In this post, we’ll share everything you need to know about visiting the Cahuita National Park, a paradise of jungle, wildlife and beaches on Costa Rica’s South Caribbean Coast.
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About Cahuita National Park
Everyone starts their description of Cahuita National Park by labelling it as one of the best parks in Costa Rica because it’s free.
Yes, it’s true, you can visit Cahuita National Park for free. But why would you want to? Costa Rica does a fantastic job of protecting its natural areas and wildlife, and much of this good work is because visitors have provided much-needed funding to the parks.
I still think Cahuita is one of the best national parks in Costa Rica – but not because it’s free.
Like the rest of the Caribbean coast, it has a tropical feel with dense rainforest, an abundance of wildlife, paradisiacal beaches and offshore coral reefs.
You can spy sleepy sloths high in the trees, racoons and capuchin monkeys scampering across the trails, and even vibrant yellow vipers and crocodiles hiding in the murky mangrove waters.
Compared with some of the other parks we visited around the country, Cahuita is smaller and more accessible, and generally not as busy.
The park was established in 1970, primarily to protect the coral reef and marine areas, spanning 23,890 hectares. The park boundaries also cover 1,102 hectares of terrestrial area.
Unfortunately, due to an earthquake in 1991 that severely damaged the reef, bad cyclones and agricultural runoff, the reef sadly isn’t in the pristine state it probably should be.
Snorkelling is still possible, but only as part of a guided tour to protect the remaining reef.
While the park may have been designed for the reef, the forest and beaches have become the unexpected stars of the show.
Our day spent hiking the trails, spotting wildlife and lazing on the powdery white sands were a highlight of our time in Costa Rica’s Caribbean.
Where is Cahuita National Park
The Cahuita National Park is located in a small coastal village of the same name, on Costa Rica’s South Caribbean Coast.
It’s just 20 minutes north of the more popular tourist town of Puerto Viejo and under an hour from the port city and provincial capital of Limon.
It is about 3 – 3.5 hours from the capital, San Jose.
The two entrances
Before I go any further, I think the most important thing you need to know about the park is that there are two separate entrances:
- Kelly Creek Station (aka the main entrance, located in Cahuita town)
- Puerto Vargas (located at the southern point of the park)
This is an important point because the main trail through the park is a one-way route from one entrance to the other. It’s almost 9 km (5.5 mi), and it is not a loop.
Walking out and back on the same trail for 18 km (11 mi) is a big undertaking and a lot of hiking to get through in a day. It won’t leave you with much time to relax on the beaches, take it slow and look for wildlife and stop for photos.
Instead, you can coordinate your day so you enter via one entrance, walk the trail one way, and exit via the other.
This is what we did and we were really happy with how we planned our day at the park.
We caught the bus from Puerto Viejo, asked the driver to let us off on the highway near the Puerto Vargas entrance and entered the park from there. We hiked the 9 km (5.5 mi) to the Kelly Creek entrance and then exited in Cahuita town. From there, we walked to the bus terminal and got the bus back to Puerto Viejo.
So before I get into the other logistics of the park, I want to quickly run through the merits of one entrance vs the other, so you can digest the rest of this information on transport, entrance fees hiking etc. with the two entrances in mind.
👉🏼 Kelly Creek Station entrance
- This is the main entrance to the park in Cahuita town
- There is no entrance fee charged here, although a donation is recommended
- This is the busiest entrance, and where you will find most tourists
- Playa Blanca, one of two beaches in the park, is very close, so you’ll see a lot of people coming in for a beach day, not to actually hike or see the park
- Unfortunately, because this is the busiest entry, there tends to be more wildlife concentrated around here and the first part of the trail as they are attracted to the food people bring in
- Entering here and walking to Puerto Vargas means you finish your hike on the side of the highway, and will need to wait for a bus or taxi to pass
👉🏼 Puerto Vargas entrance
- This entry at the southern point of the park is not as popular
- There is a mandatory entrance fee charged here ($5.65 USD), but really, you should be donating this amount at the other entrance anyway
- There are far fewer people entering here, so the trails are quieter
- The first section of trail from the entrance to Playa Puerto Vargas (around 2 km / 1.2 mi) is a boardwalk, which we thought was the most beautiful section of the park
- Parking or getting off the bus at this entrance and walking to Kelly Creek means you end up in Cahuita town, where you are able to go to the official bus terminal or find a taxi, rather than waiting on the side of the highway for a bus/taxi that may or may not pass
- This also allows you to enjoy a meal in Cahuita (you’ll be hungry after a day of hiking!)
How to get to Cahuita National Park
I would recommend visiting Cahuita National Park from Puerto Viejo or the town of Cahuita. There are so many great things to do in the area, you wouldn’t want to come from somewhere like San Jose just for the day.
From Cahuita
If you’re staying in Cahuita, you can walk to the Kelly Creek entrance.
However, I would probably suggest starting your day by taking the bus or a taxi to the Puerto Vargas entrance down the road. Get the bus from the terminal in Cahuita. Buses heading for Manzanillo, Puerto Viejo or Sixaolo will head in the right direction.
Then you can hike back to Cahuita, and you’ll be back at your accommodation when you’re done.
From Puerto Viejo
From Puerto Viejo to Cahuita, you can drive if you’ve got a rental car, take the bus or a taxi.
🚗 DRIVE
If you’ve got a rental car, you can drive yourself to either entrance.
Both have parking options but expect to pay at least 3,000 Colones to park.
If you drive, you’re locked into returning back to your starting point to collect the car. You will have to take a taxi or bus from wherever you exit if you hike the entire trail from one side of the park to the other.
🚌 BY BUS
It’s very straightforward to get from Puerto Viejo to Cahuita via bus.
The bus leaves from Avenida 73 in Puerto Viejo, on the waterfront. The bus stop for the Cahuita bus is located around here. It’s not the larger bus stop located here, that’s for San Jose buses.
You need to buy your tickets in advance from a little store located further up the street here. They have the latest timetables, which change frequently and are worth checking the day before you plan to visit.
You will be taking the Manzanillo – Limon route which stops in Puerto Viejo and Cahuita. When we visited, the best departure for the park was 8:20 am. We paid 1,060 Colones per person, one way (around $2 USD).
If you’re planning to enter via Puerto Vargas as we did, tell the driver when you get on the bus. Keep an eye on the map on your phone, as you’ll want to signal him again to stop when you get closer. There is a dedicated bus stop on the main road for the entrance, and it takes around 20 minutes from Puerto Viejo.
If you want to enter via the Kelly Creek entrance, then the bus will travel into Cahuita town and stop at the bus terminal here. You can walk less than 5 minutes to the entrance.
To get back from Cahuita to Puerto Viejo via bus, do the same thing in reverse. As I mentioned, I think it’s better to get off at Puerto Vargas and hike into Cahuita town. Then you can walk to the terminal and wait for a bus there, instead of on the side of the highway.
🚕 BY TAXI
If you’d prefer, you can take a taxi from Puerto Viejo to Cahuita. Expect to pay around $25 USD + for the trip.
It is cheaper on the return leg. If you exit the park at the Puerto Vargas entrance and wait on the highway, I have heard that colectivo taxis (shared taxis) charge 1,000 Colones per person to get back to Puerto Viejo. However you do have to wait for a free one to pass, and I think the price can sometimes get a little inflated by certain drivers.
Cahuita National Park opening hours
The official opening hours of the park are 8 am – 4 pm daily.
However, areas inside the park like Punta Cahuita (Cahuita Point) close at 2 pm. This is the middle point of the trail, and rangers will come and get people moving from 2 pm, so you’ve got enough time to get to either exit by 4 pm.
Best time to visit
In terms of days and times, I would suggest entering the park as early as possible to give yourself a full day to explore.
If you arrive earlier than 8 am, you might get lucky and be permitted to enter a bit earlier.
The earlier you get there, the fewer crowds and the better chances of seeing more wildlife. Plus, it’s cooler.
I would recommend avoiding weekends if you can, as the park is quite popular with locals and it will be a lot busier.
In terms of weather and time of year to visit Cahuita, and the Caribbean coast more generally, it’s quite different to the rest of the country.
The Caribbean has its own wet and dry seasons, and the best months to visit to avoid heavy rain are February – April and August – October.
How long to spend
I would highly recommend allocating the entire day to spend at the park. Especially if you’re planning to hike the entire trail from one side to the other.
You don’t want to rush and you definitely want to leave some time to relax and enjoy the beaches too.
Cahuita National Park entrance fee
As I briefly mentioned, each entrance has different fees:
- Kelly Creek entrance: this entrance has no mandatory entrance fee, but a donation of at least $5 USD (around 2,500 – 3,000 Colones) is suggested. Please make a contribution to support the park!
- Puerto Vargas entrance: there is a mandatory fee at this entrance. When we visited, it was $5.65 USD and they converted that into Colones. It was a little confusing, and I’m not sure exactly what we paid in the end, but it wasn’t much and we were happy to contribute.
Whichever entrance you use, bring cash. They accept USD or Colones. From memory, there was a card machine at Puerto Vargas but I wouldn’t rely on it working.
Do you need to book tickets in advance?
No, you don’t need to book tickets for Cahuita National Park in advance. You can just turn up on the day and pay your fee/donation.
You’re not wrong for wondering this, as tickets for Manuel Antonio National Park must be purchased in advance and sell out very quickly. But this is not the case for Cahuita.
Map of Cahuita National Park
Amenities inside the park
The park is pretty undeveloped and natural, so there aren’t too many amenities.
Both entrances have toilets. The Kelly Creek entrance also has a shower to rinse off after Playa Blanca.
Playa Puerto Vargas is another ranger hub, and you’ll find toilets and showers here, as well as a water refill station.
There are some picnic tables around the Punta Cahuita area.
There is no food available inside the park.
Cahuita National Park hiking trails
Whilst you will see signs for many different trails inside the park, essentially there is just one trail that runs through the entire park from the Kelly Creek entrance to the Puerto Vargas.
It is just under 9 km (5.5 mi), and sticks along the coastline around Punta Cahuita.
The beauty of Cahuita is that it is almost entirely flat. Even though 9 km might seem like a challenge, there is very little elevation gain the entire time.
The trail is well-made, some parts are boardwalk and others are gravel or sand, but it is always clearly defined. It can get a bit muddy after heavy rain.
If it hasn’t rained, you can easily get away wearing flip-flops or sandals. Hiking boots are not required as the trail isn’t very technical.
The park has broken up the trail into smaller sections and has labelled different parts if you don’t want to hike the entire length. I was kind of confused by all the different trail names, but you can’t get lost – you just follow one path!
If you aren’t planning to go the whole way, I’ll share a bit more info about key sections of the trail, so you can work out which parts you’d like to do (the distances are estimates as the signs didn’t always add up correctly!):
- Puerto Vargas entrance to Playa Puerto Vargas (~ 2 km / 1.2 mi): this section of the trail is a raised boardwalk pretty much the entire way. We thought this was one of the prettiest parts of the park, with a very dense rainforest. We didn’t see a lot of wildlife here, but we were in awe of the huge towering trees, and the way the canopy filtered the sunlight.
- Playa Puerto Vargas to Punta Vargas (~ 2 km / 1.2 mi): from the beach, the trail starts running along the coastline. The dense jungle is replaced with sandy tracks, and you get glimpses of the sea. There are lots of dead trees here, that have been eroded as sea levels rise.
- Punta Vargas to Punta Cahuita (~ 1 km / 0.6 mi): in this section of the trail you’re walking alongside the rocky points, where the water is very shallow and you can see the reef. At Punta Cahuita, there are some covered tables and chairs where you can eat your lunch.
- Punta Cahuita to Kelly Creek entrance (~ 4 km / 2.4 mi): this section of the trail runs alongside Playa Blanca. The trail dips in and out of the coastline, and is quite shaded and dense forest in some sections, and right next to the sand in others. On this stretch, you will find a few rivers and wetlands, which is a great place to spot wildlife.
Beaches in Cahuita National Park
There are two beaches inside the national park, and we think they are some of the best beaches in Puerto Viejo. Both are gorgeous and worth stopping at for a dip!
Playa Puerto Vargas
This beach has darker sand and feels as though it stretches on for miles. The curving bay is lined with palm trees, with mountains soaring up in the background. When we visited the water was calm and warm, and we enjoyed a swim as a mid-hike cool off.
This beach is much quieter, as most people enter via the other entrance. There are toilets and showers to rinse off the sand and salt before you keep hiking.
Playa Blanca
Meaning White Beach in English, Playa Blanca has, you guessed it, white sand! Located on the other side of the point, this beach is closest to Cahuita town and is consequently a bit busier.
I would suggest stopping at the beach as far away from the main entrance as possible, for the best chance of having it to yourself.
But it’s absolutely beautiful, with palm trees and forest practically falling onto the beach. The water is calm and warm, and you can easily spend hours just floating around.
There are toilets and showers at the Kelly Creek entrance.
Animals in Cahuita National Park
Most people go to Cahuita National Park in the hopes of seeing wildlife, and the odds are in your favour!
Being one of the smaller parks, it might seem like a lower chance of seeing animals. But actually, the chances are probably even better because they are concentrated in a smaller area.
Coupled with the Caribbean’s year-round tropical climate, and relatively scarce development, you can see a lot of animals here, all the time.
There are too many species of wildlife living in the park to list them all here, but I’ll share some of the animals that are commonly seen at Cahuita:
- 🦥 Sloths: this is a great place to see two-toed sloths (we didn’t get so lucky!), but there are three-toed sloths here too.
- 🦍 Howler monkeys: you might hear them before you see them. We heard a whole troop roaring up in the canopy.
- 🐵 Capuchin monkeys: also known as white-faced monkeys, these cheeky little guys have sadly become desensitized to humans, and are not afraid to approach you to steal your food. Be careful and please do not let them get a hold of any food or rubbish.
- 🦝 Racoons: we saw one racoon on the trail here, and it was the only one we saw in all of Costa Rica! Very cool, but again, these guys are not scared of humans and will steal from you.
- 🦎 Iguanas and lizards: commonly found around the rivers and wetlands, you can see basilisks (the Jesus Christ lizard).
- 🐍 Snakes: we didn’t spot any, but Cahuita is a great place to see snakes. Particularly the yellow pit viper.
- 🐸 Amphibians: green poison dart frogs and red-eyed tree frogs are not uncommon to see, especially after rain.
- 🐊 Crocodiles and caimans: are in the rivers. There are signs warning visitors against swimming.
- 🦜 Birds: there are many varieties of birds in the park. Sea birds hang out off the point. Toucans, macaws and parakeets are in the canopy, and herons and egrets are found around the rivers.
- 🐠 Fish: if you take a snorkelling tour, you will see some of the 100+ species of fish living on the reef.
Do you need a tour guide for Cahuita National Park?
The short answer is no, you don’t need a guide to visit Cahuita. You can walk the trail solo and still have a perfectly good day.
The only activity you must have a guide for is if you want to go snorkelling on the reef. This is to protect the fragile remaining areas of coral. Visitors are not allowed to bring in their own snorkel gear, so you must take a tour if you want to do this.
Although it’s not mandatory, hiring a guide to accompany you on the trails will drastically increase your chances of spotting wildlife.
No matter how experienced you are, many of the animals in Costa Rica’s forests are elusive and very difficult to spot! A guide who is familiar with the park will point out 10 times more animals than you could see on your own.
Cahuita was the last national park we visited in Costa Rica after our 5-week road trip. We had taken a few guided tours already (including the best park experience at Corcovado National Park), so we decided to skip a guide here.
We had a great day and managed to see plenty of wildlife (we even spotted a sloth all by ourselves!).
But if Cahuita is your first national park or one of the only opportunities you have to see wildlife in Costa Rica, I highly recommend you get a guide.
If you don’t want to book a tour (more on that below), you can organise a guide at the entrance when you arrive. You’ll need to do this from Kelly Creek, as there aren’t usually any guides at Puerto Vargas.
Expect to pay around $25 USD + per person. Confirm in advance how long the guided walk will be, and how many other people will be in the group. The less the better so you have more chance of seeing wildlife.
Confirm your guide has a telescope to see things closer, and be sure they are ICT certified (Costa Rica’s tourism board).
Usually, they will just leave you in the park and you can continue hiking or go to the beach solo.
Cahuita National Park tours
- Guided Cahuita Hike: a pre-organised guided hike through the park, where you’ll meet your guide at the Kelly Creek entrance. You will walk along the trails for around 2 hours, where your guide will point out wildlife along the way and share more information about the landscape and nature of the park. At the conclusion of the tour, you can choose to walk back to the entrance with your guide or continue your time in the park.
- Cahuita National Park Tour and Waterfall Combo Tour: this full-day tour from Puerto Viejo combines two great activities on the Caribbean coast. After being picked up from your accommodation you will be transported to Cahuita National Park, where you’ll enjoy a guided hike. Your guide will point out wildlife and teach you more about the history, culture and landscape of the park. Afterwards, you will drive to Bribri Waterfall, located in an indigenous community. You will have the chance to swim, and your guide will share information about the unique culture and community.
- Snorkelling in Cahuita National Park: to explore the park underwater, join a tour with Caribe Fun Tours. They include pick up from your accommodation in Puerto Viejo. In Cahuita, you’ll board a boat out to the reef at Punta Cahuita. From here, you’ll snorkel with your guide and see the corals and fish. After snorkelling, you land inside the park and will hike a portion of the trails. If you want to snorkel, this is the best combo tour in our opinion.
What to wear to Cahuita National Park
Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast is hot and sweaty, so wear something light and breathable, with protection from the sun.
We would recommend wearing your swimmers, but it’s possible to get changed at either entrance or at Playa Puerto Vargas.
Hiking boots aren’t required, unless there has been heavy rain. The trails are pretty flat and we were comfortable in sandals. You could honestly do it in flip-flops if you’re comfortable walking in them.
What to bring
- 👙 Swimmers
- 🧖🏽♀️ Towel
- 😎 Hat, sunglasses and reef-friendly sunscreen
- 🦟 Insect repellent (apply before entering the forest, natural is better)
- ☔️ Raincoat and/or waterproof bag (rain is always possible, protect your electronics)
- 💰 Cash
- 📸 Camera or phone
- 💧 Reusable water bottle
- 🍍 Lunch or snacks
You cannot bring any single-use plastics inside the park. If you want to pack snacks or lunch, be sure to put them into reusable containers. You also cannot bring any snorkel gear, as snorkelling on the reef is only permitted on a guided tour to protect the reef. They check your bags at the entrance.
Where to stay near the park
In Cahuita
It’s possible to stay in the town of Cahuita, where the park is located. It is a super laidback and small beach village with an authentic Caribbean flavour. It’s becoming a popular alternative to the busier Puerto Viejo.
We didn’t stay here, but from what we saw, we would have loved it.
Top accommodation options in Cahuita:
In Puerto Viejo
Neighbouring Puerto Viejo is the tourist hub of Costa Rica’s South Caribbean Coast. You can choose to stay in the centre of town, or at beaches on the outskirts to the north or south.
Lots of people say Puerto Viejo is overdeveloped and busy, but we honestly didn’t feel this way at all. We chose to stay just outside of town in Playa Cocles, and we loved it!
Top accommodation options in Puerto Viejo:
- 💰 Budget/hostel
- 💰💰 Midrange
- 💰💰💰 Boutique
Cahuita National Park is a must-do if you’re visiting the Caribbean coast in Costa Rica. We thoroughly enjoyed our day here, hiking the entire trail, spotting tons of wildlife and lazing on stunning beaches. Pura Vida!
MORE PUERTO VIEJO GUIDES
