Montezuma
and the southern tip

How to use this guide

This selection is for arriving at the southern tip of the peninsula with two or three days and combining waterfalls, beach and a reserve you explore on foot. The usual route is the ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera, about 70 minutes across the gulf, then the road to Montezuma, which works as the base for everything else.

Spend the first day around the village. In the morning, climb to the Montezuma Waterfalls along the riverbed or by the hanging-bridge trail, and in the afternoon go down to Montezuma village and beach. If your legs allow, the coastal path reaches Playa Grande, the best surf beach in the area, in about 45 minutes. El Chorro Waterfall, which drops straight into the sea north of the village, fits into a morning at low tide.

The second day is for the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve, 15 minutes past Cabuya. The Sueco trail is 10 km there and back, about 2 hours each way, to a beach you can only reach on foot or by boat; if you prefer something short, the Danés trail is 2 km. The reserve is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so on those days swap the order. On the way back, Cabuya Island and its cemetery can only be reached on foot at low tide. The Isla Tortuga day trip, about 1 hour by boat from Montezuma and from $78 plus VAT, is the first thing to drop if money is tight.

Tips

• At the Montezuma Waterfalls, do not jump from the middle fall, where people have died, or from the lower one, because of the rocks. Leave before dark, around 5:30 p.m.
• The river route only charges for parking, ₡2,000, and at the upper section you may be asked for another ₡2,000; the hanging-bridge trail costs $5 per person.
• Cabo Blanco opens from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: start the Sueco trail by about 11:00 a.m. at the latest to be out before closing. Children under 6 go free.
• Cross to Cabuya Island only at low tide and come back before it rises, as the path gets covered. It is a working cemetery, so walk respectfully.
• On the ferry, some places are sold online and the rest at the ticket office: arrive at least 45 minutes early, especially on public holidays. Over-65s travel free.