Emergencies in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Good to Know

• 911 works nationwide including in Puerto Viejo, but response times in rural/coastal areas of the Caribbean south can be slower than in San José — know your nearest landmark or GPS coordinates to give dispatchers, since street addresses are uncommon here.
• For medical emergencies you can either dial 911 or call the Red Cross ambulance line (128) directly — locals often say calling 128 directly can be faster than going through the general 911 dispatcher.
• Puerto Viejo's main police station is in Playa Negra, with a smaller satellite office in the town center and a Tourist Police presence toward Cocles/Cahuita — look for bilingual officers in white polo shirts on bicycle or foot patrol.
• Save the OIJ CR Safe app before you arrive — much of it works offline, which is useful given patchy signal in parts of the Talamanca coast.
• If you're a U.S. citizen, the embassy in San José (+506-2519-2000) should be contacted after local authorities for serious issues like arrest or loss of passport.
• There is no hospital inside Puerto Viejo de Talamanca itself — serious injuries or illness mean a transfer to Limón (about 1 to 1.5 hours by road) or, for the most severe cases, on to San José.
• The private clinic near the MegaSuper in town advertises 24/7 urgent care and its own ground/air ambulance for transfers, which is often the fastest first point of contact for visitors.
• The public CCSS clinic in Hone Creek (about 15 minutes from central Puerto Viejo) has an emergency service, but its general outpatient hours are limited to weekday daytime — it is not a substitute for a hospital ER.
• Call 9-1-1 for ambulance dispatch anywhere in Costa Rica, including Puerto Viejo and Talamanca canton.
• Comprehensive travel/medical insurance is strongly advisable given the distance to full hospital-level trauma and surgical care.