Caribbean Coast

The coastal areas of the Caribbean are very beautiful here. Several species of turtles come to the shores of Tortuguero to lay their eggs on the beach, however this is not currently the season, so I headed south to check out Cahuita.

Good weather made the stay very enjoyable. Very small, mostly geared toward beach and snorkeling activities on the coral reef. Cahuita National Park is a beach trail of about 8-9 kilometers, with many chances to see wildlife, like white-faced monkeys, or to duck over to your own private little beach, or one of the larger, blue stretches of white sand beach. Very pleasant, and nice weather for swimming, although it was a little too rough to allow good visibility for snorkeling. I was able to walk along much of the trail, do some swimming, and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. The weather was mid 80's, and the ocean there is warm enough while still being refreshing.

Further south, in Puerto Viejo, I had some contact with La Puente, a volunteer organization with programs that assist the Bribri and other local indigenous populations to access jobs, to help enroll kids in school, and food and micro-loan programs, among other activities. Puerto Viejo was a nice town, a little bigger and more touristy, but small enough to walk around. It was very rainy during my whole stay, but it did help kick up the Salsa Brava waves a little for the surfing crowd. It had been sunny and dry the whole week previously, so the rain can be expected eventually. I guess that's why they call it a rainforest environment....