Puerto Viejo Beaches: The Best on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast
THE BEST BEACHES IN PUERTO VIEJO, COSTA RICA!
Puerto Viejo’s beaches are some of the best on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast! Within just a few miles of coastline, you’ll experience a diverse series of beaches, wildlife, and coastal experiences. It’s worth staying in the Puerto Viejo area for a few days to check them out!
Key Takeaways on Puerto Viejo’s Beaches
We’ll go over the best beach options in Puerto Viejo, including a national park known for snorkeling, a beach known for its shipwreck, a beach made of fine, black sand, and more!
The water temperature along the beaches in the Puerto Viejo area is always in the upper 70s or lower 80s (Fahrenheit).
Punta Uva: Limón‘s Prettiest Beach
Punta Uva is right in Puerto Viejo, and is stunningly gorgeous.
The water is crystal-clear, and great for snorkeling.
Parking along the beach is pretty convenient. You’ll turn off onto tree-lined dirt roads, where you just sort of make your own parking spots.
A lot of people come here to setup camping sites. Punta Uva is popular, but large enough that you’ll never feel crowded.
Playa Cocles
Playa Cocles is a popular beach, just south of the town of Puerto Viejo. It’s known as having some of the best surfing waves on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast, so swimming here comes with a caution.
It’s a lengthy beach, where you’ll find all kinds of food options and other activities to take part in.
The island was a bit too far for me to swim out to, but very pretty to see in the distance off-shore!
Manzanillo Beach
Manzanillo is south of Puerto Viejo by a few miles, but definitely worth a visit. The water is pretty clean, but the big draw is the shipwreck you can check out down the beach!
🌎 Jared’s Detours Blog: Guide to Manzanillo Beach
While my other blog goes in depth into the ship, here’s the gist:
The captain of the cargo ship decided to beach it in 2017, rather than let it sink as it began taking on water. Costa Rican authorities successfully kept the fuel from spilling and polluting the protected habitat around Manzanillo.
While the ship was originally supposed to be re-floated and tugged to a port, the plan never materialized. Artists added some color to the rusting remains, and it’s entrenched in the sand… and the Manzanillo community.
You’ll find plenty of parking in the town, along with a few restaurants. Just don’t park under a coconut tree, since they’ve been known to fall and crack windshields!
Manzanillo is a fairly quiet beach, with plenty of tree cover to escape the sun:
As for the ship, the electronics and windows were removed, and you’re free to climb on it if you’d like to explore what remains. It’s rusted, and the floors are falling apart, so climb at your own risk, and definitely wear shoes!
Playa Negra: Costa Rica’s Black Sand Beach
Playa Negra is right off the main highway, north of Puerto Viejo.
You’ll find really fine, black sand lining the shores of Playa Negra, and rows of palm trees.
It’s not the most enjoyable beach to spend the day at, but the unique visuals are stunning, and worth checking out.
Cahuita (National Park)
Cahuita National Park is a 30 kilometer (45 minute) drive north of Puerto Viejo. It’s famous for its beach-adjacent walking trails and its snorkeling.
It includes a long walk through the rainforest which runs alongside the beach. You’ll have several route options to choose from, which extend several kilometers down the beach. Glancing up in the trees, you’ll see sloths, monkeys, raccoons and other wildlife!
Once in a while, biologists will release sea turtles right from the main beach in Cahuita:
Make sure to check entry times for Cahuita, since the entire beach will often close by 4:00pm. The rangers are insistent that everyone clears off the beaches, boardwalk, and hiking paths by closing time.
Where to Stay in Puerto Viejo
You’ll find a wide variety of lodging options in Puerto Viejo, from luxury hotels to cheap hostels to sustainable eco-lodges.
🌎 Jared’s Detours BLOG: Puerto Viejo’s Best Eco-Friendly Hotels
You can use this interactive map to plug in the dates you’re considering and check out what’s available:
Shawandha Ecolodge is a beautiful property, a great deal, and in a convenient location near Puerto Viejo. You’ll be surrounded by the rainforest in private bungalows, and still be able to walk to another nearby beach (Playa Chiquita).
The Cayuga Collection has a beautiful property in Puerto Viejo, called Aguas Claras. The owners put a special focus on sustainability.
Aguas Claras offers beautiful suites and cabins, along with a great restaurant, a tropical pool, and direct beach access.
➡️ BOOK: Aguas Claras (5-star hotel with private beach)
➡️ BOOK: Shawandha Ecolodge (bungalows for a great deal!)
How to get to Puerto Viejo (Limón)
Puerto Viejo in Limón is a four or five-hour drive from SJO (San José’s airport).
Renting a car is easy and efficient from the capital city’s airport. Despite the usual challenges that come along with driving in a foreign country, we enjoyed the road trip.
➡️ Jared’s Detours Blog: Renting & Driving a Car in Costa Rica
If you’d rather spend the travel time napping, you can always hire someone else to do the driving for you! There are a number of transit services in Costa Rica that will bring you to Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo Beach.
➡️ BOOK a Transport: Private Driver (from San José’s airport or hotels)
I don’t really enjoy driving, but renting and driving was the best option for us on this trip from San José.
➡️ BOOK HERE: Rental Cars in Costa Rica
Things to do in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
Puerto Viejo is worth spending a few days in, to explore more than the great beaches.
📍 BOOK a Tour: Cahuita NP + Waterfall
While other parts of Costa Rica are known for coffee farms, this region in Limón is known for its cacao forests, and businesses which turn it into chocolate.
📍BOOK a Tour: The Chocolate Forest
📍 BOOK a Class: Chocolate Making
One of my favorite sites in the Puerto Viejo area is the wildlife rescue you can visit, called the Jaguar Rescue Center.
📍 BOOK a Tour: Jaguar Rescue Center + Punta Uva Beach & Jungle
You’ll meet some of the injured and recovering wildlife brought in from across the region. Some have been rescued from captivity, while others were abandoned as orphans, and many have injuries from cars and power lines.
This tour option will bring you to the Jaguar Rescue Center for part of the day, and then beautiful Cahuita National Park, where you can see animals in the wild, right off the beach:
📍 BOOK a Tour: Jaguar Rescue Center + Cahuita National Park
If you’re in Limón, about an hour north of Puerto Viejo, consider booking this tour to visit the Jaguar Rescue Center to learn about their rehab work with monkeys, sloths, and other creatures of the rainforest:
📍BOOK a Tour: Jaguar Rescue Center from Limón’s Port
Check out some of our videos from Costa Rica:
