Montezuma Beach Costa Rica

Location: between Las Manchas and Tambor Beach in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
Montezuma Beach GPS Coordenates: 9.654559, -85.068024 (9°39’16.41″N, 85°04’04.88″W)
District: Cobano, canton: Puntarenas, province: Puntarenas.
Zone postal code: 60111.

Montezuma Beach Costa Rica is nestled into a landscape of true tropical paradise on the eastern shore of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, at the bottom of a plateau overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Montezuma was a small remote fishing village until the 1980’s when it began to gain a repute of being an ideal budget location for the nearby areas of the Cabo Blanco National Park, the Isla Tortuga and the Curu Wildlife Reserve. In many ways this little picturesque and charming village feels like the end of the line, known for its off-beat, bohemian atmosphere and the stunning beauty of its beaches, rivers and waterfalls. Due to its off-beat ambience Montezuma is also known in Costa Rica as Montefuma or Moctezuma.

On the north edge of the village is Montezuma Beach, a large sandy beach with clear blue waters, speckled with rocky peninsulas and protected by ancient cliffs formed some 80 million years ago. Montezuma Beach is great for sun bathing, swimming, body surf, snorkeling, diving, boogie boarding, fishing, horse back riding, surfing and bonfires at night, all within short walking distance. However, be careful as the rip tide here can get quite strong and surfing can be rather difficult.

During the last decade, Montezuma has become the perfect destination for those in search of an exciting and safe vacation or for those looking for a place to settle down and start a brand new life. Unlike many other parts of Costa Rica, Montezuma has been largely untouched by commercial development maintaining still a laid back lifestyle. However, tourists in Montezuma Beach can choose among many beautiful hotels, health oriented hotels or houses for rent to suit all budgets, delightful restaurants on the beach and several things to do like the canopy tour across the Montezuma waterfalls where you zip through a verdant river valley, as well as hikes to the rivers, waterfalls or through the jungle of the nature reserves, all of them pure experiences of biodiversity and wildlife. Also, if you are looking for rejuvenation or relaxation in a tropical environment, Montezuma has become one of the worlds well known destination for yoga retreats, classes and yoga teacher training.

Montezuma is a travel destination for any beach lover and eco-tourist. A must-see jewel for nature lovers is Cabo Blanco, Costa Rica’s oldest Nature Reserve, located 9 km south of Montezuma. Also, if you are in Montezuma, do visit the beautiful Montezuma waterfalls just outside of town. Over 15 m (50 feet) high, this waterfall is a popular tourist attraction with many people jumping into the shallow pool below. However, caution is advised as people have been known to hurt themselves on the rocks underwater, while jumping the falls.

Though this tiny village retains most of its tranquil atmosphere, after the sun sets, Montezuma Beach is the place to be on the peninsula, with plenty of bars and discos found throughout the village. The entire area comes alive with music and dancing and you can find plenty of people relaxing and having a good time.

Keep in mind that camping on the beaches in Montezuma is illegal, so try and find a room in the many affordable accommodations here.

Getting to Montezuma Beach Costa Rica:

From San José go to Puntarenas and then take the Paquera Ferry (we recommend you get to Puntarenas an hour before the ferry leaves, phone: ( +506 2661-2084). Once the ferry arrives, drive along the road to Cobano, Montezuma and Malpais for about 38 km (24 miles). Once in Cobano, take the exit to Montezuma and follow the road for about 6.5 km (4 miles) until you reach Montezuma Beach Costa Rica. This route requires a total of 3.5 hour from San Jose.

From Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (LIR), drive south through Nosara, Samara and Coyote, cross the Bongo river and continue through Manzanillo to Cabo Blanco. Between Ario and Manzanillo you can continue through a stretch of beach. Make sure the tide is low and only use a 4×4 vehicle for this route. It is a very scenic trip as you go down the coast (this route exemplifies rural Costa Rica and is very beautiful). Or you can reach the junction that leads to Ario Beach and go through the mountains, this way takes longer, but it’s the official road and its use is not dependent on the tides. Once in Cabo Blanco, drive along the road to Montezuma for about 13 km (8 miles) until you reach Montezuma Beach Costa Rica. This route requires a total of 5 hours.

By bus

Take a local bus from San Jose – Malpais – Montezuma, which takes about 5 hours (Transportes Rodriguez, +506 2642-0219), making the stop at Montezuma, which takes about 4 hours.

By plane:

You can also take a flight from the Juan Santamaria Airport to the Tambor Airport, either with Sansa Airlines or Aerobell every day. From here you can rent a car and drive, or take a bus or taxi to Montezuma, which is about 30 minutes.

Address map: Click here to view address map to Montezuma Beach Costa Rica in Puntarenas at Google Maps