Punta Uva, Playa Chiquita & Manzanillo 🌴🌊

Discover Costa Rica’s South Caribbean with this journey through untouched beaches, crystal-clear waters, magical trails and tasty local food that will leave you wanting more.

How to get there?

Playa Chiquita on Waze
Punta Uva on Waze
Playa Manzanillo on Waze

Specifications

🚗 Vehicle: Automobile
🅿 Parking: On the street
💰 Cost: Free
⛺ Camping area: No
🐶 Pets: Yes

📞 Contacts:

• Soda Johanna – Playa Cocles: 2750-3126
• De Gustibus Bakery – Puerto Viejo Beach: 2756-8397

🧳 What to bring?
Beachwear, bathing suits, towel, a lot of bug repellent, sunblock, cooler and easy-to-cook food.

Our experience

The South Caribbean is wild, exotic and has nothing to envy the touristy islands. Since it was a long weekend, we left early Saturday morning to visit three chic little beaches and enjoy a proper plate of rice & beans.

We arrived at Punta Uva around 11 a.m., dropped off our stuff at the place we were staying and went out to look for lunch. We found a small spot on Playa Cocles with great food and they accepted cards.

Chiquita Beach

After lunch we headed to Playa Chiquita, between Cocles and Punta Uva. It’s a beautiful beach with white sand and big almond trees shading the sea. It’s perfect for spending the day. There were hardly any people, so we hung our hammocks, threw down our towels and took a nap.

When we woke up, the tide was high and the waves were rough, so we had to be cautious. Still, it was a great time. We played racquetball until the sun went down and slept like rocks that night.

Punta Uva

The next day we visited the Punta Uva beach club. It has a few entrances, we entered from the south (towards Manzanillo) and walked along the beach to Selvin’s restaurant. After eating, we went to the trail that leads to the tip of Punta Uva.

The hike is short and magical. The trail goes through the forest until you reach a cave that goes through the tip. It’s surreal. From there, you can see both sides of the beach — postcard-perfect views.

We walked back to the car, grabbed some drinks and kept enjoying the beach.

Manzanillo Beach

On the last day, we drove to Manzanillo and parked as close to the southern end of the beach as we could. From there we took the well-known trail to Punta Mona. It’s an easy walk, mostly shaded under Caribbean trees.

The trail leads to a viewpoint at Punta Mona. It’s the perfect place to take photos and enjoy the wild beauty of the South Caribbean.

At Manzanillo Beach you can stay by the shore, but you shouldn’t swim — it’s all sharp stones. We took photos, returned to the car, had lunch at the iconic Maxis, and then drove back to San José, full and happy.

📅 Date of the walk: April 2016