Playa Zancudo, strung below the estuary of the Río Coto Colorado, is one of my favorite spots, exuding a South Seas feel. The ruler-straight gray-sand beach (littered with coconuts) stretches about six kilometers along a slender spit backed by the eerie mangroves of the Río Coto Swamps, fed by the estuarine waters of the Río Coto Colorado.

Waterfowl are plentiful. And with luck you may see river otters, and crocodiles and caimans basking on the riverbanks. The fishing is good in the fresh water (there are several docks on the estuary side) and in the surf at the wide rivermouth. The waves are good for surfing and windsurfing. At dusk and during full moon the no-see-ums are voracious.

Nature lovers might call Cindy Kasket (tel. 506/776-0151), who has macaws, toucans, parrots, and other creatures at an official rescue center.

The hamlet of Zancudo is near the rivermouth at the north end of the spit, reached along a sandy roller-coaster of a track.

Zancudo is only 10 kilometers from Golfito as the crow flies, but driving there is another thing. The village is 44 kilometers from the Pan-American Highway.

Sports and Recreation

Golfito Sportfishing (tel. 506/776-0007, fax 506/775-0373, www.costaricafishing.com) has 25-foot center consoles for charter. It also has multiday packages, as does Sportfishing Unlimited (tel./fax 506/776-0036), just south of the Zancudo Lodge.

Zancudo Boat Tours at Cabinas Los Cocos rents surfboards, paddleboats, and snorkeling equipment, plus kayak trips up the Río Coto ($45 pp).

Entertainment

The bar at Cabinas Sol y Mar is a local meeting spot and hosts volleyball game on Saturday and horseshoes on Sunday. Estero Mar, in the village, host occasional dances favored by locals.

Getting There

A bus departs from the municipal dock in Golfito for Zancudo at 2 p.m. daily. Another departs Ciudad Neily at 2:15 p.m.

The paved road to Zancudo begins about eight kilometers south of the Pan-American Highway, midway along the road to Golfito; the turn is signed at El Rodeo Salon, in Únion. An aging ferry will transport you across the Río Coto, 18 kilometers beyond El Rodeo; the ferry operates daily 5 a.m.–8 p.m. ($1 per car, $0.20 pedestrians). On the south bank, the intermittently paved road runs five kilometers to a Y-junction (La Cruce) at Pueblo Nuevo; turn right for Zancudo and Pavones and continue about 10 kilometers to a T-junction at Conte. Turn right here: Zancudo (18 km) and Pavones (22 km) are signed. This road divides two kilometers along; take the right-hand fork for Zancudo, and the left for Pavones.

The Mini-Super Tres Amigos, 100 meters north of Zancudo Beach Club, sells gas.

A water-taxi departs Golfito’s dock for Zancudo at noon daily ($5 pp, or $30 charter up to six passengers).