Family Outing to Puerto Viejo on Costa Rica’s Southern Caribbean Coast. With free video.
My son, Lisle Head, and daughter-in-law live in Jaco Beach, and we visit there a couple times a year, but we have never ventured over to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.
This October, which is green season (rainy) on the Pacific and not on the Caribbean, we decided to take a four day trip over to Puerto Viejo. The trip took about 5 hours from Jaco, good roads, just watch for traffic Policia and large trucks.
We wanted a place on the beach, to eat some good food, snorkel and fish and we found it all in Puerto Viejo.
My daughter, daughter-in-law and I visited the Jacquar Rescue Center, located in Playa Chiquita, just south of Puerto Viejo, while they fished. The Rescue Center was started not many years ago by Sandro, an expert in poisonous snakes and his wife, Encar, a biologist.
They had a desire to provide a place for injured animals and rehabilitate them to return to the wild. Their success for return has been very good; however there are a few animals that will have to remain in the center due to their extensive injuries.
My Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica Video.
We were introduced to a pair of owls, where the male owl had a broken wing, that would never heal completely and he would have to remain in the center for his life, when a female owl was brought to the center with injuries, upon her recovery she refused to leave, as she had found her mate.
The rescue center offers up, close and personal connections with sloths, possums, deer, howler monkeys, birds and reptiles. The staff, many which are volunteering, take you on a guided tour of the animal rescue center; tell you what the center is doing for the animals and how/why they arrived there, very informative.
You can visit the center without a tour; however your experience will not be as rewarding. The center depends on entry fee and donations to keep this wonderful place in existence. I have been to other rescue centers, preserves, zoos, parks etc. in Costa Rica and Jacquar Rescue, being small and intimate was my favorite experience with wildlife to date.
The next day my husband, daughter and myself wanted to try snorkeling on the Caribbean, as we had always enjoyed ourselves in Cozumel, Mexico. Don’t be mislead, you are in the Caribbean Ocean, however the azure blue water and abundant, brightly colored fish aren’t really here. However we did see a few blue/yellow spotted fish, many other fish, and lots of coral, a manta ray and even a small shark!
A must place to eat is Bread and Chocolate, located on a side street off the main street. It’s owned by a young man from Maryland, named Tom, who welcomes you to his restaurant, along with his friendly staff.
The menu is fresh foods, majority made in house. Delicious, creamy eggs, homemade toast, biscuits and bagels, sandwiches on homemade bread, fresh fruit and vegetable salads, delicious hot chocolate and lattes, fresh squeezed juice and of course cookies, muffins, cakes and chocolate delights.
There’s plenty available for vegans and vegetarians on the menu as well so it’s must stop while in Puerto Viejo, even if just for a chocolate shake and homemade mint brownie!
Our trip to Costa Rica is always considered a vacation, but it’s always wonderful that in a place like Costa Rica there is so much to discover and that traveling to different places in the country is another vacation in itself.
Family Outing to Puerto Viejo on Costa Rica’s Southern Caribbean Coast. With free video.
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Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
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