Coastal trail
Sloths and monkeys.
Haakon S. Krohn — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Liuclucy008 — CC0 · Pavel Kirillov from St.Petersburg, Russia — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Bernal Saborio from Costa Rica — CC BY-SA 2.0
A park on the southern Caribbean coast protecting palm-shaded sandy beaches, dense coastal forest and the largest living coral reef on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. A flat trail of about eight kilometres runs along the forest edge beside the sea. On the trail visitors easily spot sloths asleep in the trees, howler monkeys whose calls echo through the forest, raccoons, colourful crabs and birds, and sometimes small yellow vipers on branches, so touch nothing. The beaches are calm with clear turquoise water. The reef off Punta Cahuita is visited by snorkelling only with a licensed guide, showing colourful fish, coral and turtles. The sea can be rough in some months. Entry at the Kelly Creek gate in the village is by voluntary donation, and at the Puerto Vargas gate by fee. Never feed or touch wild animals and watch them from a distance; feeding harms them and makes them aggressive.
Sloths and monkeys.
Guided snorkelling.
Turquoise water.
Edge of Cahuita village, about 20 minutes north of Puerto Viejo
Entry at Kelly Creek in the village is by voluntary donation; Puerto Vargas charges a fee; snorkelling only with a licensed guide.