Travel Guide Refugio Nacional Gandoca-Manzanillo

The refuge is located in Manzanillo, 73 km south of Limón. With an area of 5,013 ha of land and 4,436 ha of sea, this national wildlife refuge, created in 1985, protects 9 km of white sand beach and a coral reef. The fauna is mainly that of freshwater and saltwater aquifer habitats. Gandoca-Manzanillo is a refuge for endangered species such as the mangrove oyster, which thrives in a mangrove unique in Costa Rica. The forest of the lagoon is part of the tropical rainforests and its importance is even greater because it is the only one in this part of the coast. Behind the coconut trees that line the beach, the primary forest is home to rare specimens, some of which are endangered. Around the mouth of the Gandoca River, you can observe tapirs, caimans, manatees, crocodiles and, by the hundreds, birds as pleasant as parakeets, toucans and parrots. Finally, you should know that four species of turtles, including the baula, come to lay their eggs on this beach, especially at the beginning of the year. Even if it can rain all year round on the Caribbean coast, the months of March, April, September and October, considered the driest months, will offer you ideal conditions to visit the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge.