Golfito is about as south as you can go on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica’s Povince of Puntarenas. The way to reach to Golfito by car is following the Interamericana Highway from the Central Valley to the Canoas on the Panamanian border. It’s a long ride from San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital. Golfito has an airstrip though where small planes land coming from Juan Santamaria International Airport in Alajuela or from Tobias Bolanos Airport in Pavas, San Jose. The little tow of Golfito is overlooking the Golfo Dulce (Sweet Bay) as formerly served as a port for the exportation of bananas. The infamous United Fruit Company, which changed its name in the 1970’s to United Brands Company and is the owner of the Chiquita brand. In 1985 the United Brand Company left Golfito and stopped the banana production and returned their plantations to the Costa Rican government. To let the area recover the Golfito Reserve formed and to compensate the loss of jobs caused by the departure of the banana company a duty free zone was created which attracts both Cost Ricans and foreigners. The natural, untouched beauty of the region has stimulated the development of Golfito as a destination for tourists who are conscious of the importance of sustainable tourism and prefer to stay in an ecological environment. The attraction of Golfito is the rustic atmosphere of the town, embedded in lush tropical vegetation combined with the beautiful quiet beaches along the bay. On the other side of the Golfo Dulce Puerto Jimenez is located on the Osa Penisula. You can take a ferry from Golfito to reach this town, which is the gate to one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful national parks: Corcovado. With four ranger stations the park of Corcovado offers the possibility to make guided hikes through a virgin rainforest with more than 400 different species of birds. More inland up in the mountains, elevated more than 900 meters above sea level, the town of San Vito offers a refuge from the damp climate of the coast. The town was founded in the 1950’s by Italians who settled in this part of Costa Rica. As expected some excellent Italian food can be enjoyed here and there are a few nice hotels in town. Just north of Golfito the National Park of Piedras Blancas is located, one of the best spots for bird watching in Costa Rica. Inside the park there are many rivers and waterfalls and the coast line offers a number of pristine beaches with coral reefs. Crossing the border with Panama in Canoas, you can make the cross-over to the Carribean side and enter Costa Rica at Sixaola in the Talamanca region of the Province of Limon.