Welcome to Pavones

🌊 The History of Pavones: How a Vision Sparked a Community

In the early 1970s, Daniel Fowlie looked down from a small plane over Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast and saw something few outsiders had ever witnessed: a wave that seemed to run endlessly along the jungle shoreline. It was the secret wave he had only heard whispers of—the rumored longest left in the world. For a surfer, it was impossible to miss.

Landing in Golfito, Daniel did what visionaries often do—he acted immediately. Within hours, he had tracked down the property owner, drafted the first compraventa agreement that same night, and acquired a modest sawmill. What seemed at first like a rough, remote outpost became the seed of a dream.

Building Pavones from the Ground Up

At that time, there were no roads linking Pavones to the main towns. Undeterred, Daniel began barging in equipment by sea—tractors, tools, and heavy machinery. Over the next decade, he carved roads through the jungle, built bridges, and laid the famous “Red Road” to Conte, named for the color of the earth itself. He brought electricity, health professionals, agronomists, and new opportunities, employing nearly all of the 35 local families who lived in the area.

Together with the community, he planted orchards of fruit, cacao, rice, and avocado. He built homes in his distinctive style—solid rock foundations gathered from the beaches, architecture inspired by both artistry and practicality. Pavones was becoming not just a surfers paradise, but a model for sustainable living and community.

The Turning Point

By the mid-1980s, larger forces shifted. With the U.S. government’s “War on Drugs” intensifying, Daniel was implicated in a marijuana-related charge—ultimately serving over 18 years in prison. During his absence, the area fell into turmoil. Multinational banana companies pulled out, the Costa Rican government opened the region to squatters, and lands were violently contested.

Meanwhile, the stewardship of Daniel’s properties became tangled in layers of corporations, questionable sales, and disputes. By the time he returned in the early 2000s, the dream he had started was buried beneath a legal and social labyrinth.

The Struggle and the Vision

For decades since, Daniel and those who shared his vision have worked to untangle the past—protecting titles, preserving lands, and holding onto the dream of what Pavones was always meant to be: a natural paradise where people and nature thrive together.

Pavones is not just about the wave, though it remains the best left hand break in the world. It is about the people who live here, the land that nourishes them, and the responsibility to protect it all for generations to come.

The Future of Pavones

Today, nearly 50 years after that first flight, the vision continues. At Parque Pavones, we believe this community can once again embody its original promise: a harmonious blend of pristine nature, thriving local culture, and sustainable living.

The road here has been long—marked by struggle, sacrifice, and resilience. But just as the wave itself keeps rolling, so does the dream. Together—with the local families, the land, the ocean, and those who invest with integrity—we can continue to shape Pavones into a sacred sanctuary, a true Shangri-La on Costa Rica’s southern coast.