Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (town center)

Tip

Rent a bike for about $5 a day and ride the flat coast road to Cocles, Punta Uva and Manzanillo.

Be careful

Bikes, cars and dogs share a narrow road, so use lights after dark and keep bags zipped in crowded evening streets.

Places nearby

• Bread & ChocolateFood & CoffeeOpen-air wooden cafe in the middle of Puerto Viejo with home-made breakfasts, sandwiches and baked goods, plus its own chocolate made from locally grown cacao.
• Stashu's Con FusionFood & CoffeeSecond-floor open-air restaurant in central Puerto Viejo mixing Caribbean, Thai and Indian dishes (pad thai, butter chicken with sweet-potato roti, pakoras) with a cocktail list.
• Soda TamaraSodas & Local FoodPopular Puerto Viejo spot for Caribbean home cooking with a reggae soundtrack: rondón stew, Caribbean ribs and chicken, seafood fried rice and big plates of patacones with guacamole.
• Cafe ViejoFood & CoffeeLong-running Italian restaurant on the main street of Puerto Viejo, opposite the Casa de la Cultura, with homemade pasta, thin pizzas, Caribbean lobster and a large wine list.
• TerraventurasTours & Adventure · takes 4 h–6 h · from $50Puerto Viejo tour operator since 1998 running canopy, snorkeling, horseback and rainforest tours on the southern Caribbean coast.
• Cafe RicoFood & CoffeeJungle-garden cafe on Avenida 69 known for big breakfasts, house-roasted coffee, a weekly special and a book-lined dining room with stone tables outside.