Day 3 : After our morning run we jumped in the car and drove 30 minutes north along the ocean to Cahuita National Park. The park has an easy to follow path that runs alongside the ocean. As you walk along the path enjoying the shade of the forest your left you get the ocean backdrop on the right that never gets old. Guides are recommended as they can spot everything most people miss such as frogs and turantulas but we choose to go on our own. Wherever guides would spot something the group would gather and we would wait until they moved on then we would see whatever it was. We spent around 3 hours hiking in the park and saw everything from sloths sleeping in trees to families of ringtail racoons as well as howler and capuchin monkeys, green iguanas, whip-tailed lizards, red eyed leaf frogs and blue jeans dart frogs. The trail was flat making it an easy hike with small crowds near the entrance. Bring your own drinks and snacks as nothing is offered there. After returning to the bungalow and jumping in the pool we spent the rest of the day enjoying the Caribbean vibe that Puerto Viejo offers.
Day 4 : We started the day early as always and after a quick run we got picked up by our tour guide for the day and were off to learn about and meet Costa Ricas indigenous people the Bribri who live throughout the Caribbean coastal mountain region on the Panama border. The tour took you around the tribes land showing how they made clothes and found rubber in trees then we got a history lesson in a shamans tent. The highlight of the tour was the last stop in the chocolate kitchen where they showed us the entire process of making chocolate from the coco seed to the finished product. When ours was finished we got to spread it on a banana and enjoy our work. We also made a chocolate drink. Overall the tour guide was fun and informative and we would highly recommend the tour for a taste of history. On the way back from the Panama border we stopped off at a waterfall for an optional swim then returned for another relaxing evening in paradise.