FOR YOU, FOR FREE: 17 years' worth of firsthand Costa Rica trip planning and travel advice compiled into hundreds of articles, plus exclusive discounts. Created by a Costa Rican and a four-time published Costa Rica guidebook author. Welcome, amigos, and as we say in Costa Rica, pura vida!
Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️
Get the Costa Rica info you need by browsing our article's TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)Nikki and Ricky; at Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)waves at Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)fishing boats at Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)fishing boats at Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)futbol on the beach at Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)dining on the beach at Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)makeshift lot parking near Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)street parking near Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)palm tree at Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)Ricky; Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)palm trees at Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)
Note: The Playa Puerto Viejo referred to in this article is the Playa Puerto Viejo that is located along Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean coast, between Cahuita and Manzanillo. We cite the beach name as Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean) to distinguish it from Playa Puerto Viejo (Guanacaste), a similarly named beach located along Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast.
To learn more about the beach town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, where Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean) is located, don’t miss our related blog post:
Distance from San Jose: 217km (approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes)
Closest Town: Cahuita (small town), Limon (large town)
Beach Status: Public beach
Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean) beach details
Sand, shade, scenery, and unique features
Playa Puerto Viejo is a series of several sandy spots that edge the southern Caribbean coast in front of the beach town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, it is not one long, continuous beach. The scene at Playa Puerto Viejo depends on which sandy spot you visit; some areas (mainly the stretch in front of Avenida 75) are long and deep, and offer plenty of room for sunbathing alongside locals. Other areas are tucked behind bars and restaurants, are razor-thin, or are occupied with rows of fishing boats. In most areas, the sand is compact and light brown, tall palm trees tower overhead, and the water is a mix of turquoise and teal.
Crowds and noise
Playa Puerto Viejo regularly entertains several visitors, mainly because it’s the principal beach that fronts the town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. Due to the town’s popularity, crowds and noise can be an issue. Fortunately, the beach edges places throughout the whole town, so it isn’t difficult to find a small spot where you can enjoy the water away from others. The longest, prettiest stretch, which also tends to be the busiest section of the beach, is found along Avenida 75 on the northwest side of town.
Cleanliness and Ecological Blue Flag rating
Costa Rica’s Programa Bandera Azul Ecológica (Ecological Blue Flag Program) promotes sustainability and public health. Every year, beaches in Costa Rica strive for top honors, which are bestowed annually according to strict ecological criteria. Beaches that participate in the program and meet 90-100% of the eligibility criteria achieve a 1-star rating. Further efforts invite beaches to earn additional stars (5 stars is the highest rating), including special colored stars. (To learn more about the program and discover what each blue flag rating means, see our related blog post: Award-Winning Blue Flag Beaches In Costa Rica: Photos & Map; Most-Recent Winners.)
Playa Puerto Viejo is not currently participating in the Programa Bandera Azul Ecológica. Therefore, it does not have a star rating.
Development at Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)
Hotels, restaurants, tours, bathrooms, etc.
The town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca provides an assortment of establishments, including hotels, restaurants, tour offices, and shops, virtually everything you might want to have at a Costa Rican destination. Most establishments are within walking distance of the beach, if not positioned directly on the beach.
Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean) safety
Swimming and water safety
Swimming is allowed at Playa Puerto Viejo but beware of rough waves rolling in from the Caribbean Sea, especially offshore around the Salsa Brava Caribbean restaurant (formerly the Salsa Brava Rasta Bar), where you’ll find the area’s gnarly surf break: Salsa Brava. As always, exercise caution in and around the water, especially if you plan to visit with children or inexperienced swimmers.
General safety
Never bring items of value with you to the beach and always keep an eye on your belongings. Remember to lock your rental car if you have one. Do not visit the beach before sunrise or after sunset.
Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean) location and road conditions
Access to Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean) and 4×4 requirement
Playa Puerto Viejo is located on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. It sits east of Cahuita and west of Manzanillo.
Road 256 passes through the heart of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. The black sand beach you’ll see on your left as you enter the town (from the west via Cahuita) is Playa Negra. The brown-sand beach you’ll see on your left as you travel through town is Playa Puerto Viejo. A 4×4 vehicle is not required to reach Playa Puerto Viejo.
Map of Playa Puerto Viejo Costa Rica
Parking at Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)
There is no official parking at Playa Puerto Viejo. However, there are several places to park in town that are within walking distance of the beach. One option is the makeshift lot on the north side of Avenida 73, near the bus station. There is room for several vehicles. Another option is to park along the side of Road 256 in town or down one of the side streets that jut off Road 256 to the southeast.
Best reason(s) to visit Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)
Playa Puerto Viejo isn’t worth traveling to purely to experience the beach. The best reason to visit Playa Puerto Viejo is to enjoy the beach in addition to the many other offerings that the southern Caribbean coast has to offer. Let Puerto Viejo de Talamanca’s laid-back vibe, delicious Caribbean food, and low-key activities draw you in, and consider time spent at Playa Puerto Viejo a bonus experience.
Beach-hopping from Playa Puerto Viejo (or alternative beach options in the region)
Do you have questions about Playa Puerto Viejo, want to know more about the area surrounding the beach, or need help incorporating a visit to the beach into your vacation? No problem! When you’re ready, make an appointment here to communicate with me (Nikki) privately and we can discuss these and other topics to get your questions answered fast and your Costa Rica trip poised for success. Pura vida, amigos! 🙂
Hey, Costa Rica Travel Blog reader, thank you for visiting and reading our blog! We're truly grateful for your time and preference.
Do you know that your spam-free reading experience is most important to us? Unlike some other Costa Rica blogs, we do not to sell your personal information, and we choose not to display ads, sponsored content, or affiliate marketing on our blog so we can keep your visit as distraction- and junk-free as possible. Because we prioritize your privacy, we don't earn money when you visit us, when you sign up for our e-course, or when you click on our links, which means the time and work we put into this blog—including its 300+ articles—is entirely voluntary! If you find our content valuable, and you'd like to thank us for making the trip-planning process easier and your Costa Rica vacation more enjoyable, please consider making a small donation ($1, $2, $3, or an amount of your choosing) to our blog. Doing so is a great way to pat us on the back if you feel we deserve it. 😊 Pura vida, amigos!
Click on the button above to donate through PayPal. (If you cannot see the PayPal button above, click here.) A PayPal account is not required to make a donation; credit and debit cards are also accepted. PayPal donations are confidential; we never see your payment details.
Love our blog? Check out our other Costa Rica-related projects, too:
Summary
Article Name
Photos of Playa Puerto Viejo Costa Rica (Caribbean) From Our Personal Collection
Description
We provide photos of Playa Puerto Viejo Costa Rica (Caribbean coast), plus info about beach features, safety, location, parking, and more!
The comment section of this article has moved! If you have a question or comment about our article above or Costa Rica travel in general, please post it in our Questions and Answers Forum on DIY Costa Rica, our sister website, where you can also access our private Costa Rica recommendations, our Costa Rica Destination Tool, and our Costa Rica Recommendations Map. See you there, amigos! 🙂
Author
Posts
Viewing 1 reply thread
The forum ‘Costa Rica Travel Blog Forum’ is closed to new topics and replies.
Short on time? Use our FREE electronic quick guide to instantly locate the exact Costa Rica advice or information you need among the hundreds of articles on our blog. No email or personal information required.
This website uses cookies to operate and provide you with the best user experience possible. To ensure you're aware of and okay with this and our other privacy-related practices, please review our Privacy Policy, then click the button below to accept it.
If you do not accept the policy, we respect your choice 100%. Unfortunately, several of our website’s features, including our Questions and Answers Forum, rely on cookies to operate. Most are also run by themes, plugins, and other add-ons to our website that we do not and cannot control, which means the cookies you receive are mainly provided by third parties. Because simple actions like reading our articles, asking a question, and even visiting our website’s homepage require the use of cookies, it is not possible to explore or use our website without them. If you would prefer not to receive cookies, we kindly (and sadly) ask that you do not visit our website. (Alternatively, you can try setting your browser to remove or reject browser cookies before visiting our website, but you may find that our website doesn’t function properly without them.) By visiting or submitting information through our website, you acknowledge and accept our use of cookies, and the use of third-party cookies. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.
Thank you for understanding!
Remember my preference
In order for our site to remember that you accept our policy, please enable the Strictly Necessary Cookie.
If you leave the Strictly Necessary Cookie disabled, we will not be able to save your preference. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to accept the policy again.
Tagged: beach, beaches, costa rican beaches