I had no idea that the water would be right along the trail and the jungle right up to the trail So you can rest or swim on the beach as you go along the trail. We saw moneys and snakes, raccoon of some sort and birds as well. It was so nice to see families with children, but people of all ages enjoyed this fine outing.

If you are visiting the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, do not miss Cahuita National Park! I strongly suggest hiking the full trail and catching a taxi back to your vehicle so that you can experience the entire park. Some animals seem to be more plentiful near one entrance or the other, so we are so glad we through-hiked. The trail itself is well maintained, but it is largely possible that you will encounter some very muddy areas, so be prepared with proper footwear. Also bring plenty of water and a snack; there is nowhere to purchase food or water once inside the park. We hired a guide to lead us on our hike, and we are so glad that we did. If we had been on our own, there is no way we would have been able to spot most of the animals we saw. Our guide, Manuel, was fabulous. You can find him here on Trip Advisor. I can't recommend him enough!

The park is located directly next to the beach and the trail that we walked along was only a few feet from the sand. It was well trodden, wide and easily accessable. We initially tried to walk along the beach but were stopped by staff and made to enter via the main gate, then you could go back onto the beach. There is a "suggested donation" of 5$ entry fee. There are loos and changing facitlities by the entrance. We didn't join a guide but we saw lots of them with big groups. Not sure if the groups were travelling together or just individuals. There are a lot of guides trying to sell you tours outside the entrance. The walk was lovley with lots to see and if you wanted to spend time on the beach you could, but the water was very rough and red flags were flying that day. We saw a few animals and birds, obviously if we had been with a guide we may have seen more, but we wanted to do it at our own pace. Worth a visit for at least half a day if not more. It gets busy later in the morning. A word of warning watch out for the racoons, they will steal from any unattended bags and are not frightened of humans, real masked bandits! Just by the entrance is a cafe which sells lovely ice cream!