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If you are staying in Puerto Viejo during your trip to Costa Rica, visiting Cahuita National Park and the BriBri community is a must do!
While Cahuita is nowhere as famous as Manuel Antonio, it’s still one of the best national parks in Costa Rica and it has a lot to offer.
You can see so many animals (sometimes a lot closer than in other parks as well) and get to enjoy the experience without the crowds.
Discovering more about the BriBri community is also one of the highlights of any trips to Costa Rica.
They are an indigenous community from Costa Rica (and nothern Panama) and they host travellers while offering chocolate workshops.
In this article, I tell you everything you need to know to plan the perfect day trip to Cahuita and the BriBri from Puerto Viejo.
Best Cahuita BriBri Chocolate Day Tour from Puerto Viejo
The easiest way to experience Cahuita National Park and the BriBri community is by booking a day tour from Puerto Viejo.
Not only will you get transportation to and from your hotel, but you’ll also have a knowledgeable guide who can share information about the park and the community.
I particularly recommend this tour from Puerto Viejo.
It’s a very complete tour and includes the National Park, the BriBri chocolate workshop as well as the Ma-Cu waterfall.
I absolutely loved it and thought it was excellent value for money compared to a lot of other tours in Costa Rica.
Is booking a guided tour worth it?
In my opinion, yes, 100%.
The highlight while visiting national parks in Costa Rica is to see the wildlife and without a guide, you will probably get to see 10%, if not less.
The local guides are expert spotters. They have an extensive knowledge of the animals and know what kind of plants and trees they like. That’s how they are able to know where some might be.
They also have a laser so they can show you where they are.
Finally, they usually have fantastic binoculars which you can borrow.
Costa Rica is quite expensive and of course guided tours are as well however, you get to see so much with them.
It would be a shame to go all the way to Costa Rica and not see anything so yes it’s definitely worth it.
Day trip itinerary
Whether you opt for a tour or want to do it on your own, here is the itinerary you should follow to make the best of your day.
7:30 AM: Leave Puerto Viejo
Leave your accommodation in Puerto Viejo at 8AM at the latest.
This will allow you to get to Cahuita quite early and enjoy the place without the crowds.
From Puerto Viejo, it’s about 20 minutes drive to the entrance of Cahuita National Park which means you should make it for the opening time of 8AM.
8 AM: Enter Cahuita National Park
Once you get to the entrance of the national park at Kelly Creek Station (Playa Blanca), head to the entrance desk.
IMPORTANT: Please note that plastic is not allowed in the national park so make sure you don’t have any in your bag.
Unlike Manuel Antonio though, they will let you in with a plastic bottle of water.
The entrance to the park through Playa Blanca is on a donation basis so you can give as much as you want in cash (usually the guide does it for you though).
If you are entering through the Puerto Vargas entrance instead of Playa Blanca, there is a $5 entrance fee.
You can buy it there, no need to book in advance.
If you are with a guided tour, this will be included.
After the entrance desk, you will find an area with toilets and showers.
I recommend using them now since you won’t find any until you come back to that exact spot.
8:20 AM: Walking in Cahuita National Park
From the restroom area, you will see a walking path straight ahead.
Take it and start walking.
This area is full of animals so pay extra attention if you want to see them.
In all honesty, you probably won’t get to see much without a guide because they are hard to spot but it’s still worth trying!
Here are some of the animals we got to see with the guide: sloths, monkeys, geckos, snakes, bats, iguanas, racoons…
With a guide, you will walk for about 2 hours.
This is a very easy walk though because it’s flat and you stop very often.
10AM: Beach stop at Playa Blanca
Before getting to Punta Cahuita, turn left and leave the trail to reach the beach.
There you will discover Playa Blanca (which means white beach).
This is one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica and the sand is white!
Admittedly, it’s not the whitest sand in the world but it’s important to note it because a lot of beaches in this area actually have dark sand due to the volcanic activity.
Here you can stop for a bit and take a break for a swim.
It can be quite hot in Cahuita so taking a break will be very appreciated.
It’s also important to note that this area is home to the Cahuita Reef which is one of the best spots in Costa Rica for snorkeling.
However, you are not allowed to enter the park with a snorkel so if that’s something you’d be interested in, you need to make sure you book a snorkeling tour.
11AM: Head back to Cahuita Town
After about an hour break on the beach, it’s time to head back.
You can simply walk on the beach all the way back to the station.
Once you reach it, make sure to take the short trail behind the restrooms as there are always a lot of reptiles to see there.
You will then reach the exit.
12PM: Lunch
Once you are in Cahuita Town, there are a lot of options for food.
You will find several sodas and other restaurants.
I particularly liked the soda Restaurante Coral Reef. They make an excellent casado and are reasonably priced.
Also, it’s on the main road which means there is plenty of room to park your vehicle and you can easily get to your next destination.
1:30 PM: BriBri Community
Once you’re done with lunch, you can head to the BriBri community tour. It takes about 30 minutes.
This is one of the most authentic experiences you can have in Costa Rica and you will learn plenty.
PRO TIP: I highly recommend doing this with a local guide because the BriBris only speak BriBri (sometimes a bit of spanish as well but not that much).
As you walk in, you will meet one of the members of the BriBri community. They will show you some of the tools they use and what for.
You will then go on a walk around the reserve and discover many plants and animals.
Of course, the star here is the cacao tree but you will get so see a lot more than that.
They also have a frog enclosure where you can see many different species of frogs.
At the end, you’ll reach the chocolate workshop. Here, you’ll find the ladies who roast the beans and make the cacao paste.
You will try every single step of the process and then get to try a hot chocolate made with the cocoa paste.
3:45PM: Ma-Cu Waterfall
After the BriBri tour, it’s time to head to the Ma-Cu Waterfall. It takes about 20 minutes to get there.
You can leave your vehicle on the main carpark. There, you’ll find a member of the BriBri community who makes pipa frias (coconut) and coco locos.
You can get one after the walk, they are very nice!
From the carpark, there is a 20 minutes walk down to the waterfall.
The walk is not particularly difficult but it is a bit steep and can be slippery so watch your step.
Once you’re down, you can go at the back to find the waterfall and can swim in the natural pool.
Tips for visiting Cahuita National Park
Here are some of my recommendations and tips for Cahuita National Park.
- Bring Cash: The entrance to the national park is on a donation basis and they only accept cash.
- Start Early: To avoid crowds, start your visit at 8AM when the park opens. This will also give you enough time to explore the park fully.
- Wear sneakers or hiking shoes: while the path is not particularly strenuous, you will be in the rainforest so it’s important to walk around with closed-toe shoes. You never know what can be around.
- Take a Guided Tour: A guided tour will give you the best chance of seeing wildlife and learning about the park’s ecosystem.
- Take a change of clothes: since you will be swimming in the sea, it’s important to take a change of clothes. There are toilets at the end of the beach so you can change there. Otherwise, you’ll spend the entire day wet.
- Take Insect Repellent: Being in a rainforest, there are a lot of mosquitoes so make sure to take bug spray.
- Put sunscreen on
Travel Tips to go to Ma-Cu waterfall
- Wear Comfortable Shoes: The path can be slippery so make sure to wear comfortable shoes with good grip.
- Bring a large towel so you can change: There are no changing rooms at the waterfall so you will need to change outside. For this reason, I’d recommend taking a big towel so you can cover yourself while changing.
I hope this article has given you a good idea of what to expect for a day trip to Cahuita from Puerto Viejo.
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