles is great to watch the sunset. There’s a lady who sells great falafel and you’ll find several nice spots to eat. Also, there’s an outdoor gym on the beach and a couple of volleyball nets.
  • Playa Chiquita is beautiful as you really feel like you’re fully immersed in nature. It’s a quiet beach with very few people.
  • Playa Punta Uva is also a calm beach in midst of nature. My host told me that this beach has been ranked as one of the top ten beaches worldwide –  no idea when and by whom though. It truly is a beautiful beach, but it’s not even in my personal top ten beaches I’ve seen in my life.

Now, how do you get to all these beaches? Look at the next point!

Rent a bycicle

The best way to move around Puerto Viejo and the beaches is by bicycle. You can rent a bicycle for around € 5 for an entire day. Some accommodations also have bicycles included in the stay, I got mine for a discounted rate from my host. 

You’ll see that there’s many people cycling on the roads and even though there’s no separate bicycle path, it felt safe to cycle on the road.

Watch the sunset on the beach

Sunset in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Puerto Viejo is on the Caribbean coast, which means that the sun  will not set over the sea, but behind you. Nevertheless, you’re still able to witness the colors of the clouds and the sky turning into hues of orange and yellow.

Watching the sunset is my favorite thing to do on any beach. It’s a great moment to reflect over your day and to say thank you to Pachamama (mother nature) for all the wonders in this world and all the blessings you have.

Listen to live music at Hot Rocks

Hot Rocks is, I believe, the biggest bar in Puerto Viejo. They have live music everyday with different bands playing on different days. On Wednesdays they have karaoke night.

There’s also a happy hour on drinks and some food items – that’s before the live music starts though.

And personal hint: their menu says “best piña colada in town” but it was way too sweet and heavy for me (my friend laughed at me for believing them saying they had the best one lol). In general, their cocktails are not great quality, but they’re okay.

Explore Cahuita National Park

Cahuita National Park, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
Cahuita National Park, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

My personal favorite thing to do in Puerto Viejo was visiting Cahuita National Park. You can see sloths, monkeys and other wildlife there. In my opinion, the beaches in Cahuita National Park are the most beautiful ones of the Puerto Viejo region.

There are two points where you can enter Cahuita National Park: one from the main road and one directly from the village of Cahuita. I recommend entering through the village, because there they only ask for a donation instead of an entrance fee. You can give as much as you feel is right, I gave them € 2 each time I entered. At the other entrance point they charge € 5 – don’t ask me why, it doesn’t really make sense.

Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica
Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica

To explore Cahuita National Park you can either hire a local guide, which is recommendable if you want to learn more about the flora and fauna, and the guides are also great at spotting animals. I didn’t get a guide and just explored by myself. Luckily, I spotted a sloth and also some other animals.

Visit the Cacao Museum

If you’re interested in learning more about the source of cacao, its sacredness for the indigenous people of Latin America and it’s production process I recommend visiting the Cacao Trails located between Puerto Viejo and Cahuita.

Visit the indigenous village Bribri

Bribri is the largest indigenous community of Costa Rica. Many of them live isolated from the modern world, which has helped them conserve their culture and traditions. They mainly grow their own food, use plant medicine against diseases and build their homes with material from nature. If you’re interested in getting an insight into the lives of the Bribri people, you have the chance to spend a day or even two days and a night with them.

One of the main sources of income for the Bribri people is cacao. They harvest and make cacao in their village and you can even join them and learn all about growing cacao, harvesting it and making your own chocolate. Check out this chocolate experience by the Bribri people.

Go surfing

Surfing might not come to your mind when thinking about a Caribbean beach, but there are actually great waves in Puerto Viejo, especially between the months of January and April.

Take a cooking class

What’s a better way to dive into a culture than learning to prepare a traditional dish directly from the locals?

In this cooking class, Josefina will not only teach you how to prepare Caribbean meals, she will also be happy to talk to you about the history and culture of Puerto Viejo and give the cooking class a very personal touch.

Visit the Jaguar Rescue Center

You might get confused with the name Jaguar Rescue Center (I did, at least). No, there are no jaguars. The Jaguar Rescue Center is an animal care center for hurt or ill animals that would not be able to survive on their own. You’ll mainly find monkeys, sloths and different types of birds, but also deers and other animals there.

You can visit the center and join one of their daily tours and they will show you the animals, how they take care of them and tell you their stories.

Explore Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge

The Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge is located south of Puerto Viejo, not far from the border of Panama. This National Park is quite remote and many tourists skip it.

It has beautiful beaches and lots of wildlife. The main advantage over Cahuita National Park is that there’s no entrance fee and there are way less visitors.

Where to stay in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

When picking your accommodation in Puerto Viejo, consider if you want to stay in the town or by one of the beautiful beaches outside of the town.

On a budget (all of them offer dormitories and private rooms):

There are also many options for mid-range and luxury hotels on booking.com

 

Best time to visit Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

While the weather in the most part of Costa Rica is defined by rainy season and dry season, the Caribbean Coast does not really have specific seasons with rain. It rains throughout the year, sometimes more and sometimes less, but this is not alingned with certain months of the year. In contrast to other regions of Costa Rica, the rain is more evenly distributed over the whole year.

If you visit Puerto Viejo for surfing, you might want to visit between January and April, as these are the months with the best waves.

From August to October it’s rainy season in Costa Rica, making Puerto Viejo a great place to visit as it’s usually drier than the rest of the country.

The temperature is quite stable with around 28-30°C throughout the year.

Is Puerto Viejo safe?

In many places I’ve visited in Latin America I would answer this question with “Yes, it’s safe” – safe on a level that means I feel comfortable walking alone at night.

Puerto Viejo seemed very safe to me during the day. I also felt safe in the well-lit areas of the town center at night. My accommodation was a 15 minute walk outside of the center and I wouldn’t have felt comfortable walking there alone at night.

I don’t know if I had beenbiased by other travelers who have told me that they didn’t experience the “Ticos” (Costa Rican people) as particularly friendly, but I had the impression that many local people were not as welcoming as I was used to from other Central American countries. That might have had an impact on how safe/unsafe I perceived a place.

Final thoughts on Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

I’m struggling to give a clear opinion of Puerto Viejo, because on one hand I loved the laid-back beach vibe and the nature there, but on the other hand, some part of me just could not fully connect to Costa Rica as a country. In other countries, I’ve felt fully immersed in the culture, connecting with locals and making friends from everywhere. But something about Costa Rica was just not aligned with me.

Is there any logical explanation for this? Not really. In theory, Costa Rica is a beautiful country. My guess is that I was simply not able to connect with the energy of the country. That’s the only explanation I can give.

Interestingly, I’ve heard that from many other travelers, too. From what I’ve noticed, it seems that those who have not been to any other countries of Central America liked Costa Rica, whereas those, who’ve traveled to Guatemala or Nicaragua, for example, enjoyed Costa Rica less. Now, of course, this is simply my personal experience and what I’ve heard from other travelers in my network. You might have a completely different experience and fall in love with Puerto Viejo and Costa Rica.

And that’s why I suggest to go there and to see and experience it yourself! I would love to read about your opinion and thoughts on this in the comments.

Planning to visit other countries in Central America? Check out these guides:

11 things to do in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
11 things to do in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

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