
It takes about 4 hours and 20 minutes to 5 hours (depending on the transportation you choose) to get to San José via Route 36 or Route 32, which will take you to your destination. The distance from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to San José is 217 km or 135 miles. How far is San Jose from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca? What is the cheapest way to get to San José to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca?.Can you fly from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to San José?.Puerto Viejo Talamanca to San Jose Flight Private Transfer from Puerto Viejo Talamanca to San Jose Caribe Shared Shuttle from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to San José Interbus from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to San José Public Bus from Puerto Viejo Talamanca to San Jose Transportation Options from Puerto Viejo to San Jose.How far is San Jose from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca?.The facility is staffed mostly by volunteers, and guided tours last about 1.5 hours and provide insight into each of the resident animals and how they live.


Named after a baby jaguar that was one of its first residents, it provides shelter to dozens of injured, abandoned, mistreated and orphaned animals, including deer, howler monkeys, hawks, toucans, owls, ocelots and caimans. Make sure to specify that you’re going to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca or you might end up very lost. If you take the bus from San Jose, you should know that there’s also a Puerto Viejo in the north of Costa Rica called Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. I enjoyed a stroll through the nature preserve at Manzanillo Beach, where it’s possible (though not guaranteed) to spot toucans, kingfishers, snowy egrets, iguanas, howler monkeys and anteaters.Īnimal viewing is a safer bet at Jaguar Rescue Center, which was founded about 12 years ago by a biologist and a herpetologist. Just make sure you go to the right Puerto Viejo (there are two of them). Days can be spent lazing along the beach, sipping pipa (coconut water served inside the coconut) or touring. “This is a very important project,” Soto said.Ĭosta Rica’s Caribbean coast can provide as many or as few activities as a client desires. He hopes that within four years, the area will be able to welcome 30-passenger planes. One of Soto’s main goals is to support the acquisition of land between the towns of Cahuita and Puerto Viejo this will be the next step for the construction of a small airport with scheduled flights that will link the destination more efficiently with San Jose. He also notes that nature lovers and surfers are among the most common types of visitors, and that the region differs from the rest of Costa Rica because of the “virgin nature, which you won’t find easily on the Pacific coast.” Rolando Soto, president of the 35-hotel Southern Caribbean Tourism Chamber, says that the largest hotel in the area is just 40 rooms, and that some 72% of the land is dedicated to national parks and wildlife. There’s also the 23-room Cariblue Beach & Jungle Resort, which has a lovely restaurant, and the 12-room La Costa de Papito, which offers a serene spa facility. Both Banana Azul and Le Cameleon have announced plans to add more rooms. From USD55.00 Duration: 5 Hours (approx.) Our shuttle will pick you up at your hotel downtown San José or at the Denny’s near the airport and drop you off at your hotel in Puerto Viejo / Cahuita. Le Cameleon Boutique Hotel is the destination’s most upscale property, which has a stylish, contemporary vibe and a hip beach club. Small-scale, locally owned hotels, bars and restaurants are the norm here, with a variety of attractive accommodations.

The original name of the town, in fact, was Old Harbor, but the Costa Rican government changed it. It’s also a place that draws expats to visit and live, and English is widely spoken. It’s not uncommon to see Rastafarian-inspired decorations and hairstyles in Puerto Viejo. “I found it on the internet, and you could tell it had this bohemian, hippie culture,” he said. It’s as easy to see colors, flags and food from Jamaica and other English-speaking locales as it is to find Costa Rican signs here.Īt Banana Azul, for example, I enjoyed a Jamaican-themed event, during which the hotel restaurant served Caribbean-fusion cuisine and featured live Caribbean music.īrownlee says it was this mishmash of cultures and relaxed vibes that first attracted him to the destination. Indeed, Puerto Viejo is something of a melting pot, with a rich mix of Afro-Caribbean, indigenous, Spanish, Costa Rican and expat influences. Indeed, Brownlee has polled his guests: Most have said they chose Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast because they wanted to immerse in the culture - not just the beaches and natural beauty (although those are good selling points, too).Ĭosta Rica’s Caribbean coast has plenty of pristine beaches. “People come here for a cultural experience,” said Colin Brownlee, the hotel’s owner, who is a Vancouver, British Columbia, native. I stayed at Hotel Banana Azul, a 14-room property set on beautiful beachfront grounds.
