Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Autotransportes Mepe buses arrive and depart at the bus terminal about 200m southwest of
Parque Central.
Sixaola
US$3.95; two hours; departs hourly from 6am to 7pm, passing through Bribrí
en route.
Puerto Limón
US$2.40; 1½ hours; departs half-hourly from 6am to 9pm.
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca/Manzanillo
US$1.50/2.40; 30 minutes/one hour; departs
roughly every two hours between 7:15am and 7:15pm.
San José
US$9.35; four hours; departs 7am, 8am, 9:30am, 11:30am and 4:30pm.
Getting Around
The best way to get around Cahuita - especially if you're staying out along Playa Negra -
is by bicycle. Several places around town rent bikes, including Mister Big J's in Cahuita
and Centro Turístico Brigitte in Playa Negra. Most places charge between US$7 and
US$10 per day.
Parque Nacional Cahuita
This small but beautiful park - just 10 sq km - is one of the more frequently visited na-
tional parks in Costa Rica. The reasons are simple: the nearby town of Cahuita provides at-
tractive accommodations and easy access; more importantly, the white-sand beaches, coral
reef and coastal rainforest are bursting with wildlife.
Declared a national park in 1978, Cahuita is meteorologically typical of the entire coast
(very humid), which results in dense tropical foliage, as well as coconut palms and sea
grapes. The area includes the swampy
Punta Cahuita
, which juts into the sea between
two stretches of sandy beach. Often flooded, the point is covered with cativo and mango
trees and is a popular hangout for birds such as green ibis, yellow-crowned night heron,
boat-billed heron and the rare green-and-rufous kingfisher.
Red land and fiddler crab live along the beaches, attracting mammals such as crab-eat-
ing raccoon and white-nosed coati. White-faced capuchin, southern opossum and three-
toed sloth also live in these parts. The mammal you are most likely to see (and hear) is the
mantled howler monkey, which makes its bellowing presence known. The coral reef rep-
resents another rich ecosystem that abounds with life.
