January 2024 Registers a significant increase in tourist arrivals from North America and Europe
March 6, 2024Reform to the Traffic Law: Driving Legally in Costa Rica: Foreign Driver’s Licenses and Their Homologation
August 1, 2024Golfito and Golfo Dulce surprise with renewed land and water tourism offer
- The Chamber of Commerce and Tourism of Golfo Dulce recently launched a destination brand to promote the latest in a tourism offer "where the sea kisses nature".
- The ICT has worked with CATUGOLFO and local actors on the Tourism Destination Management Program and establishing tourism priorities for the canton of Golfito and Golfo Dulce.
Golfito is a privileged destination for its intense terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, as well as for its unique location within the Golfo Dulce in the Osa Peninsula and the South Pacific of Costa Rica, it could even be said that "it is a gulf within another gulf", which is why it receives its name and has a majestic mantle of calm waters. Crystal clear, a natural pool with little waves, the ideal habitat for resident dolphins, hammerhead sharks, humpback whales and hundreds of other marine life.
It is also ideal for national and international tourists to enjoy activities such as kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, sport fishing, snorkeling, diving, as well as boat tours for the sighting of the aforementioned cetaceans, tours through the mangroves of the Coto River or simply to visit amazing and dreamy beaches such as Punta Esquinas and Cativo.
On dry land, but close to the bay, Golfito offers the possibility to explore the Piedras Blancas National Park and the Golfito National Wildlife Refuge, observe various species of birds and hike trails. Complementariamente se puede realizar Explore rural tourism at Rancho Toñito and visit the Los Chorros waterfalls, equipped with four natural "jacuzzis" placed in the middle of a waterfall of more than 20 meters.
Likewise, it is possible to appreciate at the viewpoint of Cerro Adams (at 500 meters high and located in the Cielo Lodge) a unique and panoramic view of the bay, the Big Island, the immensity of the Golfo Dulce and the view reaches to focus on the horizon, a section of the Osa Peninsula. By "descending from l.as heights", those interested can hire local guides for a "city" tour and take a walk through the most emblematic buildings of a Caribbean-Victorian architectural style, introduced by the United Fruit Company at the end of the thirties of the last century, as well as the extensive main street, the International Airport, the Bahía Golfito Marina and the Golfito Free Deposit.
"The Brunca Region is a magical destination with a remarkable tourism potential due to the concentration of biodiversity and multiple land and water activities. More specifically, the canton of Golfito and the Golfo Dulce represent a wonderful alternative for tourism at Easter and throughout the year," said William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism, who also extended an invitation to "also look to the south and fall even more in love with Costa Rica for being a country that opted for a sustainable tourism model for all people."
For Diego Quesada, executive director of the Golfo Dulce Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Association (CATUGOLFO), this destination is projected to become one of the most recognized in Costa Rica, thanks to the development of the ICT's Tourism Destination Management program, which has promoted joint public-private work for the improvement of the tourism product. "The Golfo Dulce has won international awards, it was recently designated as a World Heritage Site for Whales and a Hammerhead Shark Sanctuary, and it also has a lot to offer national and international tourists with accommodations and tours for all budgets," said Quesada, who urged people to take advantage of special discounts for Costa Ricans during Holy Week.
Sweet Conservation Projects Stand Out in the Gulf
The conservation of terrestrial and marine species is one of the cornerstones of Golfo Dulce. Currently, projects such as the reinsertion of scarlet macaws into their natural habitat, the rehabilitation of reefs with the help of "coral gardeners" and the generation of conditions so that the waters of the gulf continue to be "nurseries for hammerhead sharks" before their natural migration to Cocos Island stand out.
"Coral reefs are being affected around the world by climate change and warming oceans. The corals are stressed by expelling the algae that give them the yellow color, they are white and a little weakened. The Golfo Dulce's "Coral Gardening" project aims to restore these corals, regulating tourist activities such as snorkeling and inviting the use of sunscreens without harmful ingredients, using frog legs correctly, not touching them or standing encima, pero, ante todo, solamente contratar operadores turísticos responsible for carrying out these sustainable tours," explained Alejandra Rojas, a tropical biologist from Golfito.
For its part, the scarlet macaw reinsertion project developed jointly by Dolphin Lodge and the Zoo Ave Animal Rescue Center has borne its first fruits. "More than 300 scarlet macaws have been reintroduced and released and we have recently counted more than 350 on the farm, as a result of their adaptation. When I was a child there were no limpets, parrots and parakeets, now they are everywhere," said Reymar Klochko, General Manager of Dolphin Lodge.
Those interested in more information about tours, accommodations and learning about alternatives of the tourist offer of the Golfo Dulce during Holy Week 2024, can enter the Facebook profile of the Chamber of Tourism of Golfo Dulce https://www.facebook.com/CATUGOLFO or download the Cultural Tourist Guide of the ICT