Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife refuge located about 12 kilometers southeast of Puerto Viejo, and just a little south of a small village of Manzanillo on Costa Rica`s Caribbean Coast is one of the most beautiful and scenic sites in the country. Fine sandy beaches, gentle waves, coral reefs near the surface of the sea all make this region a paradise for nature lovers and underwater enthusiasts.

The terrain of the refuge is flat to gently rolling with the hills consisting of sedimentary rocks formed by the river Banano no higher than 100 meter above sea level.

This important refuge protects the wildlife of the region, especially species in danger of extinction or having reduced populations. It also safeguards the only natural occurring mangrove oyster beds to inhabit the reef along the coastline. The remaining primary forest in this region is unique throughout the Atlantic coastal lowlands because of the relatively small surface area available to supports the area`s abundant wildlife.

This area contains a wide range of lowland habitats with patches of primary forest and numerous rare and unique plants. The refuge also protects mayor freshwater and marine habitats, including one of the least spoiled coral reefs on the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica. This part of the Atlantic Coast is classified as a tropical rain forest.

The Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge contains a few of Costa Rica last living coral reefs and the last orey swamp in the country. It also contains the only intact mangrove swamp on the Atlantic Coast, an important turtle nesting beach.

The coral reefs in front of Uva, Manzanillo and Mona points measure five square kilometers all together and there you could find most of the corals and octocorals species.

Fairly common plant that grows throughout the reef area is turtle grass. It forms underwater grassland that is not very deep and that is host to several kinds of seaweed, and food for some fish, mollusk and sea snails.

You can find many species in this area, in trees: holillo palm, sajo, cativo, coconut palm, sea grape, red mangrove. In animals: crocodile, tapir, paca and West Indian manatee, just to mention a few, also the species that live at the coral reef: queen angelfish, French angelfish, rock beauty, blue parrot fish, Chaetodon ocellatus, lobsters, sponge, red urchin, long spine black urchin, sun anemone, Venus sea fans, Pacific green turtles and Atlantic tarpon. Birds you can find: crested-mandible toucan, ornated hawk-eagle, red-loren amazon, red capped manakin, sulphur-winged parakeet, broad-billed motmot and lineated woodpecker.