South of Playas del Coco are Playa Flamingo and a series of contiguous beaches accessed by paved road via the communities of Portegolpe and Huacas (reached from Hwy. 21 via Belén, 8 km south of Filadelfia.

At Huacas, you turn right for Playas Brasilito, Flamingo, Potrero, Penca, and Azucar, where the road ends. If you don’t turn right, the road keeps straight for Matapalo, where you turn right for Playa Conchal, and left for Playa Grande.

A more direct route from Playas del Coco is via a dirt road—the “Monkey Trail”—that begins three kilometers east of Playa del Coco and one kilometer west of Sardinal and leads to Potrero. It can be rough going in wet season. About nine kilometers southwest from Sardinal is the Congo Trail Canopy Tour (tel. 506/666-4422, congotrail [at] racsa [dot] co [dot] cr, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily), where for $35 you can whiz between treetop platforms on a zipline, granting a monkey’s-eye view with the howler (congo) monkeys. It also has a butterfly farm, small serpentarium, and an aviary.

When passing through Portegolpe, consider a quick stop at the Monkey Park (tel. 506/653-8060, fax 506/653-8127, monkeypark [at] racsa [dot] co [dot] cr, $5), an animal rescue center that takes in injured and confiscated monkeys that cannot survive in the wild. You’ll also see peccaries, coati, deer, caimans, and lots of birds. It has a breeding program and accepts visitors for a one-hour guided tour ($15).

Nearby, Cartagena Canopy Tour (tel. 506/675-4501, www.canopytourcartagena.com, $35 pp) let’s you whiz through the treetops. It has tours at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. by reservation. Free hotel transfers are offered.

The following beaches are listed in north to south order, assuming access via the “Monkey Trail.”

Playas Potrero and Azúcar

Playa Flamingo

Playa Conchal and Brasilito