Zapotal

About Zapotal:

Zapotal is the third of Nandayure’s six districts: a little over 100 square kilometres of hills, river valleys and one stretch of coast, home to about 1,300 people. Besides the village of Zapotal on the ridge, it takes in San Pedro, El Carmen, Río de Oro, Río Ora, Manzanales, Soledad, Leona, San Martín, Altos de Mora, Cuesta Bijagua, Río Blanco Este and, down by the sea, Camaronal. Three national routes cross it: the 902 between Carmona and Hojancha, the 901 that drops toward Puerto Carrillo, and the coastal 160. Until December 2015, people in Camaronal had to ford the Río Ora every day; a 176-metre bridge now carries Route 160 over the river and ties Camaronal and Islita to Carrillo and Sámara. The municipality has recently paved the road through Zapotal, but plenty of side roads are still gravel, and locals take the climb between Zapotal and El Carmen in a 4×4.

The settlers who climbed out of Carmona brought Central Valley habits with them, and the ridge still farms that way: coffee, sugar cane and cattle, with the Catholic church at the centre of the village. Guanacaste won the argument over culture, though. Marimba dances and bull riding belong to Zapotal as much as to the lowland towns. Services in the villages are basic, with schools, small shops and the church, so residents go to Carmona, the canton seat, for paperwork and errands, and to Sámara or Carrillo for beach-town shops and restaurants. The nearest hospital is in Nicoya, a little over an hour from El Carmen, and Liberia’s international airport is about two and a half hours away.

The village sits high enough to look out over the Gulf of Nicoya, and the district has an average elevation of 500 metres. That height matters to buyers. On the ridges around El Carmen and San Pedro the air is fresher and breezier than at the beach, which is the main reason people choose a lot up here and drive down for a swim. At the other end of the district, Playa Camaronal runs for several kilometres of grey sand from the mouth of the Río Ora to the cliffs of Punta Camaronal. It has been a national wildlife refuge since 1994, protecting the mangrove at the river mouth and a beach where leatherback, olive ridley, hawksbill and black turtles nest. There is a ranger station, a camping area and a surf break that pulls riders over from Sámara and Carrillo.

Most residents are Costa Rican families who have worked this land for generations. For decades more people left than arrived, and that has started to turn. Newcomers fall into a few groups: surfers and couples who want Camaronal’s waves and quiet a few minutes from Playa Carrillo; retirees and remote workers after a cooler hillside with an ocean view at El Carmen or San Pedro; and Costa Ricans looking for farmland or a weekend place in the interior. A riverside parcel of a couple of hectares inland can cost less than a quarter-acre ocean-view lot near Camaronal, so the same budget buys very different things within one district.

Land and Lots in Zapotal:

Most of what changes hands is land. Around Camaronal, small hillside communities above the beach offer ocean-view lots from a quarter acre to more than a hectare; some look along the whole bay, others down the Río Ora valley, and all sit a short drive from the surf. In El Carmen, lots of 800 to 2,400 square metres come with power and water and views toward the Pacific, about fifteen minutes from Playa Carrillo. San Pedro has hillside lots with building pads already cut and long mountain views. Further inland, around Zapotal village and the river valleys, land for sale in Zapotal is measured in hectares: pasture, riverside parcels and farms that look out over the gulf. Some interior properties draw water from their own well, so ask how water reaches the lot before you look at anything else.

Houses in Zapotal:

Houses fall into two groups. In the ridge villages they are family homes on modest plots, some with three or four bedrooms and a view down to the Gulf of Nicoya. Near Camaronal, owners have built ocean-view homes with pools, a few with a guest house or separate apartment that can be let on its own. If you are looking at homes for sale in Zapotal near the coast, ask whether the house was built as a rental and how it has done.

Rentals in Zapotal:

Renting here mostly means a holiday stay near Camaronal: villas with a private pool and an ocean view, and small apartments a few minutes from the beach, many of them taken by surfers. The dry season, from December to April, fills first. The rainy months have their own draw, since the turtle nesting season peaks then, with olive ridleys and leatherbacks coming ashore around October. Book vacation rentals near Playa Camaronal early for the holidays, and if you are coming in the wet season, ask how the drive up to the house holds up after rain.

FAQ:

• Is this the Zapotal with the golf and beach club?

  No. Playa Zapotal and its golf and beach club are in Sardinal, in Carrillo canton, just north of Las Catalinas on Guanacaste’s northern coast. This Zapotal is a district of Nandayure on the southern Nicoya Peninsula, postal code 50903, and there is a third Zapotal, a district of San Ramón in Alajuela. If a listing only says “Zapotal, Guanacaste”, ask for the cadastral plan: the district and canton on it tell you which one you are looking at.

• Can I build close to Playa Camaronal?

  Only with care. Camaronal is a national wildlife refuge managed by the Área de Conservación Tempisque, and the first 200 metres from the high-tide line are maritime-terrestrial zone, with the first 50 open to the public. For any lot near the beach, have the refuge boundary checked against the cadastral plan and make sure what you are paying for is titled land, not a concession or protected ground. Get a lawyer to confirm all of it before you sign an option to buy.

• What should I check before buying land up on the ridge?

  Up here, water and the road come first. Find out whether the lot has a water connection or depends on a well, and drive the access after a few days of heavy rain, since a gravel climb changes character in the wet season. After that, order a title certificate from the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario) and find the boundary markers on the ground to see that they match the cadastral plan. If you reach the lot along a private lane, that right of way has to be recorded in the registry. Apply for the land-use certificate at the municipal office in Carmona, and on steep ground ask what slope you are allowed to build on before the view makes the decision for you.

• How do I get to Zapotal, and are the roads open all year?

  From Carmona, Route 902 crosses the district toward Hojancha, and local roads climb to Zapotal village and on to El Carmen. From Sámara or Carrillo, Route 160 crosses the Río Ora bridge to Camaronal, so the beach no longer depends on fording the river. The main road through Zapotal is paved, while many side roads and the stretch between Zapotal and El Carmen are still gravel. From May to November, a high-clearance car or a 4×4 is the safe choice.

• Is it really cooler up in the hills?

  Yes, and that is why many buyers choose El Carmen or San Pedro over a lot by the sand. The breeze on the ridges takes the edge off the Guanacaste heat, while the beach at Camaronal or Carrillo stays a short drive away. The trade-off is more time behind the wheel, on roads that slow down in the rains. Visit at midday in the dry season and again in the wet months before you decide.