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From Wikitravel

For other places with the same name, see Puerto Viejo (disambiguation).

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a small coastal town in Caribbean Costa Rica in the province of Limón. It is popular with surfers and backpackers. This is an area where foreigners are buying and building. There are two gorgeous National Parks nearby - Cahuita and Manzanillo, and it rains more than on the Pacific side, which is why it is so lush and green with the rainforest coming down to the sea.

Clear water, coconut palms, great surf and a laidback Caribbean atmosphere make Puerto Viejo a favorite among travelers. Located on the Caribbean Coast, about an hour south of Limon, Puerto Viejo is the center of activity between the smaller villages of Cahuita and Manzanillo. The relaxed, seaside town is framed by jungle, turquoise seas, banana plantations and scenic rivers.

Formerly a small fishing village, Puerto Viejo has grown rapidly in recent years. Avid surfers, drawn to the famous Salsa Brava waves, have made Puerto Viejo a hotspot on the surfing circuit. The center of town now has many souvenir and surf shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and tour companies. True to its beach location and Caribbean ambiance, bikes and pedestrians dominate road traffic along the coastal roads.

With its blend of Afro-Caribbean descendants, expat Europeans and indigenous Costa Ricans, Puerto Viejo charms visitors with a unique mix of people and cultures. Rastafari culture has a firm foothold in the town, and many Rastas sell handmade jewelry and other wares along the town’s vibrant roadside.

[edit] Brief History

Before the Spanish arrival, the Bribri, Kekoldi and Cabecar indigenous peoples were the primary inhabitants of Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean. Later, Afro-Caribbean immigrants arrived, many from Jamaica, and settled in the coastal towns of Puerto Viejo, Punta Uva, Manzanillo and Monkey Point. Because of their influence, many Puerto Viejo natives today speak English as their first language.

Until the late 1970’s, Puerto Viejo was relatively isolated from the rest of Costa Rica. In 1979, a new road connected the small village to San Jose and the Central Valley. In 1986, electricity arrived, supplying light and other important conveniences to the town. Private phone lines became available in 1996, and high-speed internet was offered in 2006. Today, Puerto Viejo is as modern as any beach town, though it still retains its original charm.

[edit] Get in

The local bus leaves 4-5 times a day direct from Caribe Station in San José. Last bus leaves at 4PM and all buses are direct with one pit stop outside of Limon. The ride is approx 4 hours. Make sure you get on the bus to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, not de Sarapiquí which is a different part of the country.

If you want to save a few colones, you can take local bus from Caribe station to Limón and transfer to Puerto Viejo bus. This is what many locals do.

There are also tourist buses that will pick you up at your hotel and drop you off where you want. The most popular one is Interbus. There is also EasyRide and Grayline.

Driving here is also popular, but roads can be bad as at certain times of the year, the pot holes can get obnoxious. However, you really don't need a car when you are here. Most people rent bicycles and scooters. The roads may not be all paved, but they are flat as they all follow beach line.

[edit] Get around

The bus system is excellent. Most lodges have bicycles for rent too.

[edit][add listing] See

Tropical forest surrounds the village and palm trees line the beach, adding to Puerto Viejo’s natural beauty. Travelers can glimpse spectacular wildlife in Cahuita National Park or the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge, which border the town to its north and south, respectively. Just south of Puerto Viejo, visitors will discover the sublime beaches of Playa Cocles, Playa Chiquita and Punta Uva. The dirt road connecting the villages is often in poor shape and full of potholes, though road repair vehicles labor daily to improve conditions. Beachfront cabins, restaurants and shops line the street, almost all the way to Manzanillo. There is no shortage of accommodations in the area; numerous budget hostels cater to surfers and young backpackers that frequent the area, while posh resorts offer comfort and luxury along with impressive ocean views.

Black and white sand beaches extend for miles; they are wide and often deserted, offering stretches ideal for walking and sunbathing. Snorkeling is excellent when the water is calm, and nearby Cahuita and Manzanillo are home to beautiful, living coral reefs that provide some of the best snorkeling in Costa Rica.

• The beaches are gorgeous, but like everywhere in Central America, watch those riptides.
• There are beautiful birds, butterflies and animals to be seen.
• There is also the Iguana Conservation Tour at Iguana Verde Foundation, you can check the tour futures at [1]
• Refugio de gandoca de Manzanillo:the beauty of this refuge is incredible because of its forest, lagoons, coral, reefs and white sand beaches and is the most exotic place of the entire South Caribbean coast. This refuge protects 4500 ha.of sea; 15km of coast and 5000 ha of plants and hills which maximum height is 115 mt.
• Indian's reserve in High talamanca and rite with shaman : To come to the most recondite of the Alta Talamanca,

[edit][add listing] Do

• Rent a bike. Ride it the full 26km round trip to Manzanillo and back. Make it a day trip. Each time you see a side road leading to the ocean, follow it for a hundred meters or so and you will usually find a beautiful secluded beach. It's a long but easy, flat ride. If you'd like to cut the ride short you could make your destination Punta Uva.  edit
• Surfing. The town's most famous spot is Salsa Brava just in front of town and there are good waves on Playa Cocles too. The swell comes during the dry season, roughly from December to April. Other time of the year the sea is extremally flat.  edit
• Cocles beach (Playa Cocles) lies just 1,5km from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a small village known for its mixture of indios Brì Brì, Caribbean black culture, and sheltered by Gandoca-Manzanillo natural reserve on the brink of the Panamanian border.All the wonders of primordial tropical paradise can be found here: palm trees swinging on tranquil beaches, the tones of purple, orange and red merging into the sea at sunset, accompanied by a soundtrack of reggae, calypso music and exotic birdsong.The region extends from Limon to the border with Panama. Fine beaches will receive you with its white sand, yellow, grey and black.

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Totem Surf Shop, ☎ +506 2750 0758, [2]. Located at the best surf spot ( the beach break). This center is fully equipped with various models of Banzaii, Premiere, and RRD surfboards, available to rent to surfers of all levels. Private and customisable classes available. Instruction packages include 1 lesson each day and a one-on-one private lesson in the morning between 8-10AM.  edit

[edit][add listing] Eat

Soda Lydia, The Mission, Jammin' and Pizza Boruca

Pan Pay, Good Bakery. breakfast, run by spanish. Beachfront. A very popular spot in the morning.

Totem Beach Bar Osteria [3] Tel +506 2750 0758, Located in Playa Cocles- Everthing is homemade here, inluding bread, pasta, Romagnola piadina (flat bread typical of Italy´s Emilia Romagna region) and desserts. Totem Osteria specializes in Italian cuisine with Latin American flavor. You will find a very friendly atmosphere where tropical elements combined all together create a nice environment for your lunch. Choose from the menu among the several salads. or different kind of pasta as spaghetti, ravioli, tagliatelle seasoned with seafood that the Caribbean Ocean offers: shrimps, crabs, lobster, combined with fresh vegetables.

*See food Mediterraneo, pure Italian food..By Totem Hotel Beach resort-Tel +506 2750 0758, Located in Playa Cocles.This two-story Restaurant Mediterraneo has a spectacular terrace overlooking the sea, and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everything is homemade here, including bread, pasta, Romagnola piadina ( flat bread typical of Italy’s Emilia Romagna region ),and desserts. You will find a very friendly atmosphere where tropical elements combined all together create a nice environment for your dinner. Choose from menu among the several salads, or different kind of pasta as spaghetti, ravioli, tagliatelle…seasoned with the seafood.Managed by chef Nicolo' Bareti, the high quality dishes will transport your palate to far off lands.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

Instead of huge hotels, there are lots of ecolodges from basic to luxury, and lots of places to eat and party. Many hotels are located along the coastal road going to Manzanillo.

• Green Management Vacation Home Rentals (Green Rentals), Playa Chiquita (next to the Waldorf School), ☎ 506 2750 0437, [4]. checkin: 2PM; checkout: 11AM. For a variety of Vacation House Rentals, please consider visiting Green Management.  edit

• Hotel Banana Azul, Playa Negra (1 mile North of Town on Beach), ☎ 2750-2035, [5]. checkin: 1PM; checkout: Noon. Your hosts Colin (from Vancouver, Canada) and Roberto (from San Jose, Costa Rica) have built a hotel out of 100% local hardwoods that has 12 beautiful rooms, all with private bath and free wireless internet to acommodate adventurous travelers looking for a comfortable, tranquil place to stay while visiting the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica $79.  edit

• Totem Hotel Beach Resort, http://www.totemhotelresort.com (In front of Playa Cocles,1,5 Km south of Puerto Viejo), ☎ +506 2750 0758 (totem368@hotmail.com), [6]. checkin: 1PM; checkout: 12,00. Small resort with 20 rooms 50 steps from a sandy beach, has a pool,free wireless and on site restaurant and bar. Rooms have private bathrooms with hot water, telephone, ceiling fan, larger rooms (suites) has a separate living room as well as bamboo chairs, "loveseat", glass coffee table, TV cable, coffee maker and mini refrigerator. from$ 70.  edit

• Cashew Hill Jungle Cottages, Puerto Viejo Central (100 meters west of the soccer field), ☎ 2750-0001, [7]. checkin: 1PM; checkout: 11AM. Seven fully-equipped one, two and three bedroom vacation rentals in a secure compound. Maid service, wi-fi, pool, walking distance to town (5 minutes), beaches, restaurants, shops. Fantastic tropical gardens, wildlife, ocean views, eco lodge, vegan/vegetarian friendly, living, dinning, verandas, hammocks, owners on site. varies.  edit
• La Finca Chica (Fincachica), Cocles. Miss Winny Town (2 miles south of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca), ☎ + 506 2 750 19 19, [8]. checkin: 14:30; checkout: 12:00. What if you could spend some time with your family or friends at a beautiful wooden house next to the jungle and close to a full bunch of tropical white sand beaches with sky-high palm trees? Fincachica has 4 fully equipped, exquisitely designed, wooden houses located in a 2.5 acres, safe and quiet, landscaped property. Houses are equipped with amenities such as phone, sat TV, dsl internet access, city drinking water, orthopaedic matresses, gas stove with oven...Maid service is also provided on a daily basis so you can enjoy 100% of your time in paradise. Fincachica is ideal for nature lovers looking for adventure, relaxation and fun. A place where time has no meaning. 45-135 USD.  edit

• Pura Vida, (in front of the soccer field), ☎ +506 2750-0002. Friendly, very clean, hammocks and use of a shared stove included. USD$ 12-30.  edit

• Congo-Bongo, Gandoca Manzanillo (Puerto Viejo, Limon, Costa Rica), [9]. Congo Bongo is located 4 hours south east of San Jose in the Gandoca Manzanillo wildlife refuge at the Caribbean coast. Has a private walkway to the quiet, unspoiled beach, featuring the beautiful blue Caribbean Sea. The best snorkeling in the area can be found right offshore. The sea water is safe and no riptide or dangerous coral reefs are reported. The wetlands and surrounding forest areas contain a great diversity of species, many only locally sited, endemic to this area: crocodiles, alligators, otters, wild bores, ocelots, pumas, pacas, sloths, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, white-throated capuchin monkeys, and numerous other species of birds, reptiles and amphibians.  edit

• Casa Verde. Reasonable prices. Very clean and a large pool.  edit

• Crocodile Surf Camp (Former Cutback camping), (On the road to playa cocles). Seaside cabanas and camping spaces on sand. The only noises you´ll hear are the waves. Camping : 4 USD / Cabanas : 7USD.  edit

• Rocking J´s, (On the road to playa cocles). Camping spaces and hammocks in a parking lot like structure on the seaside. Camping : 4 USD / Hammocks 7 USD.  edit

• Tree House Lodge, (Punta Uva), [10]. Unique houses in front of the beach.  edit

[edit] Get out

The small road goes further south through villages like Cocles and Punta Uva, both with small houses for rent.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!