Cahuita National Park

Traveling south, along Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, you begin to encounter vast stretches of undeveloped beach and jungle. This is dramatically different from most oceanside property in the world, where development has trumped preservation of the natural environment. One jewel along this stretch is Cahuita National Park.

Last Sunday morning we were fortunate enough to spend several hours exploring the natural wonders hidden in this fabulous park. We arrived in the town of Cahuita and quickly found the group of guys hanging out by the entrance to the park. They started offering guided tours immediately. Normally this kind of thing gets my hackles up - I am not interested in being targeted as a tourist and then being taken advantage of. But in Cahuita, this is the best way to get an awesome tour. The guides are mellow, really knowledgeable, and as honest as they come (though a little bit expensive). We hired Alonso, who immediately showed us the fabulous basilisk featured above (it was hiding in a bush at the river's edge). We then proceeded to walk the 3.5 kilometers out to Punta Cahuita - past gorgeous beaches and through amazing jungle. We saw eyelash pit vipers, baby hummingbirds, yellow-crowned night herons, sloths, white-faced monkeys, huge millipedes, iguanas, Jesus Christ lizards, and more. We even ate termites!



It was a 7k walk that was pleasant for all, from the 5 year old to the 70 year old (OK, Maggie got a few sloth-like rides from Mommy and Daddy on the way back). Next time we go back, we hope the waves will be calm enough so we can hire Alonso's friend to take us snorkeling.