Your trip planning just got a whole lot easier because today I’m sharing a detailed guide on the best things to do in Puerto Viejo. These are the things that made my time there as amazing as it was. You’ll find a mix of culture, nature, and wildlife activities, and as always supporting local businesses as much as possible. If you have any questions, just let me know. Otherwise, I hope it helps!
Here Are The Absolute Best Things To Do In Puerto Viejo
Disclaimer
There are affiliate links included in this post. This means at no extra cost to you, I earn a commission if you book through the link.
Take an Indigenous Culture Tour
This was one of the highlights of my trip and certainly one of the best things to do in Puerto Viejo.
I recommend doing one of these tours towards the start of your visit.
I took my tour with Jungle Man Tours who operates through the Le Cameleon Hotel, so I can only vouch for his tour but it was fantastic. I believe there are other tour operators that run similar tours, but I can’t speak to those.
During this tour I got to visit an indigenous community where they taught us about their lifestyles, culture, traditional weapons, medicines, craft, cacao making, and spirituality. We also got to see poison frogs and finish it all off with a swim in a waterfall.
It was jam packed, super interesting, interactive, and a whole lot of fun.
Quick selfie after getting my ‘make-up’ done during the Indigenous Culture Tour
Chocolate scrub using the cacao we roasted and ground during the tour
Visit the Jaguar Rescue Center
This is another place I recommend visiting towards the start of your trip, because then you’ll be able to use the things you learn throughout the rest of your stay.
For me, it certainly enhanced my animal spotting throughout the rest of my trip and I understood more about the animals I was seeing.
You can either take a public or private tour – you can’t free roam the grounds. Public tours are $24 and they are offered in a range of languages.
During the tour, you’ll be taken to visit all sorts of animals that have been rescued, including monkeys, macaws, sloths, wild cats, and birds to name a few.
The animals you will see are those that cannot be reintroduced to the wild. Those that will return to the wild are kept off display to limit human interaction and improve their chances of survival.
Check out their website for more information.
Cruise on a bicycle
If you’re staying in Puerto Viejo you don’t need to rent a car. It’s very easy to get around either by walking, taxi, or cruising on a bicycle.
A bicycle is a great option for your beach hopping days and saves you from walking in the heat.
There aren’t bicycle paths so you’ll be sharing the road for most of the time. Bicyclists are super common there though, so the drivers are used to driving around them. When you’re on your bike just stay to the side of the road.
I rented a bicycle from the hotel I stayed at (linked below) but there are plenty of places around town that rent them out. They’re easy to find as you are walking around and your hotel should be able to recommend somewhere to rent one too.
Mine was $9 for the full day and it came with the bike (with basket) and a lock.
Eat everything!
When it comes to the food, try a bit of everything. The food is so flavorful, fresh, and the portions were generous.
Some of my favorite foods were:
- Caribbean chicken with rice and beans
- Acai bowls
- Ceviche
- Fruit smoothies
- Ginger tea
My favorite places to eat were:
- Tamara
- GypSea Cafe
- Cocomar
- Restaurante Rio Negro
- Tostas
- Soda Playa Chiquita
- Panaderia Frances
- I also heard great reviews for Lydia’s Place but it was closed during my visit
Passionfruit Ceviche at Cocomar
Amazing chicken at Soda Playa Chiquita
Learn how to make chocolate
Chocolate. We know it, we love it, and in Puerto Viejo you can get an up close look at how to make it.
During a chocolate making tour you can see the process from the fruit stage, to roasting and grinding the beans, and finally to different ways to enjoy it.
I honestly didn’t know Chocolate would be as interesting as it was but I loved learning about the process and came out with a new appreciation for it.
Chocolate making was part of the Indigenous Cultural Tour I mentioned, but if you don’t plan to take that tour, you could check out Cacao Trails Costa Rica.
I also recommend visiting Choco while you’re in town. They stock a huge range of chocolate products that are all made in the local area, and you can also do a chocolate tasting and/or pairing with beer, wine, or rum. The iced chocolate there is delicious too!
Delicious!
Chocolate tasting at Choco
Visit the Puerto Viejo town area
The center of town is small, very casual, and well worth a visit. Allow a half day to a full day to explore it.
If you’re traveling solo, I wouldn’t recommend walking around there at night (or anywhere in Puerto Viejo for that matter), but during the day it’s a nice place for a stroll.
There are plenty of stores for souvenirs and local products, fruit stands, and restaurants.
If you want to avoid the junky, made in China souvenirs, my favorite local stores were:
- Sloth Toes
- Wanderlust Puerto Viejo
- Samoa Boutique
- Naturama
Love these pants I found at Naturama
Visit Cahuita National Park
Cahuita National Park is simply gorgeous!
I visited as part of a snorkeling and hiking tour with Jungle Man Tours who I mentioned earlier, though you can visit without a tour.
The tour was a great option for me because I love snorkeling and we got to go out to two different areas of reef by boat to snorkel. Even though the water was a little cloudy the day I went, I still saw lots of wildlife and we had plenty of time in the water.
After the snorkeling, we stopped for some fresh fruit before hiking throughout the park. If you like animals you’ll love it because everywhere you look there is a new animal to spot, from big sloths and monkeys to small lizards and snakes.
Here’s the website for more information on the park.
Snorkeling at Cahuita National Park
Hiking at Cahuita National Park
Hit the beach
Of course you just have to have check out the beaches while you’re visiting the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.
When I was researching for my trip I read that some people were disappointed with the quality of the beaches in Puerto Viejo. I think this may depend on the weather when you visit and which beaches you go to, because overall I was not disappointed.
Some were just ‘ok’ while others were stunning, so perhaps you just need to know where to go. Here are a few in order of my favorite to least favorite.
- Punta Uva
- Playa Chiquita
- Playa Cocles
- Playa Negra
Go horse riding on the beach
I recommend doing this towards the end of your trip because it’s such a wonderful way to wind down before heading home.
Book a horse riding tour where you can ride on the beach and through the jungle, spotting wildlife along the way. You can even trot or gallop on the beach if you’d like.
It’s a laid back tour and a really cool experience!
Here’s my full review of my tour with Ride the Rainforest Costa Rica for more information.
Where to stay in Puerto Viejo
I recommend staying at Le Cameleon Boutique Hotel.
This is where I stayed and it was a fantastic experience. So good that I extended my stay!
There’s a lot to love about the hotel but, to me, the top highlights were:
- Seeing sloths every day on the property!
- Beachside accommodation and access to the NOA Beach Club
- Delicious breakfast
- Free classes (e.g. cooking and cocktail making)
- Jungle Man tours
- Quiet location
For more information, here’s my full review of Le Cameleon Boutique Hotel and I also have a video review here.
Wherever you choose, I recommend searching on Booking.com. This is what I use to book accommodation when I travel and I can always find a good deal there.
Breakfast at Le Cameleon Boutique Hotel
What to pack for a Costa Rica vacation
There are a few things you can pack that will make a big difference to your Costa Rica vacation.
Here’s my detailed packing guide to help you prepare for the elements and your adventures.
Playa Negra
If you found this useful, return the favor by sharing it or following me on Instagram!
No Comments