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Cahuita National Park Review

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Cahuita National Park

Phone: 755-0461 Cahuita entrance; 755-0302 Puerto Vargas entrance

Category: Parks
Location: Cahuita

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Fodor's Review:

The only Costa Rican park jointly administered by the National Parks Service and a community, Parque Nacional Cahuita starts at the southern edge of the town of Cahuita. The park's rain forest extends right to the edge of its curving, utterly undeveloped 3-km (2-mi) white-sand beach. Roughly parallel to the coastline, a 7-km (4-mi) trail passes through the forest to Cahuita Point, encircled by a 2½-square-km (1½-square-mi) coral reef. The hike takes only a few hours, but you have to ford several rivers on the way, so check conditions beforehand, as they can be impossible in the rainy season.

There's good snorkeling off Cahuita Point—watch for blue parrot fish and angelfish as they weave their way among equally colorful species of coral, sponges, and seaweeds. Sadly, the coral reef is slowly being killed by sediment, intensified by deforestation and the erosive effects of the 1991 earthquake. Use a local guide to find the best reefs (or if snorkeling independently, swim out from the beach on the Puerto Vargas side), and don't snorkel for a few days after it rains, as the water is sure to be murky. You can take a ride in a glass-bottom boat from Cahuita; visibility is best in September and October. The road to the park headquarters at Puerto Vargas is 5 km (3 mi) south of Cahuita on the left. Here you find the ranger station as well as campsites that have been carved out of the jungle, scattered along the beachfront.

Cost: By donation at Cahuita entrance; $7 at Puerto Vargas entrance
Open: Daily 6-5 Cahuita entrance; daily 7-4 Puerto Vargas entrance

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