Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CACAO TRAILS
Halfway between Cahuita and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in Hone Creek, this botanical
garden and chocolate museum ( 2756-8186; www.cacaotrails.com ; Hone Creek; guided tour
US$25, incl canoe trip & lunch US$47; 7am-4pm; ) has a couple of small museums de-
voted to indigenous and Afro-Caribbean culture, a lush garden bursting with bromeliads
and heliconias, as well as an onsite chocolate factory where cacao is processed in tradi-
tional ways. Two-hour tours include a visit to all of these spots, plus a hike to a nearby or-
ganic farm. Additional expeditions allow for further exploration by canoe on the adjacent
Río Carbón. Any bus between Cahuita and Puerto Viejo can drop you at the entrance.
This is a great outing for kids.
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
There was a time when the only travelers to the little seaside settlement once known as
Old Harbor were intrepid surfers who padded around the quiet, dusty streets, board under
arm, on their way to surf Salsa Brava. That, certainly, is no longer the case. This burgeon-
ing party town is bustling with tourist activity: street vendors ply Rasta trinkets and Bob
Marley T-shirts, stylish eateries serve global-fusion everything and intentionally rustic
bamboo bars pump dancehall and reggaetón. The scene can get downright hedonistic, at-
tracting dedicated revelers who arrive to marinate in ganja and guaro (a local firewater
made with sugarcane).
Despite that reputation, Puerto Viejo nonetheless manages to hold on to an easy charm.
Stray a couple of blocks off the main commercial strip and you might find yourself on a
sleepy dirt road, savoring a spicy Caribbean stew in the company of local families. Nearby,
you'll find rainforest fruit farms set to a soundtrack of cackling birds and croaking frogs,
and wide-open beaches where the daily itinerary revolves around surfing and snoozing.
So, chill a little. Party a little. Eat a little. You've come to just the right place.
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