Puerto Viejo 2 Night Backpackers Package
- Duration: 2 Days (approx.)
If you are staying in Bocas Del Toro and want to hop across the border for a few days to experience a little of what the Caribbean side of Costa Rica has to offer then this is your tour!
Puerto Viejo is the largest tourist destination on Costa Rica's small Caribbean coast. Other nearby communities are Cahuita, Cocles, Punta Uva and Manzanillo.
The vibe here is laid-back, Caribbean-style with a great diversity of people living here and visiting here. The town is right on the beach. You can ride your bike 12 km from town to Manzanillo and never be further than a block or two from a beautiful beach!
Choose a tour! (Optional)
1. Jungle Canopy & Zipline Tour
You will be picked up from your hotel and drive you toward the farm located about 30 minutes from Puerto Viejo. The driver will drop you off at the first canopy platform. The most spectacular cable (285 meters length, 80 meters altitude) is located two cables away from the entrance. This cable will carry you directly to the heart of the forest where you will begin a walking tour with one the the nature guides.
Throughout the tour you will become acquainted with the flora and fauna of the primary forest and learn how indigenous communities utilize these plants. After the hike you will arrive at another platform to continue your canopy adventure.
This tour includes 9 aerial and 14 on land platforms for a total of 2560 meters of cable. Once you reach the 8th platform, you will not touch the ground again until the final run which will give you a spectacular birds eye view of the jungle.
On each platform our nature guide will explain the curiosities which are found in this extraordinary environment. On the platform at the end of the aerial run, you will have the choice of making a descent by a Tarzan swing, or by a zip line cable to the ground.
2. Cahuita Snokeling & Hiking Tour
Parque Nacional Cahuita has the largest system of Coral Reefs in Costa
Rica, including 6 species of coral, a wide range of colorful tropical
fishes and the occasional encounter of a harmless reef shark or sting
ray.
This beach has a horse shoe shape, with the entrance of the park at one end and beautiful Punta Cahuita at the other end.
You will be picked up at your hotel and taken to the village of Cahuita.
There
the guide will be waiting for you to take you by boat to the coral reef
where you will go snorkeling for two hours in two different points of
the National Park. After that we will go back to the beach for a rest
and to have a snack with tropical fruits.
The little break at the
beach is followed by a 1 hour guided hike in this wonderful coastal
forest: monkeys, sloths, birds, poison dart frogs, iguanas and other
interesting encounters are common. During the hike you will also learn
about the history of Cahuita. At the end of the walk, the van will take
you back to your Hotel.
3. 3 in 1 Tour (Jaguar rescue center, Chocolate tour and Waterfall hike)
Jaguar Animal Rescue Center
The Jaguar Rescue Center offers shelter, treatment and protection to ill or wounded wild animals in the South Caribbean area. The Center is run by Sandro, an expert in poisonous snakes, and Encar, a biologist with a vast experience with looking after wild mammals in captivity. Sandro and Encar started the Jaguar Center with the aim of saving the lives of as many animals that come in to the shelter, as well as trying to re-introduce them to their natural habitat, the forests of the South Caribbean.
Chocolate Lady
Next we will visit an indigenous family where they make chocolate from the Cacao trees growing beside their house. You will learn and see demonstrated the process by which the cacao fruit is transformed into delicious and unique chocolate. You will have an opportunity to purchase some chocolate or other indigenous made handicrafts here. Note that part of the family speaks very limited English so if you don't speak Spanish your explanation of the process may take the form of a pantomime!
Waterfall
Finally, you and your driver/guide will take a short hike (about 20 minutes through the jungle where you can see local plants and butterflies) to the Volio waterfall, a 12m high waterfall in the Talamanca mountains, where you can swim if you like. Should this waterfall be too dry, we will take you to an other waterfall in the area where you can enjoy swimming in the pristine nature pools.
Note: Your feet might get wet while exploring the waterfall, so make sure to wear appropriate shoes or bring an extra pair for changing after the hike
Package information
- Base package Includes: Round trip transportation to Puerto Viejo, from Bocas del Toro. 2 nights at Sel et Sucre or similar
- (Optional add ons) Transfers to or from San Jose. Choice of 1 tour.
- Please bring: Overnight bag, swimsuit, insect repellent, sunscreen, hat.
- Minimum Age: 18
- Time: Leave at 8:00 am from Bocas Marine Tours dock, arrive back in Bocas at 4:30 pm 2 days later.
- $8 fee to leave Costa Rica. This tax can be paid in Colones, USD or with a credit card. There is also a $4 entrance and exit fee in Panama. These tax fees are not included in the package price.