South Pacific Costa Rica

• 🌍 San Isidro de El General – The capital and largest city of Pérez Zeledon canton. It is also the entrance city to the region if coming from San José through the Cerro de la Muerte mountain pass.

• 🌍 Dominical – A surfing destination with a small town and good nightlife scene in the north end of the South Pacific, but pricier than Uvita.
• 🌍 Drake Bay – A bay that is often regarded as a town. The village in Drake Bay is called Agutijas. The bay is named after Sir Francis Drake, the British pirate who, as the story goes, buried treasure on its beaches in 1579. Besides Agutijas, Drake Bay holds beautiful beaches and birds, along with expensive resorts and lodges.
• 🌍 Golfito – The gateway to Pavones for surfers, a destination for sport fishermen all year round, and for eco-lodges.
• 🌍 Pavones – A town known for its big, heavy waves at its famous point break, but also lighter waves for beginners.
• 🌍 Playa Hermosa (Osa) – The name says it all, but also home to the Playa Hermosa Reserva Biologica, a conservation project up in the steep hills and home to ancient tropical trees of over 1,000 years old.
• 🌍 Puerto Jiménez (PJ) – A funky old gold mine town, main town on the tip of the peninsula, and the only small town with restaurants, bank, ATM, gas station, shops, internet cafés, airstrip, car rentals, grocery stores and crazy night life. It offers easy access to the beach villages of Carate and Cabo Matapalo. You can also shop and see the local culture, and if you are lucky, you just might catch one of their many festivals. People here are friendly and helpful.
• 🌍 Sierpe – Entry gate to the Corcovado National Park.
• 🌍 Uvita – A small but rapidly growing village in the heart of the Ballena Marine National Park, popular for its whale tours and snorkelling.

• 🌍 Finca Sonador — A small village 30 km south of Pérez Zeledón which offers rural community tourism. It is a refugee project founded in 1979. Nowadays 400 families live in the community, growing mainly coffee and sugar cane besides the food they consume on their own. Tourism is still a supplementary income here and money goes straight into the families you stay with.

South Pacific Costa Rica is made up of two cantons. First there is the Osa Peninsula, a wondrous, magical, and untouched place for nature-lovers and adventurers. It’s a 5-hr drive from San José vs. the usual trek over the mountains and through raging rivers. Navigating pot holes the size of Hollywood swimming pools are now cherished memories. The days are over when you just abandoned your rental car along the side of the pothole-riddled road and hitchhiked your way to Puerto Jimenez. New asphalt, bridges, painted yellow lines, passing lanes, guard rails and bus stops in each town. You could certainly sneak under the radar and land a small plane just like the old days. Puerto Jimenez was a dusty old gold mine town in its heyday, built completely in support of eager and persistent gold miners.

Dirt roads came to the Osa when Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias was President of Costa Rica in the early 1980s and he signed a deal with Ronald Reagan. The Roads for Peace project was born and the US Army Corps of Engineers began building roads, bridges and schools. USA could keep a close eye on all of the Ollie North and Noriega activity in the mountains high above the city of David, Panama. Costa Rica and Taiwan were the only two countries that benefited from the short-lived Roads for Peace program. Also, PJ is starting to catch up with the rest of the world. With the new road and improved infrastructure, Osa could be ready to join the ranks of Tamarindo and Jacó.

And there is the Pérez Zeledón canton, which covers an area of 1,905 km² (736 sq mi), the seventh largest of the 81 cantons in the country. It has a population of about 135,000 (2011). In the middle of the canton, the Río General, from which the canton's capital city takes its name, runs north to south through a beautiful valley. It is very oriented toward tourism, with a sizeable selection of hotels, restaurants, stores, and other activities, like tours. The city is generally considered a stop-over destination for tourists heading toward Costa Rica's deep south or to the South Pacific coast, or to the nation's highest mountain, Chirripó.

The Osa Peninsula is separated from mainland Costa Rica by the Golfo Dulce, which is unique as one of only four tropical fjords in the world.

The "Costanera Sur" (a southern coastal road) is paved all the way from border to border. Coming from the Central Valley, you can choose between the coastal route and the Panamerican Highway (which passes Pérez Zeledón and goes into Cartago).

On the main roads between Pérez Zeledón and Paso Canoas, TRACOPA runs several buses which also connect to San José and the Central Valley.

Drake Bay and Corcovado National Park can be reached by charter planes from Pavas and San José. A boat trip with a duration of 1½ hr from the Sierpe River is another possible method of reaching these destinations. In Puerto Jiménez, taxis are readily available, and you can also rent a car there. To reach Cabo Matapalo, fly to Puerto Jiménez and drive (45 min) to the village. Bumpy travel by bus is possible throughout the peninsula.

Osa Peninsula, where you will find Costa Rica’s jewel of the National Park System, Corcovado National Park. Osa continues to provide adventure travellers with great photos of monkeys, tapirs, cats, dolphins, whales and exotic birds. On Route 245, it’s a 5-hr drive from San José.

• Los Cusingos Bird Sanctuary near San Isidro de El General, is the home of Alexander Skutch, the famous birder, botanist and naturalist. The region offers many more such birding opportunities.
• Mountain hiking: the mountains near San Isidro de General are probably the most alpine mountains all over Costa Rica. If you are a keen hiker interested in a Nepal-like feel, head here for some serious adventure. Check out Chirripo National Park for more information.
• Mirador Valle de El General. In the Talamanca mountain range 1,600 m above sea level. Offers canopy tours, nature trails through a cloud forest, great bird-watching opportunities, other activities, and a view of the entire El General Valley. (updated May 2019)
• San Buenas (Golf), Dominical (on the Southern Coastal Road (Coastanera) at km 186, 15 km south of Uvita), ☏ +506 6040 1363, kenny@sbgr.com. A course that has 9 holes - Par 37, over 3,700 yards long from the tips. (updated Dec 2017)

There are plenty of things to do on the Osa Peninsula, from birdwatching to horseback rides through the jungle. The sea, of course, offers various activities such as snorkeling, swimming, scuba diving, and fishing.

The Osa Peninsula is partly covered by the Corcovado National Park, which offers an exciting day-trip for travelers. The land of the peninsula is covered in white sand beaches and virgin tropical rain forest. With four species of monkeys, exotic birds, and countless amphibians and reptiles, the Osa Peninsula is also an ideal place for nature-watching, Rappelling, (waterfall or otherwise), mountain biking, surfing, hiking, and kayaking.

There lots of sodas (small food places, normally owned and run by local families

There are many eco-lodges around the coast, and budget options in Puerto Jiménez. See the local city articles for listings.

Most of the lodges and eco-resorts on the Osa Peninsula are off the grid, so adequate power, hot water and the 5-star amenities our civilization has grown to expect are a hit and miss.

It may seem obvious, but many people forget: wear sunscreen to prevent sunburn and skin cancer! Make sure that has a high SPF (Sun Protectant Factor) and blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

Many want to stay on the beach when visiting Southern Costa Rica, but what they don’t know about Costa Rica, is that beaches are unbelievably hot, full of purajas (sand fleas) black sand and open to the public, so you don’t get the privacy you deserve while you're on vacation.

The South Pac Coast is a relatively safe area, and Costa Rica is much more stable than the surrounding Central American countries. However, it is recommended that you watch your pockets to make sure your wallet and passport do not get picked out. Also, lock your valuables in a hotel safe or lockable closet if possible. Do not wear flashy jewelry or fancy clothes, as they attract attention and may allow criminals to target you as a wealthy tourist. No matter who you are, do not travel alone at night—it is dangerous.

Do not allow small children to swim in the ocean alone, as always.

Most people visiting the Osa Peninsula usually plan a week or two vacation, and that can get expensive while staying at beach lodges and resorts, especially if you are traveling as a family.