Update: March 29, 2017
Route Overview to downtown Puerto Armuelles, starting at the San Barolo river bridgeOnce you are in Puerto Armuelles, which way do you go?
If you don’t know how to get to Puerto Armuelles, click here.
The San Barolo Bridge. It is currently being expanded from 2 to 4 lanes.
A good place to head for is the downtown waterfront park.
The park is a nice place to take in the ocean and relax after your journey. Plus there are both restaurants and hotels at or near the park.
These directions start as you enter town, which is about 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) from Puerto Armuelles’ downtown waterfront park.
As you enter town, you will cross a bridge that goes over the San Bartolo river. (See photo)
Soon after crossing the bridge, you will pass a large hardware store, Materials Man, on your right. Then, in about 1/2 kilometer you will come to a fork in the road. (see photo below)
> About 1/2 Mile (.8km) after bridge, Veer Right at Fork (see photo below)
Veer right at the new Terpel gas station.At the fork, if you look to your left you will see Puerto Armuelles’ biggest baseball stadium with its tall outside lights.
(Note, if you take the other fork (toward the baseball stadium) it will lead you into the Rio Mar neighborhood. You can make your way to downtown Puerto Armuelles that way, but you can also easily get lost on that route)
Immediately after veering right, you will pass Enrique Restaurante and then a fire station, both on your right.
In 1.1 km, the road comes to a modified T intersection. (see photo)
The intersection is just past a high school, Escuela Secondario Puerto Armuelles (ESPA), which will be on your right. At the T intersection, you will see a big cement Coke bottle across the road (see photo). Puerto’s cemetery is also across the street. You will see “Cementerio Municipal” written in black on its white cement wall, to your right.
> Turn Left at modified T intersection (see photo)
Turn left at this Coca-Cola (Vargas) plant. Just past ESPA high schoolCaution: The traffic to your right is regulated by a stop sign. But it is not alway obeyed. So be careful.
Keep following the road.
In about .3 kilometer, you will cross a bridge. Soon after the bridge, there will be a Romero Supermercado on your right. You are now entering the outskirts of downtown Puerto Armuelles.
Keep following the road.
Take a loop behind the statue. Go Straight. Take1st right in 300 yards.After crossing a small bridge and a couple of curves, you will arrive at an intersection with a dolphin statue in the middle (see photo). This intersection can be busy at times. It can also be confusing.
> Circle behind the dolphin statue
Then go straight.
About 300 yards after the statue, you will be forced to turn either right or left. This is because the road you will be on transforms into a one-way road — but going the other way. You should turn right (as I say below).
> Take The Next Right (in about 300 yards)
Follow the road. In about 600 yards you will come to a stop sign.
> 1st Stop Sign – Turn Left (in about 600 yards).
When you are at the stop sign, you will see the downtown playground in front of you. The road you will turn onto has a planted median.
> Take Next Right (in 100 yards – at the corner of gazebo park)
Statue of Colonel Armuelles at Puerto Armuelles downtown waterfront parkYou have arrived!
Welcome to Downtown Puerto Armuelles’s Waterfront Park.
For places to eat, see restaurants in Puerto Armuelles. The places we list in both downtown and the Carmen neighborhoods are either at or only a short walk away from the waterfront park.
You can learn about Puerto Armuelles hotels on my site too. The Balbo is a short stroll from the waterfront park and 2 other hotels, Tsunami Inn and Heavenly’s Hotel, are only few minutes drive away. They are both in the San Vicente neighborhood.
Click for a map of Puerto Armuelles and its neighborhoods.