SouthernCostaRica.comGolfito is a port town on the Golfo Dulce, the gulf between the Osa Peninsula and the mainland. The United Fruit Company built the town as a banana port, and its old company buildings still shape parts of town. The company closed its operations here in 1985. Golfito suits travelers who like boat days, quiet lodges, sport fishing and a slower pace than the beach towns farther north.
Who it suits
- Boat lovers: boat taxis, fishing trips and bay tours run from local cooperatives and shops in downtown Golfito.
- Wildlife watchers: ICT's Golfito-Jiménez guide calls the gulf a tropical fjord, with mangroves, dolphins, whales and turtles.
- Travelers seeking a remote stay: some lodges on the gulf can be reached only by boat.
The gulf and its shores
The Golfito National Wildlife Refuge was set up on former company land a year after the banana company left. ICT's guide calls it an ecological complement to Corcovado, across the gulf. White-faced, squirrel and howler monkeys, agoutis, macaws, pelicans and herons can be seen there.
Across the water, Piedras Blancas National Park meets the gulf. Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge sits on a private preserve next to the park and is reached only by boat from Golfito or Puerto Jiménez.
Around the gulf, ICT's guide names Cacao, Zancudo, Pilón, Pavones and Punta Banco among the beaches near Golfito. Pavones, south of Golfito, is known to surfers for its long left-hand wave.
Gulf waters are often sheltered, but afternoon wind and weather change quickly. Check current conditions with your boat operator before you set out.
Things to do
- Boat trips and wildlife: whale and dolphin watching, snorkeling and mangrove tours are among the region's draws.
- Sport fishing: Golfito has two marinas, Banana Bay Marina and Marina Bahía Golfito, and fishing trips leave from town. For fishing charters, ask at either marina.
- Shopping: the Depósito Libre Comercial de Golfito is a shopping zone where Costa Ricans come to buy goods without import duties.
A tour across the gulf from Puerto Jiménez combines several of these:
- Whale watching with snorkeling and fishing: a Golfo Dulce boat trip from the Puerto Jiménez pier, past the edge of Piedras Blancas National Park, with whale and dolphin watching, snorkeling and artisanal fishing. View on Viator Partner link
ICT's Golfito-Jiménez guide also lists a Sea Festival and the Golfito Tourist Fair in September, though dates change each year.
For more on the animals of the gulf and the forest, read about marine and rainforest wildlife.
Where to stay
Stays around the gulf include a hotel by the marina in town, a lodge reached only by boat and small places in Pavones. Compare places to stay around the Golfo Dulce.
Getting there
SANSA, a domestic airline, says it operates daily flights to Golfito from San José. Approximate times from San José in ICT's 2023 Golfito-Jiménez guide are about 45 minutes by plane and about 4 to 5 hours by car on the coastal road. By road, Golfito is about 90 km from Ojochal, about 1 hour 30 minutes without stops, by our OpenStreetMap routing estimate (October 2026). Puerto Jiménez is across the gulf, about 104 km away by road. For the Puerto Jiménez area, the same ICT guide gives about 7 hours by road from San José to the Río Oro refuge south of town.
Read more about getting to Golfito, and see Puerto Jiménez and the Osa for the other side of the gulf. If you have two weeks, consider adding the Golfo Dulce to a 14-day route.