Cahuita Overview

Tourism may have turned the isolated Caribbean outpost of Cahuita into a gringo -filled vacation spot, but luckily, the natural charms that lured the first visitors to the small town have not gone away. Sun-kissed beaches, lush jungles, and coral reefs draw even the crowd-shy to Cahuita’s shores, where howler monkeys screech above white sand beaches and manta rays lurk in the waters of hidden inlets and lagoons. Parque Nacional Cahuita boasts the largest coral reef on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, while those who prefer to stay on land can choose from the white sand of the park’s Playa Blanca or, on the northern end of town, the sun-bathing hot spot of black-sanded Playa Negra.

The MEPE bus company (in San José ☎2257 8129, in Limón ☎2758 1572) has buses departing from 200m west of the park to: Bribrí (1hr., every hr. 6am-7pm); Limón (1hr., every hr. 6:30am-8pm, ¢890); Manzanillo (1hr.; 6:45, 11:15am, 3:45, 6:45pm; ¢590); Puerto Viejo (30min., every hr. 6am-7pm, ¢335); Sixaola (2hr., every hr. 6am-7pm); San José (3hr.; 6, 10am, noon, 2, 4pm; ¢4200). There are no public taxis in Cahuita, but Mr. Big J, one block southeast of the bus stop, can help you contact a private operator. (☎2755 0328. Open daily 8am-6pm.)

Orientation And Practical Information

A road branching off the Limón-Puerto Viejo Hwy. runs for 1km before entering downtown Cahuita. The bus station is in a shopping center 700m down the road, just outside of the town center. Cahuita’s main road, Avenida Alfredo González Flores, goes from northwest to southeast. It intersects the road from the highway at the town center, where there is a small park. Playa Negra is 1km west of the northwest end of the main road, and Playa Blanca lies in Parque Nacional Cahuita over the bridge at the southeast end of the road. Most hotels and restaurants are within several blocks of the park and town center.

• Tourist Information: Your best bet for information is Mr. Big J .
• Banks: Banco de Costa Rica, in the shopping center next to the bus station accepts V/Cirrus/Plus. Open M-F 8am-4pm. At Mr. Big J’s, you can pay with traveler’s checks for 0% comission. Most restaurants and hotels take major credit cards.
• Luggage Storage: Mr. Big J stores valuables for the day in a steel case. ¢1500 per day.
• Laundry: Mr. Big J offers wash, dry, and fold. AM dropoff, PM pickup; ¢3500 per load. Open daily 8am-6pm.
• Emergency: ☎911.
• Police: (☎2755 0217), at the northwest end of the main road, next to the post office. Open 24hr.
• Pharmacy: Farmacia Limon, in the shopping center next to the bus station. AmEx/D/MC/V.
• Medical Services: Clínica Cahuita (☎2755 0383). Offers basic medical services. Walk 250m south of the bus stop toward the main highway; it is the light blue building on your right. Open M-Th 7am-4pm, F 7am-noon.
• Telephones: At the shopping center in front of the bus station, in the parque municipal, and in front of the police station.
• Internet Access: The cheapest Internet access is in the shopping center by the bus station at Internet Caribbean Adventure, which has new computers and a sometimes-quick connection. ¢800 per hr. Open M-Sa 10am-6pm. Spencer Sea-Side Lodge (☎2755 0027) has slightly higher prices but good connection speed. Offers a bank of computers overlooking the Caribbean. Open daily 8am-8pm.
• Post Office: (}/fax 2755 0096), at the northwest end of the main road, next to Miss Edith’s. Open M-F 8am-noon and 1:30-5:30pm. Postal Code: 7302.

Accommodations

Cahuita has a seemingly endless selection of accommodation options, but most places offer similar amenities for similar prices. The average cabina charges US$15-20 for a single and US$25-30 for a double; any less is a deal and any more may be a rip-off. Expect simple rooms with fans, tempermental hot water in private showers, and hammocks almost everywhere.

• Spencer Sea-Side Lodge (☎2755 0027 or 2755 0210). Foamy waves splash over the rock seawall at the banks of this idyllic hotel, situated in a hammock-filled, wooded yard. The rooms are just as pleasant; hardwood, cabin-style walls add to the rustic ambience despite the private hot-water showers, mosquito nets, and fans in each room. Guests looking for the perfect morning yoga spot (or just more of a splurge) can climb the homemade mosaic stairs to the 2nd fl., where rooms are twice as expensive but larger, with private hammocks on porches with a lovely sea view. Internet access ¢1000 per hr. Daily reef tours US$25 per person. Rooms downstairs US$10 per person; upstairs US$20. Accepts traveler’s checks. AmEx/D/MC/V.
• Cabinas Safari #1 (☎2755 0405; www.cabinassafari.com), 50m east of the park. In the middle of town and less than 3 blocks from every part of it. These quiet cabinas prevents noise with a tree- and plant-filled garden buffer. The comfortable cabinas have twin and queen beds, private hot-water baths, fans, and porches with hammocks and tables, perfect for late-night lounging. The locked gate and barbed-wire fence ensure the safety of your belongings. Singles US$15; doubles US$25. AmEx/MC/V.
• New Cabinas Arrecife (☎2755 0081), 25m southeast of Miss Edith’s. Several blocks from the town center, this dark-wood complex offers spotless tile rooms with ceiling fans and private hot-water baths. Located just steps from the beach, it has a pool with lawn chairs and a covered hammock area for lounging. Breakfast overlooking the ocean ¢1500-2000. Singles US$20; doubles US$25; triples US$30. AmEx/D/MC/V.
• Cabinas Sol y Mar (☎2755 0418; cabsolymar@hotmail.com), 1 block north of the park entrance on the main road. In between the town center and the park entrance, this older hotel has clean, bright-green rooms with fans and private hot-water baths at some of the lowest prices in town. The upstairs balcony overlooks the street, park entrance, and beach. Singles US$12; doubles US$20; triples US$25. MC/V.
• Kelly Creek Hotel-Restaurant (☎2755 0077; www.hotelkellycreek.com), to the right of the park entrance, just before the bridge. Though pricier than most options in town, Kelly Creek has peaceful, enormous rooms with 2 beds, hand-woven (and somehow elegant) mosquito nets, pink sheets, ceiling fans, huge, private hot-water baths, and closets. Singles US$40; doubles US$45, each additional person US$10.

Food

Most restaurants in Cahuita cater to tourists and serve tasty dishes at relatively high prices. However, the benefit of more tourists is larger variety and higher quality of food; during your stay, you can enjoy Spanish, Costa Rican, Jamaican, Italian, Chinese, and American-style dishes without leaving the town center. Stock up at the Supermercado Safari or get an inexpensive meal at the sodas two blocks from the bus station into town.

• Cha Cha Cha (☎8368 1725), 200m north of the park. Chef Bertrand Fleury conjures up fresh, delicious combinations of meat, seafood, and vegetarian platters, all served in a candlelit, open-air dining room. The prices are high, but the quality is unparalleled in Cahuita. The chocolate cake (¢2200) is heavenly. Salads ¢3000-4000. Entrees ¢3000-8000. Desserts ¢2200-2600. Open daily 5:30pm-10:30pm. Cash only.
• Miss Edith’s (☎2755 0248), northeast of the post office. Known around Cahuita as the epitome of high-class Caribbean cooking, Miss Edith’s serves succulently flavored Caribbean specialties at prices that are a well-deserved splurge. Feast on incredible vegetable soup (¢1500); fish with coconut, curry, and yucca (¢2800); or lobster (price varies depending on season). The Jamaican jerk dishes (¢3000-7000) are extra spicy. Be sure to call ahead for the rondón (¢3000-6500). Open daily 11am-10pm.
• Cafe del Parquecito (☎2755 0279 or 8993 1517), on the east side of the park. This delightful cafe serves up scrumptious, healthful breakfasts and lunches in its open-air dining area, while hummingbirds and Caribbean-influenced hip hop and reggae from throughout the Americas serenade you. The restaurant serves dinner as well (¢3000-5000), but it’s more popular for earlier meals of massive crepes (¢2000-2400), egg and pinto dishes (¢1100-3000), and specialty sandwiches (¢1800-4000). The batidos are some of the best in town: try one with pineapple in milk (¢850). Open M and W-Su 6am-3pm for breakfast and lunch, dinner 6pm-late.
• Kelly Creek Hotel-Restaurant (☎2755 0007), to the right of the park entrance. Tucked into the gardens of Kelly Creek Hotel, this small Spanish restaurant offers haute cuisine in a quiet, country dining room. The hands-down favorite is the homemade paella (¢6800 per person, min. 2 people, call at least 6hr. in advance to request), best enjoyed with a jar of the homemade sangria (¢6000). Appetizers ¢2200-3200. Seafood entrees ¢4000-6000. Open M-Sa 6:30pm-9:30pm. MC/V.
• Restaurante Tranquilo Cahuita, 50m west of the park. With its cheery, faux-flower decor, open-air seating, and friendly staff, this small soda serves up comida típica at lightning speed for some of the lowest prices in town. Breakfast ¢1600-1900. Lunch and dinner entrees ¢1500-4500. Open Tu-Su 6am-10pm. AmEx/D/MC/V.

Nightlife

Though Cahuita attracts a number of surfers and backpackers, its nightlife scene is comparitively very small. The only late-night option is the popular Coco’s Bar (☎2755 0003), across the street from the park. With a large dance floor and a balcony perfect for people-watching, Coco’s attracts a crowd of locals and tourists looking for live music, which starts up around 7 or 8pm and usually runs until about 10pm or so. On the weekends, the crowd generally gets bigger and stays later. (Open daily noon-2:30am. Live music most nights; inquire for details. MC/V.)

Guided Tours

• Mr. Big J (☎2755 0328). Run by Mañuela and the amiable Mr. Big J himself (a.k.a. Joseph), one of the best sources of information in Cahuita. Aside from his laundry, storage, and book exchange services, Mr. Big J also arranges almost any type of tour in the area, including snorkeling around Cahuita (3hr., includes gear, drinks, and local guide; US$25), and horseback trips along beaches (½-day trip with refreshments US$40).
• Roberto Tours (}/fax 755 0117), 2 blocks northwest of the park entrance. Roberto personally leads his adventure-filled, highly successful fishing trips (daytrips 4hr., US$50; equipment included). Cook your own catch at Roberto’s Caribbean-style seafood restaurant next door. He also offers early-morning dolphin tours (5hr. or until dolphins are found, US$55). Open daily 7am-10pm. AmEx/D/MC/V.
• Willie’s Tours (☎2755 0267; www.willies-costarica-tours.com), 50m north of the parque municipal. Run by German expat Willie, this tour office with a boom box and couch offers trips all over the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and Panama. River rafting on the Pacuare and Reventazon (US$95), all-inclusive 3-day, 2-night Tortuguero trips (US$265), canopy tours (US$45), and his unique multi-day trips to Panama, including Bocas del Toro and Bastimentos (4-person min., US$195 per person). Free Internet access for trip participants. Open daily 8am-noon and 2-9pm.
• Cahuita Butterfly Farm (☎2755 0361; fransoha@hotmail.com). Walk 1km back to the main highway, turn right, and continue for a few min. until you see the sign on your left. One of the most elaborate mariposarios in the region, the Cahuita Butterfly Farm has 20 varieties of butterfly, including the sought-after, deep-blue Morpho peleides. Visitors interested in the history and science of butterflies can check out the informative exhibits on the stages of a butterfly’s life. US$8, students US$6. Open daily 8:30am-3:30pm.

Daytrips From Cahuita

T Aviarios Del Caribe/Buttercup Foundation. In 1992, three girls from a pueblo near Cahuita found an abandoned sloth in the forest and took it to local wildlife refuge Aviarios del Caribe, run by Judy and her husband Luis. The family fell in love with Buttercup, the contented, smiling three-fingered perezoso, and decided to dedicate their refuge to saving Costa Rica’s sloth population. Since Buttercup was adopted, Aviarios has become the largest sloth refuge and rehabilitation center in the world, with over 100 sloths in residence at the hospital, nursery, and protected island. The center performs medical procedures and physical rehabilitation for sloths injured from powerline electrocution, hunting, violence, and falls. The work at Aviarios has proved groundbreaking in sloth research, helping to dispel myths that the two- and three-fingered creatures are dirty or evolutionary flukes. In fact, the mosses and moths that live on these sloths are an important part of the forest ecosystem, and their slow movements are not pure laziness but rather a camouflage technique to shield them from predatory birds flying above the trees.

While the medical facilities of the refuge are closed to visitors, the center offers two-part tours starting with a canoe trip around the island, where sloths, caimans, monkeys, and over 300 types of birds can be spotted, after which visitors are shown a video on sloths and a presentation on the differences between two- and three-toed sloths. The tour concludes with visiting five sloths cared for by the sanctuary; if the sloths are in a good mood, they may let you pet them. The refuge also has a gift shop, which opens onto a beautiful veranda where Buttercup lives in her private chair-swing, and baby sloths as young as six weeks old are fed goat’s milk, greens, and carrots by volunteers. Though visitors cannot touch these sloths, they are free to watch them cuddle and hide under their blankets or teddy bears for a drowsy nap. For those who can’t bear to leave their new friends, the refuge has seven luxurious rooms on-site, with breakfast and a sloth tour included. All rooms have tile floors, comfortable beds, hot-water showers, and fans. More expensive rooms have A/C, bathtubs, and/or a sitting room. (Singles US$75; doubles US$87-99; triples US$105-116; quads US$122-134. 20min. away from Cahuita, just 1km past the bridge after the turnoff to Penshurt. To get to the refuge, take any bus headed from Cahuita to Limón and ask for a ticket to the Cruce Penshurt (¢345). Ask the driver to let you off at the entrance to Aviarios. Tours of the refuge cost US$25 per person; book in advance for larger groups. The center also offers a birdwatching tour that begins at 6am. It includes a 2hr. canoe birdwatching trip, breakfast, and a sloth tour afterwards. US$35 per person. ☎2750 0775 or 2750 0725; www.slothrescue.org. Open daily 6am-3pm.)