Cahuita National Park

31.10.2026 - Cahuita National Park

Last night it poured like crazy, but this morning the sky is blue again. We meet at 8 AM for breakfast at the restaurant with a great view of the sea. This time there’s no buffet, but you can choose from various breakfast options: I take the 'desayuno tropical' - oatmeal with fruits and top it with my own nuts. It tastes amazing, the view is fantastic, and the accommodation was truly a good choice, simple but equipped with everything needed to relax.

Our weather app predicts rain, rain, more rain, and thunderstorms, but we decide to brave the hike through the national park, equipped with our new rain ponchos. We walk the short distance to the park entrance, and it’s already quite crowded, many Costa Rican vacationers in flip-flops, armed with a cooler and beach accessories. Among them are other tourists in hiking pants and boots, armed with camera equipment and binoculars. A colorful mix of different types of vacationers.

The plan is actually to hike from the park entrance in Cahuita (Playa Blanca) to Punta Cahuita and then on to the second park entrance, Entrada Puerto Vargas, a total of about 8.5 km along fine beaches and eventually through mangrove forests on walkways. Unfortunately, the guard at the park entrance has other plans for us. We can only hike the first approx. 1.5 km, as the middle section has been closed for some time. What a pity. The most we could do is walk from the second park entrance on the other side to Punta Cahuita. But that seems way too complicated now, and we are already here.

The path leads through dream beaches at Playa Blanca into the rainforest. We keep an eye out for animals, and whenever we see a group of people straining to look up or pointing their binoculars and cameras into the treetops, we know: stop - animals in sight. Indeed, we first spot a sloth high up in the treetops, scratching itself and becoming visible to us through its movement. We also see a collarless toucan (mini-toucan), a hummingbird, and many butterflies in wonderfully bright colors. At the end of the path, dream beaches beckon once more, but then the path is closed, and we sadly have to turn back.

On the way back, a crab-eating raccoon crosses our path, and we can see wonderfully how it searches for food in the puddles.

The grand finale of our beautiful hike through the national park is a group of capuchin monkeys that are playing very close to the roadside in the trees. We can observe them for quite some time, and it’s so charming to see how two little monkeys groom each other on a tree trunk. It’s also fascinating to watch a young capuchin successfully trying to crack open a coconut on a tree trunk to eat it. It looks really strenuous. Two more monkeys come over, and a small power struggle breaks out over the coconut. I could watch for hours....!

We’re back in the village around noon and first stock up on water and Galetas for lunch at the supermarket. I discover a nice coffee shop on the way back and can’t resist, as I am a coffee addict and am going through withdrawal here.

In the afternoon, we make our way to Playa Negra and the reggae bar, which is in the opposite direction from the national park. We haven't discovered this part of Cahuita yet. We walk along a gravel path and occasionally encounter restaurants, accommodations, lodges, and a few dilapidated construction ruins along the way. It’s fascinating to see what all is still here, and there’s indeed a steady flow of people along the street. We sit down in the reggae bar by the beach, fantastic view, but a bit run-down, at least the outdoor area.

On the way back to the village, we stop at the Atlandida Lodge and treat ourselves to a margarita during happy hour. Delicious cocktail, fantastic ambiance, wonderful evening atmosphere.

The highlight of a great day is the Caribbean-flavored meal at Restaurante Roberto (Casa de la Langosta), fish with rice and patacones in a coconut milk sauce. Very tasty, although I'm slowly getting sick of the fried bananas. Actually, the restaurant is known for its lobster preparation, and it saddens me to see the poor creatures waiting in the water tanks for their end.