Easter vacation by the Caribbean Sea

A big group traveled to Guatemala to, among other things, hike up a volcano. I didn’t go, but based on the photos and stories from those who did, it seemed like a really great trip!

Some of the students also traveled to Peru to hike to Machu Picchu, which looked incredibly cool as well. There are many options, since Quepos is only three hours away from the airport in Costa Rica. You can also travel around by bus, which is what I chose to do.

There were about 15 of us who went on a beach vacation. We first traveled to Puerto Viejo, and then on to Bocas del Toro in Panama. Puerto Viejo is on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, on the east coast, and I noticed that it was different from Quepos.

Here we found a lot of Caribbean food, which has more spices than typical Costa Rican dishes. The weather was more unstable, and it rained every morning while we were there, but it was actually quite nice after having spent seven weeks in dry Quepos.

Puerto Viejo is a place influenced by Afro-Caribbean culture, which is reflected in its music, food, and atmosphere.

We rented bikes from the hostel we were staying at and cycled around to nearby beaches, which I recommend.

On the first day we went to Playa Cocles, which was only ten minutes from where we were staying. There were big waves and lots of surfers, so it wasn’t ideal for swimming, but it was very beautiful and had a great atmosphere.

The next day we cycled a bit farther away to Punta Uva, which was even nicer in my opinion. There we found a beach where there weren’t so many waves, so it was better for swimming.

We also went up to a viewpoint where you could look out over the ocean. On the beach I bought mango with tajín and lime, a simple but very tasty snack that is typical in Costa Rica.

On the last day we stopped by the national park in Cahuita. It was raining heavily when we got there, which was good because it meant fewer people and more animals.

This park was larger than the one in Manuel Antonio, and we went on a long walk through the forest and along the beach. We saw both sloths and raccoons up close.

Before this, I had only seen a sloth sleeping high up in a tree, but now I finally got to see one climbing around in the tree right above me.

The next day we continued our journey to Bocas del Toro, a town located on Colón Island in Panama, still on the Caribbean Sea.

It was a bit of a tiring journey, because we had to take a bus to the border, go through passport control in both Costa Rica and Panama, then take another bus, and then a boat out to the island, but it was definitely worth it.

Bocas del Toro is a small town right by the water, and you can take water taxis to beaches and other islands. What I was most excited about at this place was Playa Estrella, a beach known for having lots of starfish.

We took a boat out here the day after we arrived, and it was incredibly beautiful. The water was amazingly clear and calm, so it was perfect for snorkeling.

I saw many starfish and fish, and then we ate lunch on the beach. It was good that we came here on the first day, because that was when the weather was nicest.

Unfortunately, it rained quite a lot on the other days, so we didn’t manage to visit all the beaches we had planned, but we did get to go to a beach called Red Frog Beach.

Here we saw many small red frogs, sloths, and even crocodiles. One of the evenings we went to a salsa class at another hostel, which was a lot of fun. There was live music and a really great atmosphere.

We spent four nights in Puerto Viejo and four nights in Bocas del Toro, and although I probably could have stayed longer, I feel like we managed to do a lot in those days.

I’m glad I went away during the Easter holiday, and now I’m ready to enjoy the last two weeks in Quepos.