Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge

“Rainy season brings this place fully alive”

The Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge protects 9,449 hectares of the southern Caribbean coast from the village of Manzanillo to the Panamanian border, encompassing coral reef, coastal forest, mangrove lagoons, and the Laguna de Gandoca where several freshwater and marine ecosystems converge. The beach between Manzanillo and Gandoca is a sea turtle nesting site from February through October, patrolled by local conservation volunteers. The coral reef offshore from Manzanillo is one of the more intact Caribbean reef systems in Costa Rica and is accessible by snorkel directly from the beach. The coastal trail from Manzanillo to Punta Mona passes through cacao groves managed by Bribri and Afro-Caribbean families, with fruit visible on the trunks in various stages of ripeness. The trail ends at Punta Mona, a remote farm with no road access. The deeper sections of the refuge beyond the coastal trail are primary forest with jaguar confirmed by camera trap.