Costa Rica Travel - Cahuita National Park
Cahuita's 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 in 1970 to protect the 240 hectares of offshore coral reef that distinguish this park from its siblings. 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, too, to focus your binoculars on 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 (and even, Dec
-Feb., macaws). Cahuita's freshwater rivers and estuaries are also good places to spot caimans and herons. Snakes - watch your step! - are commonly seen along the trail. And red land crabs and bright blue fiddler crabs - the latter with oversized claws - 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; it's possible to wade out at knee level. 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 elkhorn corals, frondlike 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 gambol among the exquisite reefs. Here, amid sprawling thickets of bright blue staghorn, 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 diminutive plots of liquid real estate among the reef's crowded underwater condominiums.
Besides what remains of the beautiful coral, there are two old shipwrecks about seven meters 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 six meters. The best time for diving and snorkeling is during the dry season, February-April; water clarity during the rest of year is not good because of silt brought by rivers emptying from the Talamanca mountains. WeLoveCostaRica.com Preferred Travel Company: With offices in more than 140 countries, Carlson Wagonlit Travel has the right people, processes, skills and technologies to consistently deliver great service and bottom line results to their travel customers. Carlson Wagonlit Travel Costa Rica can help you create your dream vacation and we at WeLoveCostaRica.com are confident that if you give them an opportunity to help you plan your next trip to Costa Rica, they will make sure that you are well looked after. VIP Member Special Privileges: As a VIP Member of WeLoveCostaRica.com if you mention that you were recommended by WeLoveCostaRica.com when you make your travel arrangements with Carlson Wagonlit, you will receive FREE access to the VIP Lounge at the San Jose international airport. For reservations or for further information about this fascinating destination, please email Mrs. Marlene Gayle or, telephone Marlene in Costa Rica at (506) 280-0122 of fax Costa Rica (506) 280-2449 If you would like to communicate with Manuel Pinto, our preferred real estate professional in South Caribbean, please insert your email address and answer the three little questions in the form below:
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