Zancudo Beach Travel InformationIs one of the secluded communities that attract expatriates. It's a relatively small village stretching along one sandy street with a handful of restaurants, cabin rentals, and small hotels. The black sand beach is backed by homes not far from the water?s edge but concealed from the view of swimmers and surfers by the usual coconut and strangler fig trees. Zancudo is a popular place for local Ticos to come to swim on weekends. Unlike Pavones, the famous surfing beach to the south, Zancudos beach is very swim able, with gentle surf. Several bars and restaurants serve as social centers, with occasional weekend dances. A stop at any of the local open-air restaurants will usually find a table or two of North Americans or Europeans discussing local news and making plans for the development of their properties. Paving the road is a common topic. Those who own homes along the beach shudder in horror at the image of the throngs of tourists, property buyers, and developers a paved highway will surely bring. They feel that since they have discovered this part of Costa Rica, it is rightly theirs, and it would be downright rude for others to crowd in. On the other hand, those who have businesses, who depend on tourists and new residents to make their enterprises grow, eagerly look forward to the road and the increased prosperity it will bring. Several folks I spoke with routinely come here for three months or longer every year. A cabin with a small kitchen, right on the beach, can often be found for as little as $350 a month during the off-season. Others are available from $500 to $900. By all means, stay for a couple of months before deciding to invest or build. A local resident remarked, ?Everyone wants to come here in the winter months [referring to winter and summer in the North American sense. People seem to think that summer is a total monsoon. But the weather is wonderful then, it's actually a little cooler during June, July, and August. Every morning is sunny, and at least part of the afternoon is usually rain?free. Often it doesn't rain at all. The hottest month of the year is March, according to local residents; this is just before the rainy season gets started. Having said all of these nice things about Zancudo, I feel it's only fair to point out a possible problem with owning property here. Something that escaped my notice during previous visits is this: Zancudo Beach is actually a narrow peninsula with ocean beach on one side and a river swamp inlet behind it. Therefore, the majority of dry land sits entirely within the 200-meter zona maritima. Everything seemed OK until recently, with property owners paying taxes and assessments to the municipality of Golfito. Then out of the blue, the mayor of the municipality began questioning the right of the property owners to be on Zancudo Beach. My understanding is that the dispute has been settled, but before investing any money there, speak to your lawyer as well as Zancudo residents. Buses and stake-bed trucks bring families from nearby towns on weekends, loaded with children eager to enjoy the beach. The waves are gentle, the water warm, and kids in no danger of anything worse than sunburn. An easier way to get here is by water taxi from Golfito. Schedules vary with the tides. The shortest way to the beach is a two-hour drive over a gravel and sometimes-rocky trail. This same road splits off and goes to Zancudo's sister beach to the south, Pavones During the rainy season this route requires a four-wheel -drive vehicle, and it's not all that great in summer. Maps don't help much in finding either Zancudo or Pavones I have three different maps, for all practical purposes they might well have been of three different countries, because each has a different version of the road system, none approaching reality. It's best to stop often and make inquiries. |
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