Costa Rica Property The Southren Zone

Real estate opportunities in Costa Rica include many different types of properties in many different environments – in every region.

Many flock to the Central Valley, home to Costa Rica’s largest city and capital, San Jose, and also home to many top real estate developments.

But those wanting to really get away from it all also have several regions to choose from in Costa Rica, where they can feel like they’re the only person on the planet.

One of those is the Southern Pacific Costal Zone, which includes the Golfo Dulce, the Osa Peninsula region, and the mountainous rural inland areas of Agua Buena and San Vito. What creates the beauty of this area is the constantly changing terrain. It shifts from rainforest to mountains to beaches.

The southern coastal area’s Pacific Ocean border is dominated by the Osa Peninsula and the Golfo Dulce (Sweet Gulf), a large bay ringed by rivers. In this area are the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve, and Piedras Blancas National Park.

The Osa Peninsula juts into the Pacific Ocean off the coast, and is considered by many one of the greatest paradises in the world. It is home to a wide variety of species. This is where the jungle meets the ocean. The terrain moves from lowland tropical rain forests to secluded white-sand beaches. It is known as the last wild frontier in Costa Rica.

Most of the lowlands surrounding the Golfo Dulce are home to tall evergreen forests, and they’re not hard to spot, as  the area includes some of the tallest trees in Central America.  But it’s still a rainforest, and that means an average annual rainfall of 150 - 200 inches.

Visitors and would-be residents will find plenty of real estate opportunities to choose from, including ocean view lots, beach front houses, farms, and commercial business.

Prospective real estate buyers should note that in most cases, outright ownership of beachfront land is prohibited, but they can be leased from local municipalities. Costa Rica has a real estate category called Maritime Concessions that prevents private ownership of oceanfront property but long-term leases can be negotiated. This does not affect properties near beaches.

Of course, you can always move inland, to the southern mountainous region of San Vito, which offers incredible views of the distant Talamanca Mountains to the north and Panama's Volcano Baru to the southeast. This sweeping rural landscape is mixed with old coffee plantations and small farms.