Cahuita Getting Around
Depending on your vacation style, a car may or may not be necessary for sightseeing around Cahuita. If you plan to explore the area’s numerous unbeaten paths, a car is a good choice. However, if your itinerary includes the area’s local sights, a combination of walking, biking, buses and taxis will be less expensive.
Distance Approximations:
Cahuita to Bribri: 12.5 miles
Cahuita to Puerto Viejo: 11 miles
Cahuita to Manzanillo: 19 miles
On Foot:
Cahuita is a very relaxed town where life moves slowly to reggae and calypso beats. Visitors often find walking to be the most pleasant way to get around, and the town’s six main roads are easily navigated on foot. Unlike many parts of Costa Rica, cars and motorcycles often slow down or make way for pedestrians.
Bicycle:
Second only to walking, bicycles are the preferred way to get around town. Experienced road bikers often bike from Cahuita to Puerto Viejo, but be careful of cars and road repair vehicles. Many hotels and shops rent bikes for $5-10 per day.
Car:
Even the main roads around Cahuita call for a bit of patience and a heavy dose of good humor – call them potholes on the road to paradise – but they’ll get you where you’re going. Corrosive sea winds and heavy rains regularly eat away at the road surface, so most roads are a combination of potholes, dirt, gravel and newly-repaired asphalt. Cars can be rented in Limon and Puerto Viejo.
Taxi:
Taxis are not quite as prevalent in Cahuita as in Puerto Viejo, but any hotel or restaurant can call one for you. Be sure to use official taxis – they are red and marked with a yellow triangle on the doors – and remember that they do not use the meter. Be sure to agree on a fare before embarking.
Sample Taxi Fares:
Cahuita to Bribri: $25
Cahuita to Puerto Viejo: $15-$25 (depending on your bargaining skills)
Cahuita to Limon: $40-$50
Public Bus:
The southern Caribbean boasts decent public bus service. Transportes Mepe runs two routes: Limon to Sixaola via Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, and Bribri; and Limon to Manzanillo via Cahuita and Puerto Viejo. Limon-Sixaola buses run every hour from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and the Limon-Manzanillo buses have the following schedule:
Limon
—» Cahuita Puerto Viejo Manzanillo
06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00
10:30 11:30 12:00 12:30
15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00
18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00
Manzanillo
—» Puerto Viejo Cahuita Limon
05:00 05:30 06:00 07:00
08:15 08:45 09:15 10:15
12:45 13:15 13:45 14:45
17:00 17:30 18:00 19:00