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Costa Rica Road Trip Day 7 &8: Cahuita Region

costa rica road trip cahuita

Ever considered a Costa Rica road trip? Read on to learn more about the last days of our eight day road trip across the Northern part of the country. Did you miss Day 6? Catch up here!

We spent our sixth and seventh nights at Cabinas Palmer in Cahuita, on the Caribbean coast. This cozy little, hostel style spot is a stones throw from the beach and Cahuita National Park. The rooms are simple and each has a patio complete with a hammock and small table with two chairs overlooking the courtyard. Rooms here are priced around $30/night. The hosts are kind and very helpful should you need anything, including setting up a local tour. The night we arrive it is after 9 pm and we are still able to set up a snorkel tour in the Cahuita National Park for 8:30 am the following morning.

cost arica road trip cabinas palmer
Cabinas Palmer in Cahuita

It is forbidden to snorkel in Cahuita National Park without a local guide. The tours are $15-30 USD per person for a 2-3 hour excursion with gear provided. Our tour includes stops to snorkel at two different reefs, followed by a beach front pineapple snack at the tip of the park’s peninsula. The ocean part of the park comprises over 55,000 acres!

Snorkeling Cahuita National Park

Our first morning in Cahuita starts with a quick bite at Soda Kawe for breakfast (not included with our hotel stay). We head back to the hotel to meet our tour guide who arrives at the hotel to collect us at 8:30 am. The tours are by boat which are located just a couple blocks down the street. After a short walk, we arrive to find a handful of boats. They are all preparing to usher snorkelers out to the reefs for their morning tour. On our boat we are joined by one more couple, making for a semi-private tour.

We push off the dock and our boat ride is a smooth 10 minutes out to the first reef location. The water is crystal clear as we can see the bottom for most of the ride. We even slow down for a sea turtle enroute to the reef. Our guide tells us they are common here. Once on site, we jump into the water which is about 30 feet deep. There are mounds of coral all around, only some of the over 25 species that have been identified in the national park. There are also many species of tropical fish here. Among them we see rainbow parrotfish, damselfish, sergeant major, a porcupine fish and a stingray!

costa rica beach boat snorkeling cahuita
Punta Cahuita; Getting ready to jump in and snorkel

We return to the boat to head over to the next site which is made up mostly of incredibly stunning leaf coral. It is abundant here – not like anything we’ve ever seen! The reef is shallow, around 5 feet but drops off suddenly to 20-30 feet and the thermocline is sporadic.

Our guide leads us back to the boat and we speed off towards the National Park’s peninsula, Punta Cahuita. Our skilled captain slows the boat and grounds it on the pebble beach. We jump out and head over to the picnic area for some fresh cut pineapple as we take in the view of the Caribbean Sea. It doesn’t get much better than this! After a short break, we jump back into the boat and head back to the dock. Talk about a morning well spent!

Parque Nacional Cahuita

cost arica road trip cahuita national park
Entrance to Parque Nacional Cahuita; Alligator Lily; Map highlighting Parque Nacional Cahuita facilities

We head back to the hotel to chill for a bit on this last, full day of our Costa Rica road trip. We make the most of the free coffee and hammocks that are available to all guests. Before long, we are packing our day packs to walk over to Cahuita National Park in search of some wildlife. On our list to see before we leave the country: coati[mundi], parrots, toucan, and anteater, all of which should be present here!

There is a decent set of trails in the park which spans nearly 2,500 acres! The park entrance fee is voluntary at the north end, near Playa Blanca where we enter. The other entrance at the south end is near Puerto Vargas and costs $10 to enter. The trail we take runs parallel to Playa Blanca and is very well maintained. We first encounter a couple bold racoons trotting along the trail. As we near the Rio Suarez crossing, there are signs warning of alligators in the water but we don’t se any.

cost arica road trip cahuita national park

Cahuita National Park is open from 8 am – 4pm but the rangers begin a trail sweep from Punta Cahuita to the trail head around 2:30pm so be sure to give yourself plenty of time for the nearly 4km hike.

We take our time along the trail to take in the scenery as well as watch some of the wildlife. We encounter some parrots as well as howler and white-face capuchin monkeys before making our way back to the trail head. There, we spend a bit of time on the beach before the park closes.

If you are looking for a guided tour of Cahuita National Park, there are several available to book online.

Playa Negra

cost arica road trip cahuita playa negra
Stepping out onto Playa Negra in Cahuita

When we hear there is a black sand beach near the hotel we need to go see it. It definitely provides a drastic contrast to Playa Blanca, where we were earlier in the day. The sun is setting as we arrive and there are only a few people left on the beach. We walk it’s length and realize that the setting sun is bringing some biting flies so we decide to retreat and make plans for dinner. There is a swing and a playground near the main beach entrance and restaurant. There are also make shift weights for an impromptu weight lifting session. So we stop for a few more pictures before heading back to the hotel.

cost arica road trip cahuita art
Bits of art about Cahuita, Costa Rica

We decide to dress up for our final dinner out. After a lap of the town and a look at all the menus, we agree on the restaurant across the street from our hotel – El Rincon del Amor. A decision neither of us regrets! Palate satiated, we head back to the hotel to pack up our bags one last time. We are suddenly jaunted from our packing limbo by the sound of loud drums outside our window. When we run out to see what is happening, the local marching band seems to be practicing in the street. And they are great! What an unintentionally excellent send off!

Adios Costa Rica

And so we have arrived to our final day in Costa Rica 🙁 We rise early as we have a 3 hour drive back to San Jose and need to arrive in plenty of time to drop off the rental car and check into customs. The drive is relatively smooth until we hit rush hour through the beautiful mountains of Braulio Carrillo National Park. The roads here are only two lanes with breakdowns and construction peppered along the route. Luckily we make it into town with a few minutes to spare and time to do some last minute souvenir shopping at the airport.

cost arica road trip sunrise palm trees giant frog san jose airport
Early mornings make for beautiful sunrises; Driving past beautiful landscapes; SJO resident tree frog

So there you have it – our eight day whirlwind Costa Rica road trip! We had an absolute blast and experienced so many things! While the trip had it’s minor moments of disorder, we wouldn’t have changed any part of it (except maybe to stay longer 😉 Otherwise, we’d to do it again!!

If you’re just joining us, head over to Day 1 where our Costa Rica road trip began. If you’re planning a trip yourself, check out how we planned this 7-night trip for two with a rental car, flights and accommodations for two, for less than $1050 USD!

Looking to spend a little more time on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica? Head over to Tucan Dream to read about exploring Manzanillo, Punta Uva and Puerto Viejo.

Have you ever set foot on a black sand beach?

float on, kat & phil

44 Comments

    • admin

      You got that right Maj! We had a truly wonderful trip and hope to get back soon to explore the rest of the country!

    • admin

      And so you should Explorethe6! If you need help when you get to the planning phase, be sure to check out our other blog posts. And feel free to reach out to us with any questions, we’re always happy to help.

  1. Sondra Barker

    Costa Rica has been on my top places to visit. It looks so beautiful and the water looks so crystal clear! I will definitely check out that hostel too when the timing is right to plan a trip there! (Reciprocated by Natasha Romero-Salas)

    • admin

      That’s great to hear Natasha! If you need help when you get to the planning phase, be sure to check out our other blog posts. And feel free to reach out to us with any questions, we’re always happy to help.

  2. catherine santiago jose

    Costa Rica is one of a beautiful place to visit and I am hoping to see this place someday. I am sure you’ve had a wonderful experience exploring that place.

    • admin

      We do our best to seek out budget travel deals as much as possible Rosey. Some of these trips, you really just need a place to lay your end so why spend a lot of money!

    • admin

      Thank you so much innisglow. We had a really great trip and hope to have inspired you to travel there as well! Happy travels!

  3. Yeah Lifestyle

    Can’t believe your Costa Rica roadtrip is coming to an end! I have enjoyed reading all your blog posts about it. How wonderful it must have been to snorkel with fishes such as rainbow parrotfish and stingrays

    • admin

      Thanks so much Yeah Lifestyle! We still can’t get over the trip and how incredible it was. The snorkeling was definitely one of our favourite parts!

    • admin

      You should definitely visit if you get a chance Sue-Tanya. The park itself was very beautiful and had some great animals to see.

    • admin

      It’s supposed to be great for family travels as well Ashley. If you’re using our posts to plan, keep in mind that the pricing is for a couple only. We’re sure you’ll have a great time!

  4. Marysa

    It sounds like you had a great time! We have been visiting Mexico, but I have been wanting to check out Costa Rica. This is the kind of trip we would love.

    • admin

      It really is Heather! We can only speak to the northern regions that we visited but can only imagine the rest of the country is equally if not more stunning!

  5. Lisa

    It’s a dream of mine to visit Costa Rica one day. I also love that you did a road trip so this was even more interesting for me!

    • admin

      That’s awesome Lisa! The road trip definitely allows for a more flexible schedule there. And the scenery between destinations was great!

    • admin

      It was a very unique landscape Bella and Dawn! It wasn’t sandy like the black sand beaches you see in Iceland but dark in colour none the less.

    • admin

      We highly recommend it if you ever get the opportunity Amber! There so many things to do there, perfect for any agenda!

    • admin

      It’s supposed to be great for family travels as well Monica. If you’re using our posts to plan, keep in mind that the pricing is for a couple only. We’re sure you’ll have a great time!

  6. Jasmine M

    I have always wanted to go to Costa Rica. It looks so beautiful there and like it was an amazing experience! I am definitely going to visit the Cahuita region when I go for sure.

    • admin

      You should definitely add it to your list Monika! Depending on when you are planning on going, the weather may dictate prices and how busy it is so be sure to plan accordingly!

    • admin

      That’s great Erika! Where abouts are you headed and for how long? We had a really great time in every spot we explored. Have a great trip!

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