Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is beloved by travelers and backpackers from all over the world for its laid-back Caribbean style, beautiful beaches with clear water, palm trees, coconuts, lush greens and rainforest. Although it rains more often in this part of Costa Rica, it is not a problem, as it usually rains for a short period of time, especially in the morning, but very heavily.

The town is small, there are no big hotels and only a few small beach bars. Actually it is one long street with restaurants, bars and stores. It is a coastal town in Talamanca in Limón Province in Caribbean Costa Rica. The town was originally called Old Harbour until the Costa Rican government institutionalised Spanish as the national language and changed the names of the towns and landmarks in the area from English to Spanish or Native American.

Puerto Viejo was the first coastal town we visited and maybe that’s why we liked it so much. It was the place where we saw the most beautiful beaches, ate delicious authentic food, had a wonderful time, and met the best chef in town who shared with us his unique perspective on the world.

Puerto Viejo is famous for its laid back style, so the first thing you need to do is relax, enjoy the moment and the beautiful beaches.

#1 Punta Uva Beach

This beach is about 9 km from the center of Puerto Viejo. You won’t see many tourists here. It’s almost empty, especially in the morning.

On one side there is the sea, on the other side there are palm trees. The sand on this beach is fine, yellow, the water clean and refreshing. Punta Uva is our favorite beach in whole Costa Rica. The beach is divided into two parts, we liked the wilder part better. You can get there by car, taxi, tuk tuk or bike.

#2 Puerto Viejo beach

This is the beach in the center of Puerto, as the name implies. If you don’t want to travel by car or bicycle, this beach is for you. There are several restaurants that will satisfy your hunger or quench your thirst after the water activities.

#3 Playa Negra

This beach is only a kilometer away from the center, so it is easily accessible even on foot. You will not see a crowd of tourists there. Most of the time we were there alone, for a moment a local rode up on a motorcycle, had a beer and went further.

However, it is the beach where we experienced the biggest waves, so long swims are unfortunately not an option. The coolest thing about this beach is its sand, which is black and sparkles amazingly in the sun.

#4 Other activities

Besides beautiful beaches, Puerto Viejo has also Cahuita National Park where you can admire animals in their natural habitat.

Jaguar Rescue Center which is a temporary home for sick, injured, and orphaned animals. With a focus on monkeys, sloths, other mammals, birds, and reptiles. You can choose from public tour which is $22 per person. Or a private tour, which is $75 per person, and it has to be at least two person on the tour.

Museo National de Cacao where you can learn about the history of chocolate production on Costa Rica’s east coast.

Bri Bri Waterfalls, three waterfalls hidden in the rainforest with the tallest to be up to 15m.

To get to Puerto Viejo from San Jose you need to take the MEPE bus. It costs $9 (6,380 colón) and it takes about 5-6h.

Our experience with MEPE is not the best. They end up selling more seats without seat numbers so the people with those tickets have to sit in the aisle. If you want to make sure you get a seat, you should buy the ticket early enough. We always bought it about 2 hours before the ride. No air conditioning, bad air, non-existent legroom and few toilet stops are also the norm.

If you dont have a car, the best way to get around in Puerto Viejo is to rent a bike or a scooter. Other option is to call a Tuk Tuk which for us was the best option. Here it the WhatsApp from our driver: +506 8808 9248

Since we had to be careful of our budget and Costa Rica is one of the most expensive countries in Central America, we mainly cooked.

• Jammin | Best vegan burger and spicy curry
• Pizzeria Dalili | Delicious pizza napolitan style

We stayed at Cabinas Talamanca. It served the purpose of a well located resort with cooking facilities. No luxury to be expected. For more luxury we can recommend Hotel Pura Vida . It is even more centrally located and offers more comfort. However, this is also reflected in the price.

The best months to visit Puerto Viejo are February to April and August to October.

Entry to Costa Rica is allowed for tourists from all countries. A return flight ticket is needed when entering Costa Rica, the immigration officer will ask for it upon your arrival.

Visitors to Costa Rica must have a valid passport as well as proof of their intent to exit the country before their visa or entry stamp expires, usually within 90 days. Even with a 90-day tourist visa, the immigration official determines the duration of your stay as allowed by your passport.

The prices are per person, except for the accommodation and Uber, which we rent for 2 people.

Accommodation: $37 – $54 / night

Tuk Tuk: $4 – $7 / ride

Restaurant: $10 – $14 / meal

Snack: $1 – $3 / meal