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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 06 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Alex Robinson

Just outside the laid-back little one-street village of Cahuita, this Atlantic coastal national park protects long sandy beaches, beautiful offshore reefs and crocodile-filled creeks and rivers.

Ocelots live in the rainforest behind the coast and Cahuita is an important turtle-nesting ground.

The park has exceptional biodiversity and species variety because it is contiguous with the huge UNESCO World Heritage listed Parque Internacional La Amistad (shared with neighbouring Panama) and the Refugio Nacional Gandoca-Manzanillo; together they make one of the largest wilderness areas on the Caribbean coast of Central America.

Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica
Experience

Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica

Limon Province, Costa Rica

One of the world’s only rehabilitation and rescue centre for sloths, where you’ll see adult and baby two and three-toed sloths. Fascinating tours – which keep the project alive – include behind-the-scenes visits to the nursery, where rescued babies are weaned.

Best for ages: 4+ | £23

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The Tarantula’s Way
Experience

The Tarantula’s Way

Limon Province, Costa Rica

These on-foot night safaris, led by a wildlife local expert guide, aren’t just about tarantulas. Nights are the best times to see nocturnal mammals like kinkajou – a kind of Central American bushbaby, and a host of rare birds from nightjars to huge owls. Arachnophobes should have no fear – the spiders are shy – disappearing quickly unless you tread very lightly.

Best for ages: 8+ | £20 | 2 hours

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Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

The park is very easy to access. It extends over a peninsula immediately outside the little village of Cahuita on the south of the Costa Rican Caribbean coast.

The nearest airport is in Limón town (daily flights from San José, 40 mins), which is linked by bus to Cahuita (50 mins) or taxi (30 mins). Cahuita is a small village and never gets very busy.

While expert wildlife tours can be organised through local operators in Puerto Viejo or Cahuita villages, the national park can easily be visited independently on foot simply by walking along the beaches immediately east of Cahuita village itself.

Tours available include night safaris in the forest and there is a sloth rehabilitation centre next to the park.

When to do it

While it can rain at any time, Cahuita is driest September through October and February through March. These are the best times to spot wildlife and enjoy sunny days on the beach and is when most tourists visit.

July is the wettest month. Turtles nest between March and November, and in the largest number in July.

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Cahuita National Park Hike and Bribri Waterfall

Cahuita National Park Hike and Bribri Waterfall

Limon

A guided hike to point out flora and fauna in Cahuita National Park and to learn about the history of Cahuita. Afterwards you will go on a t...

$76 | Rating 4.86 / 5 [53 ratings]

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Full-Day Tour to Cahuita National Park from Puerto Limon

Full-Day Tour to Cahuita National Park from Puerto Limon

Limon

Experience the tropical rainforest beauty, the beach and the canals with this full-day excursion tour with a professional guide and have an ...

$95 | Rating 4.88 / 5 [151 ratings]

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Cahuita National Park

Cahuita National Park

Limon

Cahuíta National Park Reserve are worldwide recognized, not only because of their natural beauty... Enjoy the beautiful white sand beaches ...

$107 | Rating 5 / 5 [9 ratings]

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The chocolate forest experience & Cahuita National Park

The chocolate forest experience & Cahuita National Park

Limon

Welcome to Caribbeans this is a great tour to know the roots from Limon, you will see how the indigenous Bribri lives, how they create choco...

$120 | Rating 4.8 / 5 [10 ratings]

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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Hotel Aquas Claras

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limon Province, Costa Rica[16.6 miles]

Oozing Caribbean-colonial charm and framed by gorgeous gardens and beaches, this is the most luxurious boutique on the Atlantic coast.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Rainforests, powdery beaches, white-water rivers and towering volcanoes: this relaxed Central American country offers exceptional wilderness adventures in stunning landscapes.

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Best National Parks in Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Stringently protected, crawling with life, astonishingly diverse, Costa Rica’s protected forests and reefs have inspired successful conservational tourism worldwide.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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