Most third-world travelers prefer a backpack and a travel guide to five-star hotels and tour guides. Occassionally, however, it is worth a few extra dollars to hire a guide in order to gain a deeper knowledge of an area's ecosystem. In Cahuita National Park on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, snorkeling is prohibited without the company of a local guide. While the park does not regulate the guides themselves, the local knowledge is invaluable for any tourist wanting to make the most of a day trip on the water.
Scarcity of Aquatic Life
Costa Rica's stretch of Caribbean coastline is not the most replete in terms of coral or marine life. Cahuita National Park boasts the best chance of seeing sharks, sting rays, and a diversity of coral species on the entire coast.
Though good stretches of reef can be found south of Cahuita in Punta Uva and Manzanillo, the protected waters of Cahuita host the most residential populations of exotic wildlife in the area.
Calm Waters in Cahuita
The water is significantly calmer in Cahuita than areas south of the park, which makes for easier snorkeling for novices. Much of Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coastline is more suited to surfers than snorkelers. North of Cahuita, the Tortuguero National Park is better for turtle watching than swimming over coral reef.
The Luxury of a Guided Tour
Many of the species worth finding on a snorkel tour reside in the same spots most of their lives. An experienced guide will visit the same areas to see the same animals on subsequent trips. This saves time and trouble for the tourist who would literally be adrift in an open sea without the knowledge of where certain animals generally hang out in the geological and vegetative formations of the underwater world.
A Beautiful Hike
Perhaps the best part of a snorkeling trip to Cahuita happens out of the water. Guides will generally drop tourists off at a point midway through the park where they can hike back to the entrance. On the hike it is easy to spot howler monkeys, sloths, birds, reptiles, and snakes.
The Town of Cahuita
The food is also better and cheaper in the quiet town of Cahuita than in Puerto Viejo, about 16 km south of Cahuita, where most tourists stay when visiting the country's east side. The overdone tourist scene of Puerto Viejo has caused inflated prices that Cahuita, as yet, has seemed to avoid.
Tours are available through the Park service or any tour agency. One can also pick up a guide outside of the park or when hiking through it.
Laura Susan Henry - I am currently teaching yoga in Charlotte, North Carolina. I have been many places and lived many lives, but the threads of my life ...
