Punta Uva and Manzanillo Beaches

About this place

Among the loveliest beaches on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, at the end of the coast road south of Puerto Viejo: Punta Uva, a calm crescent bay of golden sand and clear turquoise water shaded by palms and forest down to the sand, and Manzanillo, a quiet little fishing village at the road's end. At Punta Uva a forested rocky point reached by a short trail looks over the bay, and the water is fairly calm, so people come to kayak and snorkel among fish by the rocks. Beyond Manzanillo begins the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, with a coastal forest trail past small coves and lookouts above the sea, where visitors see monkeys, sloths and birds, and coral reefs under the clear water. The refuge reaches the Panamanian border. The best way there is by bike along the coast road from Puerto Viejo. Services are few, so carry water. Never feed or touch wild animals and watch them from a distance; feeding harms them and makes them aggressive.