Golfito Attractions

Golfito is the most important town in the far southern region of Costa Rica. It is named for a small gulf that emerges into the larger Dulce Gulf, west of Panama. Golfito has an attractive setting; lush, forested hills surround the deep bay and the outline of the Osa Peninsula can be seen in the distance. The town is stretched along one main road squeezed between the gulf and surrounding thickly forested mountains.

Golfito was the commercial center of a major banana-growing region from 1938 to 1985. The United Fruit Company had its headquarters in Golfito for many years, but closed for various reasons in 1985. In response to the closing of the company complex, the Costa Rican government established the town as a duty-free port in 1990 in hopes of boosting the economy.