Montezuma Beach & Village, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

The most popular natural attraction in Montezuma is the river and series of waterfalls that offer refreshment and spiritual uplifting and energizing experience.

The village of Montezuma is small, really just two main streets, with street artists hawking jewlery and more, a few dozen healthy and delicious restaurants, more than a few tour operator kiosks offering zipline and other activities, a few travel agencies, the best ice cream shop, a few small supermarkets, and lovely gift shops too.

Montezuma has a decent night life, with a dance hall in the center of town called Chicos, and on some nights the fire dancers will come out and offer a free show in the middle of street...be careful driving through town go very slowly and watch out for children, dogs, tourists, and whatever else might be sharing the street, its typically one lane and requires alot of attention from the driver as pedestrians really rein supreme here.

Besides all the wonderful restaurants, the best reason to come to Montezuma after the waterfalls are the pristine beaches. I like to avoid the small beach where boats come and go, because it is not especially clean, but if you walk or drive to the end of town you will discover a series of exquisite beaches strung together like pearls, with connecting jungle paths between them.

First is playa Montezuma, a rocky and very beautiful beach where many people camp and fish and also a turtle hatchery calls its home. Take care swimming here because rip currents are strong and there are plenty of rocks as well...I like to come to this beach for the spectacular sunrises and to feel the sand between my toes.

After a long walk the beach ends and the path continues through the jungle for a short ways, keep on the look out for small lizards and other natural interests such as small but beautiful flowers...then you will arrive at the small and turbulent beach of Playa Colorada...control your urge to collect the colorful stones here, it is a protected beach, instead you might head upstream following the rio piedras into a beautiful jungle where the white face monkeys like to play and rest in the afternoons...there are amazing small waterfalls and swimming pools and this is the perfect location for swimming in your birthday suit.

The Reserva Absoluta Nicolas Wessburg, a private conservation area, starts at Playa Colorada, and tourists can walk or horseback ride along the border via the jungle trail to playa Grande, the interior of the park is reserved for wildlife as it should be.

Thirty minutes from Playa Montezuma and through another jungle path you come to Playa Grande, which as it's name promises is a large beach popular with the surfers and better for swimming, do pay attention to the tides and talk to locals about good times to come and go because the path can dissapear at high tide! Playa Grande is a great place to spend the day, and even nude sunbathe too, for a fully relaxing experience hike in at sunrise, pack a picnic and wait until late afternoon to head back to town...

If you are super ambitious or on horseback, beyond Playa Grande and through another jungle trail you will come to Playa Cocalito (lined with many coconut trees) and at the end of this beach a small and protected waterfall El Chorro falling into the Pacific ocean best seen from a boat or by climbing along the rocky outcropping at the edge of the beach.

Pura vida,
Justine Smythe