| Official Name: | Playa Zancudo |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Costa Rica |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name: | Costa Rica |
| Subdivision Name1: | Puntarenas Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | Canton |
| Subdivision Name2: | Golfito Canton |
| Population Total: | 450 |
| Coordinates: | 8.5441°N -83.1467°W |
| Footnotes: | [1] |
Playa Zancudo is a village in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica near the Golfo Dulce. It has a population of approximately 450.[2]
It is located 9.5 kilometers south of Golfito.[3] Zancudo is located on a long and narrow peninsula, sometime only 100 yards wide, at the mouth of the Rio Colorado.[3] On one side of the peninsula is Zancudo's beach, protected from the full force of Pacific waves, while the other is home to a mangrove swamp.[3] The whole beach is 6 miles long, with the southern three miles of it having jungle and farmland on the east side and most of the town being located within the northernmost mile.[2] The town of Playa Zancudo contains a school, several churches, a soccer field, some Tico restaurants and bars, three sportfishing areas, and a general store.[2]
The area around Golfito's port was developed by the United Fruit Company in the 1930s.[2] While this was happening, excess bananas that washed down the Rio Coto river came upon Playa Zancudo's beaches.[2] During this time, pig farms thrived on the leftover bananas.[2] Americans began moving to Zancudo in the 1980s, with the rise in foreign settlement aiding the demise of pig farming in Zancudo.[2]
The nearest airport is in Golfito.[3]
The dirt road which connects the community to nearby towns has daily bus service in and out of the town.