CAHUITA NATIONAL PARK

Cahuitas’ 14 km of beaches are shaded by palm trees, lush forests, marshlands, and mangroves. Together they make up Cahuita National Park (1,067 hectares), created to protect the 240 hectares of offshore coral reef that distinguish this park.

• Animal life abounds in the diverse habitats behind the beach--an ideal place to catch a glimpse of tamanduas, pacas, coatis, raccoons, tree-dwelling sloths, agoutis, armadillos, iguanas, and, of course, troops of howler and capuchin monkeys that come down to the shore.

The park is a good place  to see a green ibis, rufous kingfisher, or low swooping Swainson and keel-billed toucans. Other birds include the Central American curassow and large groups of nesting parrots. Cahuita's freshwater rivers and estuaries are also good places to spot caimans and herons. Snakes are commonly seen along the trail. And red land crabs and bright blue fiddler crabs inhabit the shores.

• The reef off Punta Cahuita protects the northern stretch of the beautiful scimitar beach to the south. Smooth water here provides good swimming. At the southern end of the park, beyond the reef, huge waves lunge onto the beach--a nesting site for three species of turtles--where tide pools form at low tide. Check with rangers about currents and where you can walk or snorkel safely.

The coral reef lies offshore north off Puerto Vargas. Snorkelers can try their luck near Cahuita Point or Punta Vargas (you must enter the water from the beach on the Punta Vargas side and swim out to the reef); you can also hire a local resident to take you out farther by boat. On the sea floor are massive brain corals and delicate, branching sea fans and feathers; nearer the surface are elk horn corals, frond like gorgonians spreading their fingers upward toward the light, lacy outcrops of tubipora--like delicately woven Spanish mantillas--and soft flowering corals swaying to the rhythms of the ocean currents.

• Up to 500 species of fish exist among the exquisite reefs. Here, amid sprawling thickets of bright blue stag horn, great rosettes of pale mauve brain coral, and dazzling yellow tubastras almost luminescent in the bright sunlight, a multicolored extravaganza of polka-dotted, piebald-dappled, zebra-striped fish protect their plots of real estate among the reef's crowded underwater habitats.

• Besides the beautiful coral, there are two old shipwrecks about twenty feet below the surface, both with visible ballast and cannons; one wreck has two cannons, and the second, a more exposed site, has 13. The average depth is 18 feet. The best time for diving and snorkeling is during the dry season, February-April; and August through October. Water clarity during the rest of year is not good because of silt brought by rivers emptying from the Talamanca mountains and the heavy rains that occur in the mountains at that time.

• The park has well groomed trails that can be biked across and covers all of the different areas. If you keep looking up in the canopy you will see a diverse group of wildlife. The trails are easily traversed and are covered by the canopy. Along with the constant ocean breeze it makes for a delightful hike.

• There are two entrances to the park, the first and most popular is the entrance at the center of Cahuita village. This entrance is accessible by foot. Immediately upon entering the park you see a long white sandy beach. At this entrance there are shower and toilet facilities. The other entrance is at Puerto Vargas. The Puerto Vargas entrance is accessible by car and is a popular area for families to picnic. The beach is about 1 km from the entrance and winds out to Cahuita point.
  
  
• Come visit us here in Cahuita and experience one of Costa Rica’s smallest and loveliest parks. Contact us at Coral Hill Bungalows for more information.

For more information contact us: www.coralhillbungalows.com