- River boatA covered boat on the Sarapiquí looks for monkeys, birds, and crocodiles on the bank. It is not a swim. Morning is calmer.
- La SelvaThe research-station trails open early and fill with birds before the heat. Stay on the path. Ask the hours that morning; it is not a park you enter at dusk.
- RaftingThe river has a day on the water, and you book it ahead. It is not a float you join from the dock at noon. One river day is enough.
- TirimbinaA hanging bridge and forest near La Virgen, a short drive up the road. Go in the morning. Wet wood is slick, and the bridge is the walk.
- Night frogsAfter rain, a guide with a light finds frogs along a short trail. Do not wander the riverbank alone after dark. Shoes will get wet.
- Town dockThe dock in town is where the local boats tie up. Walk it in daylight. It is not a beach and not a place to enter the water.
- River gardenSome gardens are reached by a short boat, not by a trail from the square. Book the boat. An hour under the trees is the visit.
- The other Puerto ViejoIf the plan is the reef and the south Caribbean, that is a different town and a different road. This page will not get you there.
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí is the river town north of San José, on the way toward the Nicaragua lowlands. It is not the Caribbean surf town that shares the first name. The morning is a boat or La Selva. The afternoon is usually rain.
This week: Highs 28–32°C, lows 22–24°C.
About 300 mm of rain.
Climate: The climate is hot and wet. Temperatures are about 22–32°C. Rain falls most of the year. Mornings are the useful hours.
Attractions: The main attractions are a river boat, La Selva, rafting, Tirimbina near La Virgen, a guided night walk for frogs, the town dock, a river garden, and knowing this is not the Caribbean town.
Province: Heredia
Towns near Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
A south Caribbean surf town, reef close to shore.
Cahuita, Costa Rica
A Caribbean village on the park trail, with a reef you can swim from the sand.
Manzanillo, Costa Rica
A village inside the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge, south of Puerto Viejo.
Manzanillo, Costa Rica
A village inside the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge, south of Puerto Viejo.
Tortuguero, Costa Rica
A canal village with no road in, and the beach where green turtles nest.
Limón, Costa Rica
The Caribbean port. Beaches and Tortuguero sit outside the center.