Boat tour on the Gandoca Lagoon

Photo 1 of 4. Click to view slideshow.
Boat tour on the Gandoca Lagoon. Photo by Doug Dosdall

Close to Nature

Esa página está disponible también en español.

The Panama border is just down the beach from Gandoca making this small village the southermost outpost on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. Gandoca is most popular during turtle nesting season (March to June) as a place to see giant leatherback and other turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. But Gandoca can be visited year round for a quiet vacation close to nature.

Gandoca cannot be reached from the coastal road, which ends at Manzanillo, but instead you must drive the inland highway almost to Sixaola at the Panama border then drive about 11 km through banana plantations to reach the coast. There is no public transport to Gandoca but you could take a bus to Sixaola then arrange a taxi (about 25 minutes).

Activities in the village include the turtle tours, tours by kayak or boat on the Gandoca lagoon, nature hikes in the Gandoca-Manzanillo wildlife refuge. It would be possible the walk to Punta Mona in about 45 minutes (and from there to Manzanillo in another 1.5-2 hours) along the coastal trail but we recommend using a local guide if you're planning this. This travelogue on Gandoca has some useful info.

Sort by: Category | Alphabetic

Jump to: Landmarks | Hotels | Restaurants | Tours

Landmarks, Beaches

Gandoca Lagoon

Gandoca Lagoon

The lagoon is surrounded by dense jungle and offers good nature viewing at the right times of day (best early and late) including caimans and crocodiles, many birds, monkeys and more.
 View on map

Hotels

Cabinas El Rinconcito

Cabinas El Rinconcito

Family run cabinas. Double, triple and quad rooms with private bath and mosquito net. They offer various tours activities in the area such as lagoon boat tours.
  +506 2754 1060
 Average rating: 100 Exceptional
 View on map

Canto del Mar Guest House

Canto del Mar Guest House

Guest house and botanical gardens. Clean modern rooms with private bath. Breakfast is included, other meals are available in onsite restaurant.
 +506 8314 3297
 Average room rate: $60
 Average rating: 100 Exceptional
 View on map

Colibri Lodge Gandoca

Colibri Lodge Gandoca

Family run cabinas with a swimming pool.
 +506 2754 1057
 Average rating: 91 Excellent
 View on map

Las Orquideas

Las Orquideas

Rooms with A/C and private bath. Some have balcony or patio. Shared kitchen and restaurant.
 Average rating: 100 Exceptional
 View on map

Restaurants

Soda y Cabinas Kaniki

Soda y Cabinas Kaniki

Restaurant and Cabinas. Serves up basic homemade Caribbean fare and sell snacks and drinks. Cabinas have private baths.
 +506 2754 1071
 Average room rate: $32
 Average rating: 90 Excellent
 View on map

Tours and Activities

Gandoca Tours

Gandoca Tours

Tourist information office and local tour operator. They promote sustainable tourism with eco-tourism, cultural and adventure activities. Tours includes dolphin watching, snorkeling, sea turtle spawning, mangroves and Laguna Gandoca. They also operate a booking office right in the center of Puerto Viejo beside Hot Rocks.
 +506 8762 8848
 Average rating: 84 Very Good
 View on map

Additional comments from our visitors about Gandoca

Write a comment/review

No comments yet.

Add your comment or question

None
(required) (Address never made public)
(required)
(if you'd like a link included to your homepage)
Add photo?

You may upload a photo from your hard drive to accompany your comment if you like. Your photo will be automatically resized but to upload must be no more than 6MB.

Contact Reason: (required)
Subscribe? Email me when someone replies to my comment
Email me when any comment is made on this page
No, I don't want to receive any email

   Due to a problem with spam, your comment will not appear until it has been approved.