When living in Costa Rica there were my favorite beach towns, here is why:

Puerto Viejo

For me this cute and bohemian town in the Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast is the best place to experience tranquility and relaxation. I bet you will never find another town where bare feet, eco friendliness, good surf breaks, kids, reggae, exotic jewelry, wild horses and ethnic restaurants co-exist. We saw so many different things and had a lot of fun each time we came here. My son was very young but he got to enjoy playing in the beach with us.

So Much To See

* Explore miles of black and white sanded beaches

* Horseback ride along the beach

* Cahuita National Park is surrounded by iguanas and sloths.

* Bird watching

So Much To Do

* See one or many of the 35 coral reef species of the area.

* Sign up for a chocolate farm tour.

* Bike around town and go to Manzanillo while stopping at markets and fun beach spots.

* Surf in one of its great breaks.

Did You Know?

Puerto Viejo’s population is formed by an eclectic mixture of Afro Caribbean cultures, Europeans, indigenous Costa Ricans and many other nationalities. You can experience all sorts of cultures here.

Where is it?

62 km. (34 miles) southeast of Limon and 230 km. from San Jos

Weather

Just as the rest of Costa Rica, Puerto Viejo doesn’t fall into the categories of Wet season / dry season, here it rains all year long. But if you want to visit it the months between February/March and September/October are the least rainy.

Puerto Jimenez

This place has it all for nature lovers, in it you will find serene beaches, amazing wildlife, mangrove swamps and verdant rainforests. Adventurers will love this place too because it offers water activities such as sport fishing, tours to Corcovado National Park and other day trips around Golfo Dulce, dolphin and whale watching, snorkeling and boat trips. If you are a surfer looking for some waves it is also a fantastic gateway to Cabo Matapalo.

So Much To See

*Miles and miles of beautiful coastline

*Corcovado National Park

So Much To Do

*Hike Corcovado National Park

*Spend a day bird and wildlife watching

*Kayak in the estuaries of Rio Platanares

*Take a one-day or multi-day sport fishing charter boat

*Join a dolphin and whale watching tour

*Snorkel and dive

Did You Know?

Puerto Jimenez used to be a famous town due to the logging industry and gold mining. But tourism has been taking over for the last few decades.

Where is It?

On the Osa Peninsula 45 kms from Carate and 322 km southwest of San Jose.

Weather

The weather is hot and humid year round and again it doesn’t have marked seasons. However the driest months are from December to April.

Marina K. Villatoro, lives in Central America – Costa Rica and Guatemala for the past decade. She has traveled all over these areas with her family and now she loves to organize vacations to Costa Rica and Guatemala. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!