The Village
Cahuita proper comprises just two puddle-dotted, gravel-and-sand streets running parallel to the sea, intersected by a few cross-streets. Though it seems like anything nailed down has been turned into some kind of small business, you'll still see a couple of private homes among the haphazard conglomeration of signs advertising cabinas and restaurants. Few locals drive (bicycles are popular), so most of the vehicles you see kicking up the dust belong to tourists. Cahuita's main street runs from the national park entrance at Kelly Creek to the northern end of the village, marked more or less by the soccer field. Beyond here it continues two or three kilometres north along Black-Sand Beach. The small park at the central crossroads downtown, with its three small busts of Cahuita's founding fathers, is the focal point of the village, where locals wait for buses to San Jose and catch up on recent gossip. Opposite, Coco's disco and bar is the place to hang out at night, while at weekends its breezy veranda is crammed full of partygoers from the city and gaggles of young backpackers soaking up the atmosphere. You can swim on either of the village's two beaches, although neither is fantastic: the first 400m or so of the narrow white-sand beach is particularly dangerous on account of rip tides. Black-Sand Beach is littered with driftwood, although you can swim in some places. The beach south of Punta Cahuita in the park - sometimes called Playa Vargas - is better for swimming than those in the village, as it's protected from raking breakers by the coral reef, but is slightly awkward to get to. Backing the shores, a trail leads through the vast area of thick vegetation and mangrove swamps. The principal daylight activity in Cahuita is taking a boat trip out to the Parque Nacional Cahuita's coral reef to snorkel - try one of the town's three tour companies - or you can snorkel off the beach at Playa Vargas. Though you can surf at Cahuita, Puerto Viejo has better waves - bring your own board, as there's nowhere yet in either village to rent equipment. Wherever you swim, either in the park itself or on Black-Sand Beach, don't leave possessions unattended, as even your grubby T-shirt and old shorts may be stolen. If you don't fancy snorkelling, Mr Big J's organizes horse rides along the beach and jungle hikes (US$20-30), and all three tour agencies in Cahuita offer combined Jeep trips to local villages and the beach (US$35).
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