This park is found 42 kilometers South of Puerto Limon on the Caribbean Coast. It has a land area of 1,067.9 hectares and 22,400 hectares in its marine portion. The park was founded in 1970 with the name, "Cahuita National Monument" which later was changed to a national park.

This park was created to protect the terrestrial flora and fauna, the coral reefs and a number of marine ecosystems. The coral reef alone covers some 600 hectares. During the earthquake in this region in 1991, the coast rose about one meter. The effects of this on the reef are still being studied. This reef has 36 species of coral, 140 of molusks, 44 species of crustaceans, 128 species of algas and 123 of fish.

In spite of its small size the land part of Cahuita has a rich flora and fauna too. It protects many sprcies not found in any other national conservation area.