Costa Rica: A Visit to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean Coast

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (just Puerto Viejo to locals) is a funky little town, nestled into south of the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, about 30 km from the border with Panama.

The community has a real international flavor, with Jamaicans, Australians, Italians, and more adding their spice to the local culture. The main road is lined with small boutique hotels, shops, cafes, and assorted vendors aimed at catching the eye of the visiting tourist.

While sunrise was at about 4:30 am while we were there, the town is really just starting to rub the sleep from its eyes around ten.

Tourists on rented bicycles and locals of all ages add to the symphony on the narrow main road, which can be a little unsettling at first. Motorists give a friendly honk as they pass a group of teenagers on all manner of pedaling contraptions, and cars, trucks, vans, and buses play a game of leap frog as they speed down highways and back roads alike.

Soon you notice no one seems to mind the chaos, and you settle in, too, just counting the woman hitchhiking with her two young sons as added flavor, and the near-constant close calls as the way of the road. There is a strong hippy contingent (calling it a counter-culture is a bit like continuing to call 90s music “alternative”), and yes, that is probably marijuana you smell.

We had four days to explore this little off the beaten path corner of the Caribbean coast, taking advantage of the shuttle from our home base at the Samasati Nature Retreat and taxis to travel back and forth. Taxis here are not the yellow cab you might expect – instead, you’ll see people who happen to have a car and are hanging out on the side of the road, willing to negotiate a price to give you a ride. We found the fare back to Samasati to be consistently about $10.

There are a variety of beaches in the area – do your research ahead of time or plan on a lot of walking (or bike riding). Some are good for surfing and don’t allow swimmers, others are good spots to set up the beach toys and spend an afternoon splashing around.

On our second trek into town we decided to try one of the pedal carts available with the bicycle rentals. Two bench seats, four sets of pedals, and solid steel covered by a striped canopy, not sure if it was entertaining or suicidal. The boys got in front and the girls in back, and it was soon apparent it would be a two-person job, as I could barely stretch to touch the pedals, let alone turn them, and Ella is at least five inches shorter than I am. We set out down the road, three princesses with their chauffeurs working hard to propel them forward, and had quite the laugh at the spectacle we were creating.

It was difficult, heavy work, and there may have been a time or two they had to jump off and push, but the $28 rental fee was well worth the fun stories that came out of the afternoon. Plus we got a whole new perspective on the community as we cruised along to see the town and beaches.

Once the contraption was returned and Justin and Cameron had recovered from their near-death experience (perhaps a bit dramatic?), we walked down to the water and found a great little spot to cool off and get a drink at Johnny’s Place. 

It was the perfect location to watch the sunset and get some food, and a great vantage point for watching the community transition from quiet days to active nights. There is something very raw about this area. The beaches are no exception, with a very wide open, unprotected feel. Awesome if you are surfing, but not the most ideal beach to visit with little ones.

It is easily accessible, which has positives and negatives. Farther down the road at Cahuita there are rules about how far back from the beach development can be, but here you will find that the road follows the beach closely. At most places there is a row or two of trees and then beach directly next to the street.

This part of Costa Rica is less developed than many other areas. They didn’t get electricity until 1989, and air conditioning is not commonplace.

While we did our research and knew this ahead of time, be aware that Puerto Viejo is not the place to visit if you are looking for amenities on your trip. You will find interesting people and a laid back atmosphere, but you won’t find large grocery stores, and the restaurant options are all small and local. While that works for us, the overall was not quite our ideal.