When you think of a fjord, you most likely picture a pristine Scandinavian coastline, frigid blue waters shadowed by steep mountainsides, dotted with the colorfully painted houses of those hardy enough to live there. But fjords are not exclusive to the northern regions. While there are thousands of polar and sub-polar fjords in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions, there are only four tropical fjords in the world.
These four are located in the Galapagos Islands, Indonesia, Venezuela, and right here in Costa Rica. Located in the southernmost part of the country, the Golfo Dulce cuts a wide, watery gash that separates the Osa peninsula from the mainland.
Tropical fjords have much in common with their better known cooler climate cousins. They are typically U-shaped, long, narrow and deep bodies of water, created when glaciers carved out valleys that were then flooded by the sea.
They are also rich marine habitats that support a high diversity of wildlife. In fact, the Golfo Dulce is the only Whale Heritage site in Central and South America. It is said to be the only place in the world where two different humpback whale species migrate to the same location to breed.
Besides migrating whales, it also harbors a sizable population of spotted and bottlenose dolphins and four species of sea turtle. And local fishermen have long known of its plentiful fishing grounds that feature roosterfish, snapper, jacks, and mackerels.
I first visited the Golfo Dulce three decades ago, and admit, I was not impressed initially. I like waves and sandy beaches, and the parts I visited were calm, as is common with fjords. The beaches were as much broken coral as sand and the water was warm and salty. I felt like I was swimming in soup. While the remoteness of the area was attractive to me, I could not imagine settling there.
Then fate intervened. Following a fairly complicated exchange of goods and services, I became the owner of a small plot of land about 3 kilometers from the Golfo Dulce coastline and about 8 kilometers from one of the lesser traveled entrances to the Corcovado National Park (which, depending on which study you cite, has anywhere from 2.5 to 5% of the world’s biodiversity within its 420 square kilometer borders).
This is the Golfo Dulce. This will be my eventual home. Yes it’s hot and remote, but it attracts only a specific type of tourist, one ready to rough it a bit. It is old Costa Rica, and for a combination of factors, will likely always retain some of that throwback feel.
The area has changed comparatively little in the three decades since I first visited, and is the antidote for the ongoing gentrification of other popular tourist areas. I like it for these reasons. The fact that it is also a rarity– a tropical fjord– makes me like it that much more.
