Totem Hotel Beach Resort is located in Cocles beach just 1,5km from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a small village known for its mixture of indios Brì Brì, Caribbean black culture, and sheltered by Gandoca-Manzanillo natural reserve on the brink of the Panamanian border.

All the wonders of primordial tropical paradise can be found here: palm trees swinging on tranquil beaches, the tones of purple, orange and red merging into the sea at sunset, accompanied by a soundtrack of reggae, calypso music and exotic birdsong.The region extends from Limon to the border with Panama.

* Sport fishing, boat tours.
* Cycling recreation.
* Diving on the reefs of Cahuita, Puerto Vargas, Punta Cocles, Punta Uva, Manzanillo and Punta Mona.
* Observing nesting leatherback turtles, ideal from April to August at the beach Gandoca.
* Observation of migratory birds in Puerto Viejo - Limon, during September, October, November and December.
* Surf: Playas Puerto Viejo,
* Visits to Indian reservations as Kekoldi (1) and Bri-bri. (1) It is located near  to Puerto Viejo; it has a den of iguanas, a waterfall, bird watching tower and indigenous crafts.
* Carnival of Limon, in October.
* Festival of the southern Caribbean, with various musical groups, in Playa Chiquita, the first two weeks of April.

  Getting to the Puerto Viejo area is pretty easy :

There are a number of different options for getting there from San José:

• The bus is the most economical option and is very cheap. Five daily direct buses leave from San Jose.

• Driving from San José takes about 4 hours (via the faster route) and there are two different routes possible.
• You can fly from San José to Limon and then take a bus or taxi to Puerto Viejo.
• Our transport planner form which shows many different transport options between
  two points:
•   The tansportation planner here let's you serch trasportation options, schedules and prices between any locations in Costa Rica. 

Buses from San Jose to Puerto Viejo

Buses for Puerto Viejo leave from the Bus Terminal called "Caribeños" located on Calle Central about 8 blocks North of the Parque Central. Caution: there are two towns called Puerto Viejo that you can catch a bus in this terminal. You want Puerto Viejo of Talamanca (also known as Puerto Viejo of Limon). The bus company that goes there is Transportes Mepe and their ticket office is at the end of the terminal. Ticket prices are currently ¢4845 (about US $10) for this approximately 5 hour trip and the bus makes one 10 minutes stop in Limon for bathrooms and something to eat.

Those buses do sometimes sell out at peak times so you should purchase or reserve your tickets in advance as soon as possible. 

Tickets for Transportes Mepe buses are only available at the Bus Terminals. In San Jose at the Caribe Sur, in Puerto Viejo at the bus stop .  For buses from San Jose to Puerto Viejo or Cahuita, except the 6:00 am departure, you can call the Transportes Mepe office in San José to reserve a ticket the day before  but note they will generally only speak Spanish.  No credit card number or deposit is required but you must show up at the ticket office at least 30 minutes prior to departure to pay for and collect your reserved ticket.

Transportes Mep Phone Numbers:
San José : (506) 2257-8129 Limón : (506) 2758-1572 
Puerto Viejo : (506) 2750-0023

Schedules are subject to change and do change sometimes based on weather conditions and demand. Confirm the schedule when purchasing your ticket or call ahead.

Driving from San José to Puerto Viejo by:

Guápiles, Siquirres, Limón

Driving to Puerto Viejo is really easy (except for road conditions at times). You will have to find the highway to Limon. It has easy access from downtown and once you are on that highway, it is almost impossible to get lost.

Please note that if you have not left San Jose by 2:00 pm , you will be driving part of the way at night. We do not recommend this for first time travelers in driving in Costa Rica. Roads do not have lines. Rain can be bad and there are potholes and people walking/cycling that you can not see very well.

You will first go through the mountains and will be very high up.  It is likely that you will encounter fog (clouds) and rain. Please drive with your lights on. 

The road from there to Limon (approx 2 hrs) is practically straight with no hills. It is small towns and banana plantations. Please note there are many trucks because Limon is a port city and this is the truck route. Also note, you will see a sign or two for Puerto Viejo on the way to Limon.. This is not the correct Puerto Viejo. You have to reach Limon and drive down coast.  Also note on this stretch, there are many speed traps and local cops love foreigners as it can mean a free lunch.

When you reach Limon, just before you enter city center you will see a sign (at the Texaco Station) where you turn right to go to Puerto Viejo. If you need gas, this is a good place to get it. There are no “legal” gas stations in Puerto Viejo. From that sign you just follow the coast all the way down (approx 1 hour). 

After about 1 hour of driving, you will reach to the little town of Hone Creek. At that point the main paved road continues to the Panama border at Sixaola and a gravel road heads about 5 km into Puerto Viejo. Just before Puerto Viejo you will find Playa Negra. To get to the communities of Cocles. Playa Chiquita, Punta Uva and Manzanillo, drive through Puerto Viejo and continue following the beach road.

 Driving from Arenal to Puerto Viejo

1. Leave La Fortuna to the west towards Tanque/Muelle S. Carlos/Aguas Zarcas
2. In Tanque you have to turn left (small intersection right in town)
3. Follow the street until it goes down and immediately up hill again, there turn right towards Muelle S. Carlos/Aguas Zarcas
4. In Muelle S. Carlos there is a big intersection where you go straight ahead
5. Once the street ends, turn right and follow the street until you are in Aguas Zarcas
6. In Agua Zarcas, turn left (right in town) and keep following the street until you reach St. Miguel de Sarapiquí (end of the street)
7. In St. Miguel de Sarapiquí turn left towards Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí
8. Follow the street until you reach Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí
9. Take the first street (bigger one) to the right and you will pass a petrol station and afterwards a bridge.
10. Follow this street until you reach a big intersection (it is the N32 coming down from San Jose), there turn left
11. Stay on the N32 until you reach Limon.
12. When you are in Limón, follow the signs to Cahuita/Puerto Viejo/Manzanillo.
13. Once you have passed Hone Creek (you will know as the street is getting worse, bumpy and unpaved) follow it until you can see the sea
14. Turn right for the last kilometer into downtown Puerto Viejo

Flying to Limon

There is no airport in Puerto Viejo but one can fly from San Jose to Limon and then continue on via bus or Taxi to Puerto Viejo (a little more than an hour further).  The two Costa Rican domestic airlines use small turboprop planes.

Nature Air flies from Pavas Airport in San José (this is NOT the main international airport) and Bocas del Toro, Panama to Limon. Flights are not always daily though so check the Nature Air website for current schedules.

The other domestic airline,Taca Airlines, Sansa, flies from a separate terminal at the main international airport. Although their route map shows San José to Limon flights, no flights have been scheduled yet but check the Sansa website for current information.