Costa Rica: Cahuita

The first stop on our trip to Costa Rica was actually San Jose, the country's capital.  Almost all international flights into Costa Rica land in this large city.  Although it makes a trip a lot easier to stay somewhere close to San Jose, I promise you a much more authentic experience if you venture into other areas of the country (even if they are not easy to get to). 

We jumped straight into a van and began (what we thought would be ) our 4 journey through the mountains and down the eastern coast (Caribbean side) to Cahuita. The drive was beautiful but tedious!  There is only one road through the mountains and unfortunately that afternoon, there was a rainstorm which led to a 4-foot-wide tree collapsing onto the road.. +2 hours.  When it rains in Costa Rica, it pours!  By the time we were 6 hours into our drive we hit the low lands which were filled with rain waters.  To make a long story short, at one point there were cars floating passed us, water up to the bottom of our van windows, and some Spanish prayers being whispered by our driver.  As luck would have it, we did actually make it to Cahuita that night.

This small coastal city is as far away as you can get from the hustle and bustle of a big city. I couldn't find the exact population of Cahuita, it's estimated to be around 3,000 people.  There is one main road with about a dozen places to eat and shop.  The biggest draw to this Caribbean influenced city is that not only does it boarder a beautiful beach, but also the Cahuita National Park.  The vast number of animals and plant species that can be found within this park and other neighbouring forests is breath taking. It truly was inspiring to see how much of a priority Costa Rica has placed on environmental preservation.

 

We spent an entire morning hiking through one of the forests that boarders Panama. Without man-made trails, you have to literally wade through rivers and climb rocks in order to get around. We were able to see monkeys, sloths, iguanas, frogs etc. Even better, by hiking through the forest with one of the locals we learned about dozens of plants and flowers, and what the indigenous population had used them for.  (Everything from grass for cleaning teeth to flowers to help with stomach cramps).  The best part, we ended our hike with a swim at the base of a beautiful waterfall.


Some other great things we were able to check out in Cahuita included a sloth sanctuary, a chocolate making tour, and zip-lining. But the biggest selling feature of this city has to be the locals.  An extremely safe and friendly city, my friend and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Coral Hills. A small bed and breakfast owned by a retired couple originally from Sweden and the US, it literally feels like you're staying with family.  They upkeep a beautiful garden and have 3 large and spacious cabins for travelers to stay in. Plus each morning, a lavish breakfast is served with local fruits, fresh croissants and buns, and a homemade treat from Joe!