Located on the South Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, Puerto Viejo’s eclectic Caribbean vibe, stunning beaches, abundant wildlife and delicious food attracts visitors from all over the world.
If you plan on visiting Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, use this guide to help you plan your trip.
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Location
Puerto Viejo is 217 kilometers (135 miles) from San Jose and is about a 4-5 hour drive one way.
The town is in the Limon province on the Caribbean coast.
How to Get to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
By bus
There is a bus from San Jose to Puerto Viejo every day at 6 AM, 10 AM, 345 PM and 4 PM.
The bus leaves from Terminal Atlantico Norte (Autotransportes Mepe), Calle 12 Ave 7-9, takes 5 hours and costs around 6100 colones (~$10 USD) one way per person.
We recommend to get to the bus station at least 1 hour before to purchase your tickets.
By driving
From San Jose, the quickest way is by route 32 through Braulio Carrillo National Park. This is about a 4 -5 hour drive and you can use Google Maps, a GPS device or Waze.
Do you need a 4×4 to Puerto Viejo?
No. This route is on a well paved road as they are major highways. Expect to run into traffic as there are a lot of trailer trucks on this route and most of the time, it is only one lane.
However, this route is a bit difficult. It’s a long drive with a significant section going through Braulio Carrillo National Park that is very mountainous and curvy without any painted lanes, road lights or rumble strips.
It is a one lane per direction road, with many large trailer trucks utilizing this route.
We do not recommend to drive this route at night. It’s better to leave early in the morning to drive during daylight with plenty of time and drive carefully. It gets dark by 6 PM every day in Costa Rica all year round.
Renting a car? Get our Costa Rica car rental discount to save $$ and get extra freebies!
By plane
Limon airport is the closest local airport to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Sansa flies into Limon and then you have to take the bus or shuttle to Puerto Viejo.
It is a 40 minute flight and costs around $85 USD one way and the shuttle from Limon to PV is about 1.5 hours.
By shuttle
There are shared shuttles from many destinations in Costa Rica. Get our Interbus shared shuttle discount here!
You can also take private shuttles which can cost anywhere between $200-350 USD total for your group, depending on number of passengers.
Contact us if you would like to book a private transfer!
Adventure transfers
If you are going to Puerto Viejo from La Fortuna or San Jose, you can go white water rafting as the interconnection tour.
Companies pick up travelers in San Jose or La Fortuna, go rafting and then drop off in Puerto Viejo.
They can also go vice versa and pick you up in Puerto Viejo and drop you off in La Fortuna or San Jose.
Get our Pacuare white water rafting discount here!
How to Plan Your Trip Getting to Puerto Viejo
Since Puerto Viejo is quite of a long (and not fun) drive from San Jose, most people do these two options:
- Book a private or shared shuttle (or do the adventure transfer) from San Jose to Puerto Viejo and then rent a car in Puerto Viejo for their time there. Shuttle back to San Jose or their next destination.
- Fly into Limon, pick up their rental car or bus/shuttle to Puerto Viejo. Return the car and fly from Limon to San Jose.
How Long Should You Stay in Puerto Viejo?
We recommend a minimum of four nights due to the travel time.
You can also use it as a home base for your entire trip in Costa Rica, although we recommend to visit at least one other destination to see more of the country.
You can do day trips from Puerto Viejo but they go to mostly the beaches and attractions in the vicinity. To see the city, cloud forest, volcano, etc. you will need to leave Puerto Viejo.
A popular itinerary is San Jose – Puerto Viejo – La Fortuna. You’ll see city, beach, rainforest and volcano!
You can check this 1 month Costa Rica itinerary and a 10 day Costa Rica itinerary that includes Puerto Viejo for ideas.
How to Get Around Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
The main road through town to the beaches is nicely paved and is suitable for a sedan.
There is a bus that runs between Limon and Puerto Viejo and Puerto Viejo to Manzanillo every day. This costs ~500 colones.
The main bus stop called “La Parada” is near the entrance of Puerto Viejo. This is where all the buses will stop from San Jose.
The main bus terminal is right in town by the beach with a huge sign that says “Bienvenidos Puerto Viejo.” The ticket station is across the street with a huge sign that says “Boleteria.”
The most popular way to get around Puerto Viejo is by bike.
You can rent bikes for $3-12 USD a day or scooters for $35-40 USD a day. If you are going out after dark or early morning, it is best to take a taxi though. Don’t walk late at night, especially alone.
A taxi from Puerto Viejo to Playa Cocles is around 2000 colones. From Manzanillo, it is about 5000 colones.
Another way to get around is by tuktuk which are fairly common in Puerto Viejo.
The Town
Puerto Viejo town is small with narrow roads and limited parking, making it a bit congested at times. The town center has a ton of hotels, hostels, restaurants, banks, souvenir stores and pharmacies.
You can see what Puerto Viejo looks like in our driving video below!
Beaches and Neighborhoods
There are six main neighborhoods around Puerto Viejo.
Each of the neighborhoods has their own little community and you can find hotels, hostels and restaurants in all of them.
Playa Negra
Playa Negra is the beach north of Puerto Viejo. It has blackish sand, a low key atmosphere and vast empty shores. It is about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from Puerto Viejo.
Playa Cocles
Playa Cocles is the most popular beach in the area. It’s easily accessible, has good surfing waves and not too far from Puerto Viejo.
The beach is gorgeous and you can find several hotels in the small community. It is about 3.5 kilometers (2.1 miles) from town.
Playa Chiquita
Chiquita is another stunning beach with sparkling turquoise water and natural tide pools. If you stay at Chiquita, you will feel like you have the beach all to yourself.
It is about 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) from town and very close to the popular Jaguar Rescue Center.
Punta Uva
Modern rustic cabinas, bright green water and several beautiful beaches make up the small town of Punta Uva.
Best location to truly get away from it all as there isn’t much there, you will need to go to Chiquita to stock up on supplies. It is 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from Puerto Viejo.
Manzanillo
This is a small fishing village 13 kilometers (8 miles) from Puerto Viejo next to Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge.
It’s a cute little town but can get crazy on the weekends with the local excursions and parties.
Cahuita
This is a small town about 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) north of Puerto Viejo. Home to Cahuita National Park.
Puerto Viejo Weather
Weather in Puerto Viejo is different than the rest of Costa Rica.
Instead of the typical tropical seasons, the Caribbean has a more temperate weather throughout the year with possibilities of rain throughout the year.
This means it can rain all year long but average temperatures don’t vary much in Puerto Viejo.
The driest and sunniest month in Puerto Viejo is October, which is the rainiest month for the rest of the country.
It’s extremely humid in this area, keeping temperatures cooler than the Pacific side. Average temperatures usually around mid 80s° F (28° Celsius), cooling off at night to about low 70s° F (22° C).
When you’re visiting Puerto Viejo, don’t be surprised if it’s raining while it’s sunny in other parts of Costa Rica!
Puerto Viejo Hotels
You can find all sorts of hotels in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica except huge resorts. Much of Puerto Viejo’s charm is that it isn’t super commercial or developed and the community wants to keep it that way.
You can find still luxury hotels with air conditioning and high end amenities, all built harmoniously with nature.
Hotel Banana Azul: Beach front resort on Playa Negra. Offers a variety of rooms and suites. Has an on-site restaurant, beach club, gardens, ponds and massage hut.
Villas del Caribe: Beach front hotel on Playa Chiquita with its own entrance to the beach. Rooms are spacious with private decks and hammocks, has a large pool and on-site restaurant.
Relax Natural Village: 6 villas each with a private deck and hammock, close to Playa Cocles. Nice boutique hotel with very personal service and gourmet breakfast.
Tree House Lodge: 5 luxury eco-houses very close to Playa Punta Uva. Each house has something unique about it and is spread out throughout the 10 acre property. Definitely a splurge for couples but a great option for groups.
Airbnb and Vacation Rentals
Airbnb and vacation rentals are very popular in Puerto Viejo. We stayed at a cute one that was a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment behind the bakery.
Read more about using Airbnb in Costa Rica in this post.
Puerto Viejo Hostels
Puerto Viejo has a large amount of hostels since it is a popular backpacker destination. A very popular one is Playa 506.
There is one called La Tribu Hostel that is women only.
Puerto Viejo Nightlife
You’ll get your fill of reggae music, bonfires, shots and dancing in Puerto Viejo as it’s one of the biggest party towns in Costa Rica.
Head to Salsa Brava and Tasty Waves for a good time. You can also find bars and discotheques like Johnny’s Place.
Our Recommended Restaurants
Caribbean-Costa Rican food is different to Costa Rican food. Make sure to try rice and beans and rondon!
- Soda Lidias: Our favorite place for local food. They have delicious hot sauce and their rice and beans are our favorite.
- Bread and Chocolate: Great bakery.
- Tasty Waves: Has your typical burgers, tacos, beers and cocktails.
- De Gustibus Bakery: Another very good bakery.
- Koki Beach Lounge: Excellent seafood and steak. Right in downtown and has a nice atmosphere. Usually open only during high season months December through April.
- Deelite: Amazing gelato!
- Stashu’s con Fusion: Great drinks and dessert we loved the most.
- La Pecora Nera: One of the best places for Italian food, their pizza was really good.
Things to Do in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
Within a 30 kilometer (18 mile) radius, there is a national park, a wildlife refuge, several beautiful beaches, waterfalls, a river and two animal rescue centers.
Jaguar Rescue Center: Learn about how they rescue, rehabilitate and reintroduce animals such as sloths, monkeys and owls back into the wild. You can also visit the Macaw Recovery Project. A great combo tour is Jaguar Rescue Center and Punta Uva Forest Walk for lots of sloths.
Cahuita National Park: Visit Cahuita National Park to see wildlife or take a snorkeling trip since it’s an incredible park to experience both beach and jungle. Plus it’s free! We highly recommend a guided hike of Cahuita National Park.
White water rafting Rio Pacuare: Go white water rafting on the Rio Pacuare, one of the top 5 five rivers in the world! Get our Pacuare white water rafting discount here!
You can read about other fun things to do in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.
We Hope You Fall In Love with Puerto Viejo
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is one of the top destinations in Costa Rica for very good reasons.
It’s unique mix of people, gorgeous beaches, abundance of wildlife and special blend of cultures create a vibrant and fun atmosphere for tourists.
Not sure if you want to visit Puerto Viejo? Check out our post “Differences between the Caribbean and Pacific coast of Costa Rica.”
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica.
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels and our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
Eric Tremblay says
Hola ! Thank you for your very useful blog. Sorry to ask a weather related question:how about the weather in early September ? Does it start to clear up a bit ? Is the region subject to hurricanes ? Is a sedan OK to travel from SJO to Puerto Viejo ? Muchas gracias
Sammi says
September in Puerto Viejo does start to clear up, though early September can still rain a bit. WE get mostly tropical storms and waves, we don’t get hurricanes often, you can drive a sedan from SJO to Puerto Viejo as the road is fully paved, but drive carefully as there is a long section on Route 32 through Braulio Carrillo is extremely curvy, narrow and windy through a mountain and lots of big trailer trucks use the same route and can drive kinda crazy
Catherine Hayes says
Hi,
My boyfriend and I are planning to visit Puerto Viejo in October for 6 nights at the end of our first holiday in Costa Rica. We will have a rental car so no problems in getting around during the day. We would like to book an apartment somewhere that isn’t too crazy busy but also is close to plenty of restaurants for the evenings. Which area would you recommend?
Thanks!
Catherine
Sammi says
I’d check out Playa Cocles
Courtney says
Hi! I am going to Costa Rica on March 31 with my boyfriend for 2 weeks. We both love hiking, animal/bird watching, adventure, trying new food, and just relaxing at the beach. We are planning to go to Monteverde for 3 nights, La Fortuna for 3 nights, Tortuguero for 3 nights and I am stuck between 4 nights in Puerto Viejo or 4 nights in Cahuita. Was also considering 2 nights in Puerto Viejo or 2 nights in Cahuita. It will be our last destination in CR so I want to be able to explore but also have a relaxing time. What are your thoughts on this itinerary? Do you think we are trying to see too much? We also won’t have a rental car and planning to use shuttles for transportation. Thanks in advance, have been finding your blog very helpful for planning our trip!
Sammi says
Puerto Viejo and Cahuita are not that far away from each other so you can easily visit Cahuita National Park from Puerto Viejo and stay your nights in Puerto Viejo. If you will not have a rental car, I recommend Puerto Viejo instead as you can easily rent a bike and bike from Puerto Viejo all the way down the beaches and there are more restaurants and action in Puerto Viejo. Cahuita is a really small town, with not too much so without a rental car, it is a bit hard to get around and it’s not much going on there.
Luis says
Hello Folks!
Great article. Is MEPE relative safe for older couples? We’re planning on a Puerto Viejo trip, will be staying a couple of nights in San Jose, but haven’t decided whether to take shuttle or MEPE. However, we’re gravitating more towards the latter.
Kind regards,
L
Sammi says
The public bus is a good option and very common, just note that it only stops once along the whole route so in case you require more bathroom breaks or don’t do well with sitting for really long periods of times, I’d get a private shuttle instead as a private shuttle.
Monica Abati says
Hello Sammi,
My boyfriend and I are visiting Puerto Viejo in September and will hopefully get some sunshine not only rain ️
Do you recommend staying in San Jose for a night or two as well? Any pointers?
Thank you
Monica
Sammi says
If you want to see the city, you can definitely see it in one day. A lot of people will skip it though, or just stay one night. Depending on what time your flight lands and how you are getting to Puerto Viejo, it may be better to stay one night in San Jose and then travel to Puerto Viejo the next morning. Here is our San Jose City Guide
Madeline says
Hey ! Thank you for this helpful post! I am a lover of drum circles and dancing! Like I live for it! Where is the best places to dance or find some drummers!
Sammi says
Uvita, Costa Rica should have some drum circles or Dominical, Costa Rica
Jacque-D says
What a great site! My husband loves to surf (experienced) I love to relax on the beach. Together we like tours. We are thinking of 10 days in Puerto Viejo in September. How is surf and weather in September? Can you suggest a nice hotel near the best surf beach? Easiest way to get there from the US? Thank you so much!
Sammi says
Hi Jacque, this guide has all the information you need for your questions actually – there is a section of how to get to Puerto Viejo, Recommended Hotels, things to do, etc.
Emily says
Hello,
My boyfriend and I are planning to visit in October for ten days. We wanted to ask if Puerto Viejo is safe and if we rent bikes and visit different beaches this is a good amount of time to stay?
Thanks,
Emily
Sammi says
10 days is a bit long in my opinion, but if you really want to get to know the place, you definitely will in ten days. If you can visit another place, I would highly recommend it to experience a different part of COsta Rica since ten days allows you to visit another destination with enough time
Here is our guide to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
Lewis says
Hi,
Your blog is superb – Thankyou for so much information.
I am looking to travel to Costa Rica from Mid December to Mid January. Is there anywhere in particular you’d recommend to spend Christmas and New year?
Also, what’s the weather like in Puerto Viejo this time of year?
Thanks
Sammi says
Hi Lewis, you can check the following posts for more information:
Christmas in Costa Rica
Costa Rica weather
This Puerto Viejo post also has a dedicated section to Puerto Viejo