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The day was about to end after an intense beach tour. As intense as the Caribbean itself. I arrived there, to the place the destiny had prepared for me.

I remember seeing that charmed beach. A palm tree is leaning against the sea; a Canadian couple is caressing their necks while looking at the intense orange sky. While sitting on a stone, and with a soft swell embrace them, both share and enjoy the Caribbean sunset.

The evening is about to come to an end and it just fell a drizzle in Puerto Viejo. “At Limón, sun-showers are very common”, that´s what I usually hear. Yes, it´s true. And also, when there´s a slight drizzle before the sun hides, the sky turns into a colourful painting impossible to forget.

The day was about to end after an intense beach tour. As intense as the Caribbean itself. I arrived there, to the place the destiny had prepared for me. I went down a cobbled path before meeting Chiquita beach, the last spot of my tour.

Chiquita is a dream, maybe it´s more correct to say it´s a short dream. It´s similar to going to sleep at lunchtime in that brief gap of time and picture oneself walking through the paradise, barefooted and happy. It´s small, you can walk it in minutes, but the essence comes from both the crystalline sea and golden sand.

Chiquita beach. GOPlaya.

Palm trees embrace the whole beach, and stones shine from the deep of the sea leading to a rainbow effect along the day, when the sun lights them up. It took me some time to find Chiquita beach (and I almost miss it) because I had fell in love before with Punta Uva beach and wasn´t willing to get away from there.

Punta Uva is like Manzanillo´s shy sister. It belongs to the Wildlife Refuge, but not so many people visit it when it comes to plan their trip to the Caribbean. The intense green color can be appreciated in the adjoining mountains and they´re the turning point to identify it.

Surrounded by palm trees, Punta Uva seduces with its sand mixing the white color, with a slight and unique cream tone. Some small waves (in summer) refresh the coast, but the sea is in calm most of the time and it´s possible to practise kayak or snorkelling.

It´s good to say that the summer takes place between September and October. The rough rainy season of the Caribbean, sometimes makes it difficult to appreciate its beauty. Perhaps there may be some raining over these months, but it´s less likely and the surrounding will be grateful for it. They are months of calm, even for the own environment.

Punta Uva beach. GOPlaya.

Sorry! I know there may be some “Manzanillo lovers” who thought I would miss this destination, but that´s not the case. It´s an obligatory stop even when you´ve gone once, twice or thousand times. I love to walk down the path surrounded by trees and get into the small spots opening along the way.

Sometimes, I think that Manzanillo is not a single beach, but many of them instead. Every 100 metres, there´s a lonely entry leading to a space in which you can sit down and enjoy the sea. Sea water is all but muddy in summer, when it´s possible to enjoy both a green landscape and a waveless beach in peace. Two advices for your trip: Firstly, if winter hits too hard, then the beach turns into the perfect location for surfers because of the waves. And secondly, the Carey turtle spawns in Manzanillo, mainly in July. You must walk 3 miles around from the entrance to the Refuge up to reach a spot known as “La Playita”.

It´s a place made between stones, virgin, desolated and amazing. If you arrange your trip correctly, then you´ll be able to appreciate a turtle, in a breathtaking beach (take your sneakers with you). I am begging you to make a great effort, but please don´t miss Cahuita National Park. Yes, in case you decide to stay at Puerto Viejo, you´ll have to get to the car and drive for some minutes, but it´s worth it. I can guarantee you that.

Puerto Viejo beach town, Costa Rica. GOPlaya.

I am telling you this because when I visited Cahuita I saw more Ukrainian, Spanish and Canadian people than Ticos.

As you go walking, you´ll notice monkeys swinging on the trees and the playful raccoons going out for a walk.

The walk detoxifies you. It´s like providing your lungs with a dose of life. After paying for the park entry, you´ll be able to enjoy Puerto Vargas beach, a spot with white sand, surrounded by palm trees.

As you go down the path, you´ll find several other small beaches, like Punta Vargas and Punta Cahuita, lovely to take a dip or simply to appreciate the turquoise sea.

If you prefer it, you can also go to Blanca beach in Cahuita. You just have to turn around, since the entrance to enjoy this destination is different to the one from the National Park.

The community is in charge of cleaning it, arranging the natural resources and it also offers snorkelling tours at the reefs.

At night: After the beach tour, it´s a good moment to enjoy Puerto Viejo, as beautiful as different from the rest of Costa Rica.

There are pizza shops, traditional food restaurants, guesthouses and hotels at a good price. I have no complaints.

I couldn´t leave without tasting a rice and beans with Caribbean chicken, although the entire fish from the table next to mine almost seduces me.

I opted for the traditional. A small soda in front of downtown Puerto Viejo. I could hear the music coming from the bar next to the soda. The street was packed, tourists in love with the lightings and the colourful surrounding.

Since it was still early, not many people had decided yet to return the bike they rented to go down the village. The reason is that leaving Puerto Viejo without having gone across it by bike it´s like leaving it without tasting a good ´agua e´ sapo´, which is a very typical drink from Puerto Viejo.

There are always people who like going party. And the surrounding helps too. There are several options. Among those options, you can find the typical foreigner bar with rock, pop and electro music or also bars which mix traditional culture and typical dances.

I went to sleep exhausted, but it was worth it. I fell in love with the Caribbean.

 

José Pablo Alfaro

José Pablo Alfaro

Journalist and nature lover. He likes boat trips, walking through trails and living natural experiences.