La Amistad

About La Amistad:

La Amistad covers about 76 km² in the south-east of Pérez Zeledón, beyond Pejibaye. From San Isidro you head south on the Interamericana Sur, turn off on the road to Pejibaye and carry on along Route 332, a 16 km national road that runs through Pejibaye and into La Amistad. San Antonio is about 35 km from San Isidro, close to an hour by car; San Gabriel is a little nearer, at around 31 km. A bus line runs from San Isidro to San Antonio and on to China Kichá, so the district is reachable without a car.

The district was created by Executive Agreement 67-2014-MGP of 5 December 2014 and became official when it was published in La Gaceta on 9 March 2016. Its ten communities are San Antonio, Corralillo, China Kichá, Montezuma, Oratorio, San Carlos, San Gabriel, San Roque, Santa Cecilia and Santa Luisa. No other district in the canton has fewer residents. The coat of arms shows a farmer, a student, a wreath of coffee and two clasped hands, a literal reading of the name.

Life here runs on farming. Coffee grows on the slopes and cattle graze the flatter ground, mostly on family-sized farms that also turn out cacao, mamón chino, bananas and plantains. The villages have pulperías and sodas, but the hospital, banks and supermarkets are all in San Isidro. Every January San Antonio holds its fiestas cívicas, with a bullring, bull riding and food stalls that pull in families from across the Zona Sur. The property market follows the same logic: people buy here to work the land, and the house usually comes with the farm.

The rivers have cut two well-known swimming spots. The Trillizas del Namú is a staircase of waterfalls, each with its own green pool, reached on a signposted trail of about 2 km from San Antonio, with parking and a soda at the entrance. In San Gabriel the water slides down a long, smooth rock face into a pool; it is on a private farm, so arrange the visit first. China Kichá, the Cabécar community in the district’s hills, is a home rather than an attraction and is visited only by invitation.

Houses in La Amistad:

Houses in La Amistad almost always come with land around them. The usual pattern is a three-bedroom farmhouse on one to two hectares with coffee in production, fruit trees, a bodega and a private drive, and some add a covered barbecue area or a lookout towards the Talamanca range. Asphalt reaches the gate of some properties, while others sit at the end of a lastre track, and you will feel the difference every time you drive to San Isidro. Ask whether the house is connected to the local ASADA or relies on a spring, and get the answer in writing.

Farms and Land in La Amistad:

Land is the core of the market: coffee fincas, pasture with corrals and mixed farms, from a few thousand square metres up to holdings of many hectares. One San Gabriel farm of about nine and a half hectares, for example, combines brachiaria pasture, coffee, cacao and mamón chino with river frontage and two springs. Water like that is a real asset, but Costa Rica’s Forestry Law protects a strip along every river and a wider radius around springs, so the buildable part of a parcel can be much smaller than the total. It is not unusual for a larger farm to sit on two or more cadastral plans, and each one needs checking on its own.

FAQ:

• How long does it take to get from La Amistad to San Isidro de El General?

  San Antonio is about 35 km away, close to an hour by car via the Interamericana Sur, the Pejibaye road and Route 332. San Gabriel is around 31 km, roughly 45 to 50 minutes. The San Isidro–San Antonio–China Kichá bus covers the same road for anyone without a car.

• Why do the papers for a farm in San Gabriel say Pejibaye or Platanares?

  The district boundary only took effect in 2016, and plans and deeds drawn up before then still name the old districts. That is not a defect in itself, but the cadastral plan, the property recorded in the Registro Nacional and the boundaries on the ground must all describe the same parcel. When a farm spreads over several plans, check every one of them, look for liens, and confirm land use with the Municipalidad de Pérez Zeledón before you sign.

• Can I buy a finca inside China Kichá?

  No. China Kichá is a Cabécar indigenous territory, re-established by decree in 2001, and under Indigenous Law 6172 its land is inalienable: non-indigenous people cannot buy, rent or lease it, and any such contract is void. That restriction does not apply in the rest of La Amistad, so use the plan to confirm that a parcel lies outside the territory’s boundary.

• What do farms in La Amistad produce?

  Mostly coffee and cattle, as in the neighbouring districts of Pejibaye and Platanares. Many farms add cacao, mamón chino, bananas and plantains. If you plan to farm, ask what is already planted and producing, because that shapes the value as much as the acreage does.

• Where do residents shop and see a doctor?

  Villages such as San Antonio have pulperías and sodas for everyday needs. For the hospital, banks and supermarkets you drive to San Isidro de El General, the canton’s main town. Build that trip into your plans if you mean to live here full time.