Montezuma, Costa Rica

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Montezuma (9.65° N, 85.07° W) is a town in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica which began as a remote fishing village and has gained popularity since the 1980s among tourists on a budget.

Montezuma is located near the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, 41km southwest of Paquera and 8km south of the town of Cóbano. Most services are in Cóbano.

The tiny beach haven features a mainly foreign community with a lot of European influences. It’s a long-time favourite of backpackers and eco-tourists who come for the beaches, rivers and scenic waterfalls that surround the village. Nearby is the nature reserve of Cabo Blanco. The center of Montezuma consists almost entirely of accommodations, restaurants, and souvenir shops. Catering to the young and the budget-oriented crowd that makes up the bulk of its visitors, Montezuma offers a choice of good, inexpensive rooms. There is no bank and no post office in Montezuma.

Montezuma Falls

Montezuma's most rewarding and inexpensive activity is hiking to the several waterfalls near town. The best one is also the closest, about a 7min. walk along the road to Cabo Blanco. A smaller and less spectacular waterfall with good swimming is a 2hr. walk north along the coast. A trail that is sometimes hard to follow alternates between the beach and a flat path behind the rock formations.

The beach in the center of Montezuma is tightly bordered by imposing rock formations but swimming or sun bathing isn’t really recommended here as it’s not overly tidy and has a strong rip tide. A better option is Playa Grande, a hundred meters down to the left. It’s a vast expanse of beach which is usually less crowded and good for swimming.

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Coordinates: 9°39′N, 85°04′W

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