Montezuma is a small, walkable beach town near the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, squeezed between forested hills and a rocky stretch of the Pacific. Within a short drive or hike you can reach Costa Rica’s oldest protected area, a waterfall that pours straight onto a beach, and some of the country’s best-known surf towns.
The wider peninsula is also known for the longevity of its residents, part of what made Nicoya one of the world’s Blue Zones. Here is what to see around Montezuma and how to get there.
Getting to Montezuma
Most visitors drive from San José to Puntarenas and take the car ferry across the Gulf of Nicoya to Paquera. The crossing takes a little over an hour, and Naviera Tambor runs eight departures a day in each direction.
Only part of each sailing can be booked online, and the rest is sold at the terminal. On weekends and holidays, buy ahead and arrive early, because missing a full boat can cost you several hours.
From Paquera, Montezuma is roughly an hour’s drive south through Cóbano. Shuttle vans and public buses also meet the ferry, and small domestic airlines fly to Tambor, a short drive from town.
Montezuma Waterfall
The town’s best-known sight is a chain of three waterfalls on the Montezuma River, a short walk south of the center. The trail starts just past the bridge on the road toward Cabuya and follows the riverbed, so expect to scramble over wet boulders in shoes with good grip.
The lower fall is the tallest and has a wide pool at its base for swimming. The upper falls are reached by a separate, steeper path.
Do not climb or jump from the top of the lower fall. People have died there, and the rock around every tier is slick. If the river turns brown or starts running fast after rain, stay out of the water, since levels can rise within minutes. One reporter’s account of jumping from the middle falls shows how high the stakes are.
Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve
Cabo Blanco, at the very tip of the peninsula, became Costa Rica’s first protected area in 1963. It exists largely because of Nicolás Wessberg and Karen Mogensen, a Swedish-Danish couple who settled near Montezuma and campaigned to save the forest as land clearing spread across the region.
The entrance is just past the village of Cabuya, south of Montezuma. Two trails are open to visitors. The Danish Trail is a forest loop of about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles), while the Swedish Trail runs about 4.5 km (2.8 miles) each way to a white-sand beach at the tip of the peninsula and takes most of a day there and back.
The reserve is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the rest of the week. Start early, carry more water than you think you need, and watch for howler monkeys, white-faced capuchins and coatis along the way.
Cabuya and its island cemetery
Cabuya is a quiet fishing village on the way to Cabo Blanco. At low tide you can walk across the rocks to Cabuya Island, which holds the village cemetery, but check the tide table first and head back well before the water returns.
Nearby Playa Los Suecos is a calm, little-visited beach that works well for a late-afternoon swim after a morning in the reserve.
El Chorro and the beaches north of town
A coastal trail runs north from Montezuma past a string of coves. Playa Grande, about a half-hour walk from town, is a long, quiet beach popular with surfers. It is not the Playa Grande near Tamarindo in Guanacaste, which is several hours away.
Farther along, El Chorro waterfall drops directly onto Playa Cocalito, about 8 km (5 miles) north of town. You can reach it on foot along the shore or on horseback, but plan the trip around low tide, because some rocky points cannot be passed when the water is up. Playa Romelia, next door, is protected as a wildlife refuge.
Montezuma’s main beach is beautiful but often rough, and rip currents are common on this coast. Swim in the calmer coves, never alone, and ask locally about conditions before you go in.
Santa Teresa and Mal País
About half an hour away by road, on the peninsula’s western shore, Santa Teresa and Mal País are busier, with more restaurants, nightlife and consistent surfing. Playa Carmen, Playa Hermosa and Manzanillo line the coast to the north.
Many visitors stay in Montezuma for its slower pace and drive over for a day of surf, or do the reverse.
Day trips from Montezuma
Boat tours leave from Montezuma for Tortuga Island in the Gulf of Nicoya, known for clear water, snorkeling and white sand. Curú National Wildlife Refuge, near Paquera, has forest trails and sheltered beaches and makes an easy stop on the way to or from the ferry.
For a longer outing, the Karen Mogensen Reserve on the peninsula’s gulf side, named for one of Cabo Blanco’s founders and run by a local community group, protects a large tract of forest with hiking trails and waterfalls.
When to go
The dry season runs roughly from December to April, with sunny days and the easiest hiking. From May to November the landscape turns green and crowds thin out, though September and October are usually the wettest months.
The waterfalls are at their fullest late in the rainy season, which is also when trails get muddy and rivers rise fastest. Whatever the month, the southern Nicoya Peninsula rewards anyone willing to trade a little travel time for forest, quiet beaches and one of the most scenic corners of Costa Rica.
