Cahuita Costa Rica

Cahuita National park

Cahuita (ka-WEE-tuh), lies on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica just south of Puerto Limon and north of Puerto Viejo. Over the last 20-30 years Cahuita has become a popular tourist destination with its many attractions such as Cahuita National Park, the choice of black or white sand beaches, warm waters perfect for snorkeling and swimming, the lush rain forest with its palm fringed coastline, a good choice of restaurants, hotels, vacation rentals, and its reputation for being one of the most laid back towns in Costa Rica, makes the perfect setting for that relaxing get-away as the vibe of the Caribbean town takes over.

Cahuita was primarily a quiet fishing village inhabited by Jamaican descendants who fished the shores for turtles along with laborers from the banana plantations. The majority of locals speak English with a twist of Patois, and the sound of reggae and calypso is always just around the corner.

The Founding of Cahuita

Cahuita, situated on the lush Caribbean side of Costa Rica and once the hideout of famous pirates, is now a popular tourist destination whose reefs, protected by a national park, harbor a tropical tale of a president, a terrible storm, and naked castaways!

The tale takes place on a night of howling winds in 1915 when Alfredo Flores, former President of Costa Rica, was returning to Limon from Sixaola with a crew of men on the maiden voyage of the heavy metal motorboat Cristina. As they came up the Caribbean coast, the crew came upon fierce winds and rough, rolling seas. The engineer became too sick to tend to the stalled engines, leaving the Cristina helpless and out of control. She was blown ashore at Tuba Creek, and the President and crew walked the beach down to the settlement of Old William Smith at “The Bluff” (now known as Cahuita).

The fortunate crew suffered no loss of life, but they were wet to the skin and many of them were without clothes. Everyone from the nearby houses that could help brought dry clothes, and a fire was made and coffee served. The men took shelter for the night and in the morning the President was given a horse to ride and he and his men made their way up the beach to Limon.

A few weeks had passed when the President returned with some of his men to give thanks to the locals who had helped him. He asked if they could go back to the place where they took shelter the night they washed ashore and where they had such a fine time. They were carried to the house and the President asked who owned the place.

Mr. William Smith, the owner, was called and asked if he would sell this place and for how much. He replied “Yes, for five hundred colones.” The President agreed to the price, cash was paid and men were put to work immediately. Each block was divided into four squares leaving a street on each side. The squares were then split into six lots. The President gave each person that was there a lot, along with the title.

In the ten years following the President’s accidental visit to the Bluff Mr. William Smith and his wife passed away at old Cahuita, and one by one families moved onto the lots at the Bluff, building board houses roofed with zinc for the first time. They attached the old name “Cahuita” to their new town and so it has always been known officially but to the older folk they still say they’re walking up the Bluff, meaning the town of Cahuita.

This Tropical Tale has been summarized and reprinted with permission from the book: “What Happen” – A Folk History of Costa Rica’s Talamanca Coast by Paula Palmer,2005, pp 99-100, available at the ATEC office in Puerto Viejo and at amazon.com.

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