Perez Zeledon is a cantón (or county) in the southern zone of Costa Rica. It is probably best known for its principle city, San Isidro de El General. However, the ticos that live in this area will almost always tell you that they live in Perez, as opposed to San Isidro.
The valley where San Isidro de El General is located is flanked by two mountain ranges. To the east, the towering Talamances overlook the valley and city below. These are the highest mountains in the country, including Costa Rica’s highest peak, Chirripo. To the west you have the small, but still majestic, coastal range, known as the Fila Costeña, or Fila Brunqueña.
The majority of the population of Perez Zeledon live in tiny mountain pueblos that dot those mountain ranges, with the rest living in urban areas in or close to the city. The total population of the county is estimated at around 200,000, with the urban area of San Isidro estimated at around 50,000.
In this post I wanted to provide my answer to the frequent question of best places to invest in Perez Zeledon.
I believe the following deserve your consideration…
Quebradas/Miravalles
This one is near and dear since I’ve been living here for the last 5 years. This area gets high marks for its convenient location to town (about 5 minutes in a car, or you can walk it in about 40 to 50), altitude (around 900 meters, offering a near-perfect micro-climate), and the pristine river that runs through the village. You hardly even need a car in Quebradas as there are two bus lines that offer transportation just about whenever needed. There is also a nature reserve with hiking trails and waterfalls. The town is a nice mix of both ticos and North Americans. You can chat with both at the popular watering hole, known as Pelos. Miravalles is just above Quebradas and offers sweeping valley views and even cooler temps.
Pueblos of Rivas
Above the main town of Rivas there are numerous mountain pueblos, like Chimirol, Canaan, Herradura, and San Gerardo that offer rugged and scenic mountain living. This is the most touristic area of Perez Zeledon, since the trail-head to Chirripo (Costa Rica’s highest mountain) begins in San Gerardo de Rivas. Flowing through the area are gorgeous rivers like Rio Chirripo and Rio Blanco. There are also quite a few tourist attractions, including some really nice lodges, restaurants, nature reserves, a butterfly sanctuary, and more.
Santa Elena/Quizarra
This is an up and coming area that offers still off-the-beaten-path living with dramatic views and a great micro-climate. There is an established residential community called Vistas de Chirripo where you’ll find gorgeous homes built by North Americans from Canada and the U.S. There’s also the Rise Costa Rica community, which in the future will offer home sites and sustainable living options. Currently Rise is home to the Kinkara wellness glamping resort. Quizarra is also a popular area. They are now paving the road running through Quizarra all the way to the AltaGracia resort. This will make properties in that area more accessible and investing there even more popular.
Pueblos of Cajon
Like Rivas the district of Cajon offers some interesting options. In Santa Teresa de Cajon you’ll find the AltaGracia 5-star resort. This resort was recently acquired by the same company that owns the Four Seasons resort in Guanacaste. It was already known as one of the nicest resorts in Central America and its stock will only go up with this acquisition. Not too long ago I sold a gorgeous property in the area of San Francisco de Cajon that has now become the Synergida Luxury Resort for Transformational Retreats. This is a sprawling luxury property featuring over 30,000 square feet of living space on well over 100 acres of scenic hillside. It is a one-of-a-kind property. All this is making the region of Cajon a hot one in Perez Zeledon.
Pedregoso
Located to the northwest of the city, this is a picturesque pueblo, famous for being the home of Keylor Navas, a Costa Rica futbol legend. Pedregoso is surrounded by rolling green hills that offer scenic mountain living options. It is also about as close to town as Quebradas (5 minutes by car), offering that convenience as well.
La Amistad/Platanares
This area is a little off–the-beaten-path as well, but definitely worth a mention. One of my star listings is in this area in the pueblo of San Carlos de La Amistad. The districts of La Amistad and Platanares are located in the Fila Costeña range. There’s actually a road that will take you to the beach, ending in Uvita. I drove this route recently and the road had been greatly improved, making it a fairly easy and very scenic trek (in a 4×4, of course). This route may eventually become the alternative paved route to the heavily traveled San Isidro – Dominical road (otherwise known as Highway 243). This area has some secret waterfall attractions, like one of my favorites, Catarata Margarita.
La Palma
La Palma is the first pueblo you come to on Route 243 headed out of San Isidro to the beach. I lived there when I first moved to the area. It is super convenient to the city and also to the beach. The Pacuar River flows through and features some of my favorite secret swimming holes in the canton. Also very convenient is the La Palma gas station that opened a few years ago, making it unnecessary to drive clear across town to fill up for a beach run. La Palma is a place where you can live down on a river, or up with altitude and a view. And it definitely has that strong convenience factor going for it.
Tinamastes/Platanillo
Many probably do not realize that both these towns are in the canton of Perez Zeledon. They are along the paved road that leads from San Isidro down to Playa Dominical. The first and higher of the two is Tinamastes. In my opinion, Tinamastes is one of the prettiest little towns I know of in Costa Rica. Standing out is the majestic and vertical Tinamastes ridge, which they say was formed when tectonic plates collided and pushed the land up into this incredible formation. The ridge is home to the highest waterfall in Costa Rica, Catarata Diamante, which stands at 200 meters (over 600 feet)! Tinamastes is also home to the popular Tuesday farmer’s market. The higher elevations of Tinamastes, being shrouded in clouds most afternoons and evenings, do tend to get an inordinate amount of almost year-round rain.
Just down the hill, on the way to the beach, is Platanillo. This area is popular since it is a bit closer to the beach (also making it hotter). The drive from Platanillo down to Playa Dominical is only about 15 to 20 minutes. Even so, you do get some altitude and cooler temps there. It is another quaint, charming, and scenic little mountain town. Nearby are the popular waterfall tourist attractions of Nauyaca and Eco-Chontales.
There you have it, my run-down of the best places to invest in Perez Zeledon. Granted there are many others I am not mentioning that are certainly worth a look. But these are the highlights, in my humble opinion.
Perez Zeledon Trivia…
- The canton covers an area of 1,905.51 square kilometers (735.72 square miles), making it the seventh largest of the 81 cantons in the country.
- Perez Zeledon was also the location of significant battles during the Costa Rican Civil War. The most notable battle was the Battle of San Isidro de El General, which was carried out at around 6:30 a.m., when 200 government forces engaged the revolutionaries at the city’s central plaza. The battle was won by José Figueres Ferrer and his revolutionary forces, which secured the southern pacific region of Costa Rica in rebel hands.