KLM flies to San José, very chillIn the rest of Costa Rica, September and October are the rainy season, but on the Caribbean coast, those are actually the driest months.

Our itinerary: one night in San José, three nights in Puerto Viejo, one night in Limón, and two nights in Tortuguero, after which we traveled back to the airport by boat and bus. Note when booking: Costa Rica has two places called Puerto Viejo. Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí is located in the north, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in the southeast, and you will want to go to the latter. Tortuguero can only be reached by boat or small plane, and you don't need a car there, because they simply don't drive there. Do you have more time? Then add a few extra days in Puerto Viejo, or cross the border from there to Bocas del Toro in Panama. From Tortuguero, you can also easily drive on to the Arenal volcano near La Fortuna. This way, you combine the Caribbean coast with the interior without having to return to San José first.

Puerto Viejo is a surf village on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, where they take nature just as seriously as the waves. Laidback, but lively, and completely different from the Pacific side of the country. The finest hotels in Puerto Viejo are located along the coastal road towards Manzanillo, near Playa Cocles, Playa Chiquita, and Punta Uva. We slept in Namuwoki Lodge in Playa Chiquita, a few kilometers outside the village, and that was very nice. The seventeen bungalows and villas of Namuwoki are scattered throughout a tropical garden, and they cut down no trees during construction: you literally sleep among the greenery.

And you can hear it. It is five o'clock in the morning, and for an hour now it has sounded as if a lion is standing in front of our lodge. They turn out to be howler monkeys, howler monkeys, a lot smaller than their roaring suggests. No shortage of compensatory behavior. So, high time for a morning walk on the beach, a ten-minute walk away. Namuwoki's restaurant serves Caribbean cuisine with a Spanish twist, breakfast is included in the price, and we were also fans of the souvenir shop and the coconut. on arrivalRent a bike, just like the rest of the village, and you'll be in the center of Puerto Viejo in fifteen minutes.

On our list for next time are three more hotels on the same coast. The Chameleon The one at Playa Cocles is the largest, with 51 rooms, seven suites with sea views, three private villas, and a pool with a Jacuzzi hidden in the jungle; thanks to the villas, it also works for families. Hotel Aguas Claras, between Punta Cocles and Playa Chiquita, is the colorful alternative: every bungalow is decorated differently, featuring work by local artists, and at DaLime Beach Club you can enjoy your cocktail with a view of the sea. Traveling without children? awā Beachfront Hotel Playa Cocles is adults-only, with eight suites in a beautiful seaside house. Sloth mode is best done there. Also a top spot for the remote workers Between us, by the way.

You can find all our addresses for eating, drinking, sleeping, and things to do in our tips for Puerto Viejo

After a few days in the south, we headed north by boat along the canals to Tortuguero. The village lies on a narrow strip of sand between river and sea, and everything happens by boat here. A really cool place!

It is 05:00 AM; an hour ago, the feeling that a lion was standing at the cottage jumped on me. They turn out to be holamonkeys. Not even thirty centimeters long, but they certainly exhibit compensatory behavior for the roaring. We slept two nights in Evergreen Lodge, Between the river and the rainforest, a few minutes' boat ride from the village. The wooden cabins stand on stilts in the jungle, and the lodge arranges a significant portion of the tours itself. That proved convenient: coffee was ready at 5:30, and by 5:45 we were in the boat for a sunrise trip through the canals. In the silence of the morning, you see herons, caimans, and monkeys before the rest of Tortuguero is awake. In the afternoon, we opted for a kayak trip. Along the way, we were also given an explanation of the toucan. Our guide called him the Kill Bill of the jungle because he eats everything, including the eggs and chicks of other birds. I have never looked at a toucan again without that image.