The Allure of the Costa Rica Southern Zone

The allure of the Costa Rica southern zone that attracted me almost nine years ago was that it possessed both of the things that I love most about the country in general, i.e., its mountains and beaches.

I found out later that the people are pretty special here too!

Now, when I say “southern zone”, I am primarily talking about the mountainous area called Perez Zeledon and the coastal area called the Costa Ballena. Granted, there’s more to the southern zone that that, but this post will focus on those two areas that tend to draw the most people.

To begin, what is it about the Costa Ballena, versus other coastal areas of Costa Rica, that makes it so special? I like to keep things simple, so I’m going to break down the Costa Ballena to its component parts of Dominical, Uvita and Ojochal, and then focus on the “one thing” that makes each part special.

Dominical is a stretch of coastline that is very open to Pacific swells. Back in “the day” the road between Quepos (or Manuel Antonio) and Dominical was unpaved. Only the most adventurous would make that arduous trek, which could take up to 2 hours, versus the half-hour it takes today traveling along the Costanera Highway, what I like to call Costa Rica’s Autobahn. The only real draw back then was the surf. Dominical has some of the most consistent (and at times very powerful) waves of the country. The village grew up into a highly regarded tourist destination wholly on the reputation of it being a surfer’s paradise.

Folks that live along the Costa Ballena usually refer to “going into town” as going to Uvita. Uvita is the most active and developed of the three beaches of the Costa Ballena. It is also home to a very famous and popular national park, the Marino Ballena National Park. Uvita has an area we realtors like to call “the flats”, that extends from town (which has developed largely along the Costanera Highway) to the ocean. Moving away from the coastline and just beyond the so-called flats is the Fila Costeña mountain range. Many of the high-dollar homes and resorts built in this area are up in those hills. From there you have a dramatic view of what draws thousands to the area each year, the Whale’s Tail. This is basically a rocky sandbar formation that is shaped just like, you go it, a whale’s tail. That’s very ironic since the marine area off the coast is home to a very important migratory route for humpback whales.

As you pass Uvita driving south along the Costanera you will arrive at the final Costa Ballena component known as Ojochal. Tourists in the area have a horrible time remembering and/or pronouncing the name. The pronunciation is easy if you just remember that the “j” sounds like an “h” and the two “o’s” both have the long vowel sound, with the “a” being short, so o-ho-chal.

Now, back before the road was paved, Ojochal was completely off the map for gringos. It really isn’t a place for surfing, so even the most adventurous surfers didn’t pay any attention to it. Boy has that changed. I would venture to say that Ojochal is currently the fastest growing of the the three Costa Ballena beaches. It is also the home to a thriving and close-knit community of North American expats from the U.S. and Canada. A few of them have started restaurants, which has helped Ojochal gain the reputation of being a culinary hotspot. It is also the area where an expat can find a home with ocean view at an affordable price, as those in the areas of Dominical and Uvita tend to be out of budget range for many.

If you read this blog from time to time you probably know that I opted for the mountains of Perez Zeledon rather than the beach. You also might have read about my four C’s of Costa Rica expat living (Climate, Convenience, Culture and Context). In my humble opinion and according to my tastes, the mountains beat the beaches on the first three of my four C’s. The last one (context) is entirely subjective. However, if I had to break it down to the thing or things that are the biggest draws for Perez, I’d have to say it’s actually the “three C’s” noted below…

The number one reason any Perez Zeledon expat will mention if you ask them why they live in the mountains versus the beach is climate. There’s a world of difference in temperature between, say, 900 meters (the altitude where I live) and sea level. San Isidro has been called the fastest growing city of Costa Rica. You can live a ways outside of it (in the cool mountains) and still have its many conveniences at your fingertips. I live in the mountains outside of town at 900 meters, but it only takes me 5 minutes to get downtown and often I even walk it! Finally, there is no arguing that you can make ends meet in Perez a whole lot cheaper than at the beach. Perez is a tico-dominated culture, whereas the beach is tourism-dominated. And ticos on the whole simply can’t afford to pay tourism prices. Many of us gringo expats don’t like to pay tourism prices either!

Of course, it’s all subjective, according to individual tastes, and everything about the allure of the Costa Rica southern zone written above is purely the opinion of a lone gringo who’s lived in the area long enough to sort of have a handle on what makes it tick.

Deciding on the particular allure of the Costa Rica southern zone that floats your boat is certainly the most important thing (for you). I hope this post helps you get your own unique handle on that.

Don’t miss The Allure of the Southern Zone – Part 2