About Gandoca, Limon, Costa Rica

Gandoca is a small village very near the Panama border, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. There is no costal road leading all the way to Gandoca. The road stops at Manzanillo. Gandoca is accessed by car via the road leading from Sixaola, an inland town on the Panama border. Gandoca is definitely not a tourist town, and visitors there are quite rare. You are unlikely to include Gandoca on your travel itinerary, but we decided to include information on it as a curiosity.
Most of the people in Gandoca who work, work on commercial banana plantations.

Gandoca is a typical example of the fallout of these banana operations. There's nothing happening in Gandoca. That's why few people go there.

Gandoca is really a beautiful place. Its most notable feature is the turtle conservation project which works there to protect the eggs of sea turtles. Huge sea turtles come to the beaches near Gandoca every year to lay their eggs in the sand. It is a truly awesome sight to behold, and many people are concerned with protecting these magnificent animals. Unfortunately, their eggs are considered a delicacy, so every year the turtle project works to move the eggs to safe sites and protect them from poachers. They welcome volunteers to help with this endeavor.

Gandoca is at the southern end of the Gandoca-Manzanillo wildlife reserve, and is situated next to some of the most beautiful, pristine wilderness areas in the region. The beaches are exquisite and the jungle is lovely. Eventually, a coastal road may be built all the way to Gandoca, opening it up to tourist traffic. This would greatly benefit the local people, as well as the tourists who would be given access to this beautiful spot. However, care must be taken to preserve the wilderness within the reserve, as it is home to some of the last remnants of the original Costa Rican wildlife and rainforest ecosystems.