Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 832-1010; mains US$9-18; 7:30am-10pm)
Your best bet for sunset dining or drinks on
Playa Venao. Open-air El Sitio offers homemade shrimp ravioli and polenta and s esame
-crust tuna that can be spot on. Yet its reputation has been spotty thanks to turnover in the
cooking staff. A dedicated pastry chef prepares nice tropical crème brûlée and coconut
macaroons.
Playas Cambutal & Guánico
Playas Cambutal and Guánico, 16km and 22km away from Tonosí respectively, are two
excellent surfing beaches along the southern coast of the Península de Azuero. Both are
reachable by dirt road from Tonosí, but access is difficult. First take the Cañas bus from
Las Tablas at 7am or 2pm (US$4, 1¼ hours). From Cañas, a bus goes to Tonosí
(US$1.50, 30 minutes) and from Tonosí to Playa Cambutal (US$1.50, 20 minutes).
New community conservation organization
Tortuagro
( 6264-1936; Cambutal)
patrols
the beach with volunteers during turtle season; it is also in the process of setting up tours.
Get in touch with Yaqueline Vásquez for more information (Spanish only).
At Playa Cambutal, the recommended beachfront
Hotel Cambutal
( 832-0948;
www.hotelplayacambutal.net
;
d incl breakfast US$149; )
offers the most comfortable
lodgings in the area with an ecofriendly approach. It also has a good restaurant, and can
arrange fishing boats, nature walks (US$35), turtle sighting (US$10), horseback riding
(US$15, two hours) and kayaking.
If you have your own transportation, give some thought to camping on the beaches
between July and early September as you'll likely see some nesting sea turtles. Since
there aren't any stores near the beaches, be sure to take provisions.
Isla de Cañas
From July through early November, thousands of olive ridley sea turtles come ashore at
night to lay eggs on the broad beach of
Isla de Cañas
(admission US$10)
. This is one of
five places that these endangered turtles nest in such numbers - the others are two
beaches on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, and two beaches in Orissa, India, on the Bay
of Bengal.
The turtles arrive late at night, so there's no point in hiring a guide during daylight
hours. Instead, agree on a meeting place and an hour when the guide can take you. When
that time arrives, the guide will walk you across the island to the beach and, if you're
lucky, you'll arrive at the same time as the expectant mothers. Keep in mind that sea
turtles are easily frightened, particularly by bright lights such as flashlights and cameras.
