Golfito
Located in the Gulfo Dulce at some 340 km. (210 miles) southeast of S. José, Golfito is the perfect departure point for visits to other coastal community such a Puerto Jimenez, Zancudo beach, Pavones beach as well as tours around the Gulf, Rio Colorado, Drake and Playa Cacao.
From 1938 until 1985 this remote town was once the headquarters of United Fruit´s operation in this southern part of the country. Just like in the region of Quepos, due to banana diseases, workers unrest and markets falling prices most of bananas plantations were converted into African oil-palm. United Fruit moved out and left Golfito and its people to endure an economical hardship that only several years later the Costa Rica Governement was able to alleviate.
The economy of the region was infact boosted by the creation of a “deposito libre” a kind of duty-free facility that has given work not only to those directly involved in the trade of duty free goods but also to hotels and related services.
Golfito is built in two part along the coastal road with a backdrop of thickly forested steep hills. The northern part is known as “zona Americana”, the old headquarter of United, with its beautiful tropical homes and well groomed gardens. This is the area where the airfield and the duty free zone is located.
The southern part is less glamorous: the old banana-workers houses, a small dock called “Muellecito” and the majority of businesses are located in this area. Small but well protected the port hosts an increasing numbers of sport fishing boats, yachts and oceanic cruise as well as being the departure point (Muellecito) for the boat to Puerto Jimenez and to Playa Cacao (located across the gulf this is only beach in Golfito).
It is in this area of town that the Warner Bros chose to shoot ”Chico Mendes” a true story of the famous Brazilian activist who was killed in the effort of saving the Amazonian tropical forest from deforestation.
From 1938 until 1985 this remote town was once the headquarters of United Fruit´s operation in this southern part of the country. Just like in the region of Quepos, due to banana diseases, workers unrest and markets falling prices most of bananas plantations were converted into African oil-palm. United Fruit moved out and left Golfito and its people to endure an economical hardship that only several years later the Costa Rica Governement was able to alleviate.
The economy of the region was infact boosted by the creation of a “deposito libre” a kind of duty-free facility that has given work not only to those directly involved in the trade of duty free goods but also to hotels and related services.
Golfito is built in two part along the coastal road with a backdrop of thickly forested steep hills. The northern part is known as “zona Americana”, the old headquarter of United, with its beautiful tropical homes and well groomed gardens. This is the area where the airfield and the duty free zone is located.
The southern part is less glamorous: the old banana-workers houses, a small dock called “Muellecito” and the majority of businesses are located in this area. Small but well protected the port hosts an increasing numbers of sport fishing boats, yachts and oceanic cruise as well as being the departure point (Muellecito) for the boat to Puerto Jimenez and to Playa Cacao (located across the gulf this is only beach in Golfito).
It is in this area of town that the Warner Bros chose to shoot ”Chico Mendes” a true story of the famous Brazilian activist who was killed in the effort of saving the Amazonian tropical forest from deforestation.