
Puerto Viejo is the Caribbean’s most visited beach town, and many reasons bring tourists here. Activities & Things to Do in Puerto Viejo: Surfing, Cycling and Beach-time in Foodie Heaven You can expect to see quite a few tourists from San José and the rest of the country in Puerto Viejo over these months, so if you plan to visit on a dry season weekend, make sure to book your accommodation and transport ahead of time. This provides a welcome break to the rest of the country, which is hit by the rainy season during these months. January sometimes brings heavy rains and flooding to the Caribbean slope.įebruary and March are usually drier months in this region and September and October are considered the Caribbean dry season when all-day sunshine is generally guaranteed. The Rainy season in Puerto Viejo usually extends from November to January and once again from April to August. This is not the case in Puerto Viejo or most of the Caribbean coast, however, where it tends to rain through much of the year. The rainy or green season extends from May to November, while the dry season is from December to April. As you may have heard, two main seasons govern the weather in most of Costa Rica. Puerto Viejo and Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast enjoy the country’s most unique weather patterns. The area around Puerto Viejo is inhabited by Talamanca’s indigenous populations and the region vibrates with a mixture of Afro-Caribbean, indigenous, European, and Asian flavors. Afro-Caribbean workers were not allowed to leave Limón province until 1949, however, so the isolated area was struck by unemployment and poverty that is still visible today.Ĭosta Rica’s Afro-Caribbean population speaks Creole English, and their language and customs have been protected by the region’s isolation. In the early 1900s, a banana plague shut down the United Fruit Company’s Caribbean operation, which moved to the country’s Pacific coast. Bananas were planted along the railroad tracks as food for the workers and soon, the U.S.-owned United Fruit Company seized the opportunity to turn bananas into Costa Rica’s top export. Aerial view of Puerto Viejo, Costa Ricaīritish settlers originally called Puerto Viejo “Old Harbour”, and the town, as most of the Caribbean coast, was populated by freed Jamaican and Chinese slaves that were brought to the country in the late 19th century to build a railroad connecting San José to the port in Limón. This is not just a result of the crowds of tourists that visit Costa Rica’s most popular Caribbean beach destination every year, but rather of the town’s history.

One of the first things you might notice about Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (not to be confused with Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, in Costa Rica’s Northern Zone), is that English is widely spoken here. Puerto Viejo and the Caribbean coast: Costa Rica’s Melting Pot

The public bus from San José to Puerto Viejo and back offers an excellent service, and 30-minute flights are also available from San José to Limón, where you can catch a taxi or bus to Puerto Viejo. In Costa Rica, the highway to Limón is known for its share of accidents, so if you are driving to Puerto Viejo, try to do so during the daytime and drive slowly and carefully.

Puerto Viejo is located approximately a four-hour drive from San José on winding roads that can get very foggy. The combination of gorgeous beaches, a collection of restaurants so deliriously good that you might just have to extend your stay in Puerto Viejo, and the relaxing sound of reggae tunes slipping in and out of earshot as you roam around this town translate into vacation bliss. There is a different rhythm of life here, even slower than “Pura Vida”, and if you came to Costa Rica to relax, you can rest assured that you will accomplish your mission in Puerto Viejo. Step out of your bus or car in the Caribbean beach town of Puerto Viejo, located about an hour’s drive from the port city of Limón, and you’ll feel that you are in a different country, Jamaica perhaps.
#Puerto viejo costa rica things to do full
Costa Rica is full of contrasts and vibrant colors, but nothing that you might have heard will prepare you for this country’s Caribbean coast.
