![]() ![]() ![]() The Bribri and Cabecar, living near developed areas, wear western clothes, participate in the modern economy and political life. The indigenous people of Talamanca are part of the Amazon basin cultural grouping. Many find this atmosphere fascinating and stimulating. Latin Costa Rican influence has grown increasingly, an influx of North Americans and Europeans has added to the cultural mix. Perhaps 30 years ago Spanish speaking laborers arrived from the central valley of Costa Rica. Later, Afro-Carribeans introduced cash crops such as cacao, began extracting lumber, often hiring Indians to work in these enterprises. Many indigenous people continue to live in thatch roofed houses built entirely of forest products. These people have accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge of the forest and sea. Coastal Talamanca is the most bi-lingual region of Costa Rica.įor generations the Blacks and Indians lived in harmony, trading with each other, living successfully off the land. English was the principal language in those days, and despite a campaign to convert everything to Spanish, to the point of changing town names, English is still widely used. Later, Afro-Caribbean people settled along the coast, founding the villages of Old Harbour (Puerto Viejo), Grape Point, Manchineel (Manzanillo), and Monkey Point. The earliest peoples of Talamanca of whom we are aware were the Bribri and Cabecar Indians who lived in the interior, mostly along watercourses. Private phones were installed in October of 1996 and this has been our route to cyberspace. Now, you can drive to Puerto Viejo in a little over 3 hours – 4 to 4.5 hours by bus – to enjoy its cultures, wildlife, forests and the Caribbean sea. Electricity brought lights and refrigeration to Puerto Viejo in 1986 and to Manzanillo in 1988. Forests and beaches largely escaped the early scars of development.īy 1979 a road connected the villages to Limon. ![]() Because the people were isolated from the Costa Rican mainstream, they maintained cultures and customs that are unique in Costa Rica. Distance from San Jose and the difficulties of travel by narrow-gauge train and canoe kept coastal villagers isolated from national commerce until the late 1970’s. Until fairly recently it was hard to get to the Talamanca coast. Whether you are looking forward to having a good time or just a laidback retreat, the shores of Puerto Viejo are a great place to kick back and soak in the sun. Aside from surfing, one can also indulge in horseback tours of the area, as well as snorkeling, diving, mountain biking, kayaking or boogie boarding. The people here are also very friendly and all this adds to this tiny village’s charm.įamous for its fabulous beaches, Puerto Viejo’s Salsa Brave beach is a surfer’s paradise. However, they give Puerto Viejo a kind of rustic touch that is distinctive and unique. Most roads to this town are in pretty poor condition with the only paved road being the main highway from Limon to Manzanillo. With its gold sand beaches, tropical vegetation and many interesting attractions nearby such as the Cahuita National Park, Talamanca Indian Reserve and Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, visiting Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a great opportunity to experience ecotourism in Costa Rica at its best. Additionally, there are also plenty of good shopping opportunities available out here as well. September and October are generally very rainy all day and night long but there still are a few beautiful days during this period.This town has a wide variety of bars, discos and restaurants as well as reasonably priced accommodations and hotels scattered all over the place. The rains increase in August and often times start in the morning. In May the rains arrive but mornings are usually sunny with rain in the afternoon and evening, This continues in June and July. Days are generally sunny, hot and few, if any, clouds. Prime or "high season" is December through the end of April. Best is to plan to arrive just after high tide so that you don't have to worry about an incoming tide.Īvoid weekends, especially Sundays, the two weeks around Christmas, the first week of January, Semana Santa (the week before Easter) and the first two weeks of July as crowds from San Jose Costa Rica come up to this area. Puerto Viejo beach is a perfect example of this with water up past the canopy shown above during high tide. At high tide, many beaches will have no exposed sand to set up on. The tides in Costa Rica are extreme and can vary over 10 feet between low and high tides. As with many beaches in Costa Rica, check the tides before heading out. ![]()
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