The Worthwhile Places of Montezuma

Montezuma is one of those places that draws people from all over the world who seek the same goal: living the Pura Vida life of Costa Rica. It’s a place where tourist who are looking for activities and tours, and backpackers spending a few weeks touring the country, can coincide without one overrunning the other. The small town of Montezuma is a weird combination of tourism and locality that I haven’t seen anywhere else. There are many different companies that offer tours or shuttles, while the locals are working and living and enjoying the beaches just as much as the tourists. Its small center sits with only a few streets connecting the corners, with restaurants and stores filling all the in-between. It’s a pretty small town with a pretty big playground, but these are a few of the places I would recommend checking out if you make it to Montezuma.

Sunrise on local beach just outside of town

Much of the outer parts of town (and the main dirt road that leads you to Montezuma) are filled with hostels. If you don’t like one, no worries, there is probably another one 15 yards away. However, Montezuma is a popping place so I would advise to make reservations before-hand. I stayed in Luz en el Cielo, which was a short hike up a hill from the center of town. It is the perfect place to stay if you’re looking for a community and relaxed environment. I met many different people from Canada, Italy, Germany, Australia and other parts of the U.S. A traditional Costa Rican breakfast was included with your stay, which consisted of gallo pinto, usually two different kinds of fruit, toast, eggs, and of course, coffee. I stayed with a group of 7 other friends in a private room which offered us a private bathroom and shower. Everything is very eco-friendly and very open, with a large kitchen and eating area. There was no AC in the room, but several fans were provided. It tended to be a little hot during the afternoon but it cooled off nicely in the evening, especially when the sliding door was open. There were also other rooms for people seeking a cheaper option, with a dormitory style room where people from several different groups all slept in the same room.

There is one main dirt road that heads South out of town that can take you to the Montezuma waterfalls or other beaches. There were places to rent four-wheelers or you can head out on foot, which is what I did. All the locals I interacted with were always helpful in answering any questions or pointing me in the right direction. It’s a pretty small town so you can learn the area quickly. It’s also a great place to jump between different activities in the same afternoon due to the unique size and closeness of everything. Several days we would head out to the beach in the morning with a packed lunch (there are two grocery stores in Montezuma to purchase food to cook at your hostel or for lunch, if you are trying to save money), stay there until mid-afternoon, and then head up to the waterfall for a freshwater swim.

There were also several different beaches that can be accessed by foot, while others required a few hours by way of shuttle or local bus to reach. I stayed local and wanted to see what was directly around Montezuma (I also didn’t want to spend the $10/one way for the shuttle to certain beaches. It would have been worth it if I had time and a little more money to make more out of the day trip.) There is a main beach right beside the center of town that was the most populated. It also catered to any ocean boat tours, as this is where they sometimes docked to let people on and off. This did make for the water to be a little dirtier but was still a nice place to relax on the beach and swim. The best beach I found was called Playa de Las Manchas and was located a short 15-20-minute walk down the dirt road toward the waterfall (there are signs warning of a rip current on the left and was about 10-minutes past the waterfall trail). If you ask any local they’ll give you directions. Great snorkeling opportunities in clear/ blue water, along with several different places on the way to this beach to set up a tent and camp beach-side if you wanted.

Playa de Las Manchas

The only downside to not renting a four-wheeler was exploring beyond the main beaches located relatively close to the center of town. Many places in-between the beaches were fill with rocky shoreline, making it unsafe to swim. Having a four-wheeler or car would have been nice to go a little further out of town looking for a secluded beach rather than walking for miles one way in the heat.

The waterfall of Montezuma (Cascada de Montezuma) was a popular spot for many people but was a big enough area that there was still plenty of room to swim and relax. It was about a 5-minute walk out of town and another 10-15-minute hike up the trail (there are technically three separate waterfalls but the middle one is the main swimming area). It was a great place to get rid of all the sand from the day and relax in some fresh water. This place in particular was where I saw the most mixture of locals and tourist. People from all over the world hanging out, enjoying a good swim and maybe a beer or two. There are also several different spots to jump off of into the pool of water if you’re looking for a little more excitement.

Cascada de Montezuma

I spent a total of four days in Montezuma and feel as though it was the perfect time to see everything close to the center of Montezuma, but would have wanted a few more days to explore the more secluded parts by way of car or four-wheeler.

*Accessing Montezuma*

I purchased a bus ticket from San Jose, round trip, that included the ferry ticket for the ferry ride over to Montezuma (around $28 USD in total – you can purchase tickets individual). There are two buses that leave San Jose, one at 6am and the other at 2:30pm. The bus will get on the ferry with you, and then you have to get back on the bus once the ferry reaches the peninsula for the remainder hour or so drive to Montezuma.