About 13 kilometers south of Cahuita, the road forks just after Hone Creek (also spelled Home Creek). The main road turns east toward Bribrí; a spur leads three kilometers to Playa Negra, a black-sand beach that curls east to Puerto Viejo, enclosing a small bay with a capsized barge in its center. The tiny headland of Punta Pirikiki at its eastern end separates Puerto Viejo from the sweep of beaches—Playa Pirikiki, Playa Chiquita, and others—that run all the way to Manzanillo and Panamá. You can walk along the beach from Cahuita at low tide.

Puerto Viejo is one of the most happenin’ spots in Costa Rica. The discos are hopping, and, on peak weekends, you can’t find a room to save your soul. Nonetheless, it is low-key and funky. (Vultures hop around on the streets, taking reluctant flight only when you approach within a meter or two.) The surfer, backpacker, and counterculture crowds have firmly rooted here and dominate the scene, having settled and established bistros and restaurants alongside the locals.

Anyone even mildly interested in nature would find a visit to Finca la Isla Botanical Garden worthwhile.

To participate in and support grassroots ecotourism in action, head out to the Keköldi Indigenous Reserve.

The overpriced Caribe Butterfly Garden (8 a.m.–4 p.m. daily, $5), at Cabinas Calalú east of town, has a netted garden with about 20 species of butterflies.

Another vastly overpriced recent addition is Cacao Trails (tel. 506/756-8186, www.cacaotrails.com, $15 minimum four people), at Hone Creek. This cacao farm with tiny “chocolate museum” also has crocodiles, a snake exhibit, a museum on indigenous culture, and a botanical garden, plus canoeing ($25) on canals through the cacao plantation. Stay a while and enjoy a meal at the thatched restaurant. The basic tour costs $25.

Color Caribe (no tel., 9 a.m.–8 p.m. daily), on the main drag, stocks a great selection of clothing, jewelry, and souvenirs, including hand-painted and silk-screened clothing, plus hammocks and colorful wind chimes.

LuluBelu (tel. 506/750-0394, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. daily), one block east of the main drag, is a colorful place selling an original range of ceramics, jewelry, and miscellany.

Getting There

The bus fare from San José to Puerto Viejo is $7.50, and from Limón $2. Return buses depart Puerto Viejo for San José at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 4 p.m.; and for Limón hourly 6:45 a.m.–7:30 p.m. The Puerto Limón–Puerto Viejo buses are usually crowded; get to the station early. You can buy tickets (tel. 506/750-0023), opposite the bus stop.

Interbus (tel. 506/283-5573, www.interbusonline.com) operates minibus shuttles from San José and Siquierres ($29).