We wanted to end our Costa Rica road trip with some beach time and so drove to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca which is one of the last towns in Costa Rica on the Southeast coast, just before the border with Panama (Manzanillo being the very last). This was a 4-hour drive from Cano Blanco Dock in Tortuguero National Park which was the previous stop on our Costa Rica road trip. What we found in Puerto de Talamanca could not have been more different from our other stops!
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a laid-back Caribbean town on Costa Rica’s southeast coast, near the Panama border, offering a vibrant, less-developed vibe compared to other stops on a typical Costa Rica road trip.
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (Limon Province) and the surrounding area seemed less developed than the other areas we visited on our Costa Rica road trip, but definitely had its own charm. It had a distinctively Caribbean feel, with reggae music coming out of the bars and Jamaican colours everywhere. We found the main strip of the town to be quite busy with people, free-roaming dogs, bikes, cars and red Tuk Tuk taxis, but town was much quieter on the side streets and on the road out of town towards the beaches and Manzanillo.
There were lots of shops (souvenir, clothes and other) and good food options. We enjoyed great breakfasts at Bread and Chocolate, Café Rioand Da Gusthaus Bakery which are also good options for lunch. Our best evening meal was at Koki Beach Restaurant although ask for a table not overlooking the busy road.
There are many things to do in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, from living beach dream, to enjoying conservation in action and even being a sea-cowboy…
Our plan had been to bike from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to Manzanillo (13 km) but, after a late start, we ended up using our hire car and stopping at various beaches along the way for a walk, swim or just to chill out. Beach options include:
A beautiful black sand beach to the North of Puerto Viejo centre. It is so pretty at sunrise and sunset due to the contrasting colour of the sand against the water. Playa Negra seemed popular with dog walkers and those seeking solace from the business of town.
A long beach teeming with activity for beach lovers, including swimming, surfing and volleyball. It was the beach with the most going on, popular with tourists and locals alike, with opportunities for snacks such as a falafel seller.
An almost deserted but extremely pretty beach, perfect for a walk and paddle. It had picturesque scenes with palm trees hanging over the beach and lots of coconuts in the water. You can park near the Dive Centre which also allows you to book kayaks and other trips.
Manzanillo is a small fishing village along the coast with a shipwreck at one end of the beach decorated by graffiti and providing good photo opportunities. Manzanillo town had Calypso Bars and cool feel to it.
It is safer to swim at the opposite end of the beach to the shipwreck.
We timed our trip back from Manzanillo to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca so that we could view the feeding time of the Green Macaws at Ara Manzanillo, a Green Macaw conservation project. Whilst the birds are not in captivity, and can fly where they wish, at 3.00pm every day they visit for food. They are only offered very small amounts of food to prevent them from becoming reliant on this as their only food source. You need to book the tours in advance to be able to observe these beautiful birds feeding.
Our favourite activity in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (and maybe of the holiday!) was horse-riding on the beach with Ride the Rainforest. After arriving at the designated meeting point, and being matched up with a horse, we then spent the most enjoyable hour and a half riding in and out of the rainforest onto the beautiful beaches, listening to the sounds of the forest and the waves, and spotting monkeys and sloths in the trees.
The horses had been rescued but were now well cared for and calm. Our guide was very helpful and patient (particularly when I struggled to mount my horse!). Horse-riding on the beach in Costa Rica is what I will be dreaming of in the depths of our cold and dreary British winter – it was the manifestation of Pura Vida!
With limited time remaining on our Costa Rica road trip we chose the horse-riding experience over visiting Cahuita National Park (just north of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca) as we thought it might be similar to Manuel Antonio National Park. If we had stayed longer however, we would definitely have visited Cahuita National Park as it looks beautiful.
You can also visit the Sloth Sanctuary nearby, but again, we decided against a visit as we had spotted many sloths in the wild during our stay. In fact, on our last day we came across people by the side of the road looking up into a Cecropia tree, so we decided to join them – I am so glad we did as they were watching a sloth slowly making its way down the tree (probably to poop which they do once a week). It was the only moving sloth we saw during our travels and was a real treat to watch.
When we first arrived, after the peace and tranquility of Tortuguero National Park, I think we found the main road of Puerto Viejo to be quite chaotic and noisy however it didn’t take long to settle in and find eateries off the main drag. We would have been happy to stay longer and enjoy beach life some more!
If you see people by the side of the road in Costa Rica, looking up into the trees, stop and see what they are looking at in case there is some sloth action. It could not have been a better finale to our amazing Costa Rica road trip.
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