The Cabanas del Pirai (Cabins on the Pirai River) is a long dirt road lined with small palm leaf-covered huts on either side where you can taste delicious local baked items at tea time. The road ends at the river which, during the rainy season, will swell to great depths and will not have a beach. During the dry season the river is very wide and so low you can almost walk across it (however, even if the water is low the currents are strong) and there are places where the sand is mucky and feels like quicksand so you should always be very careful where you step. You can enjoy an afternoon here, rent a 4-wheeler to scoot around on, or hire a horse for a short ride.
The "cabanas" rest on what used to be the city's famous Jardin Botanico (Botanical Gardens); however, in the 1980's a great flood washed it out and completely destroyed it (along with several entire neighborhoods including Equipetrol). You can now visit the new and even more beautiful Jardin Botanico located straight East of the city on the road that leads to Cotoca. And why not make a day trip out of it? Visit Cotoca too!
