The main draw in the quaint Costa Rican town of Montezuma are its spectacular waterfalls- but those who visit on day trips frequently forget to check out Montezuma’s beaches as well. Which is a mistake.
Most visitors to Montezuma don’t often stay in town, opting to stay in its more lively neighbor Santa Teresa- an awesome place you should visit as well if you haven’t already.
Staying in Santa Teresa, many people will recommend a day trip to Montezuma, leading to tourists renting ATVs in throngs and making the 40 minute or so journey over. On their agenda in Montezuma are generally the waterfalls and the beaches.
But the beaches generally end up just being the main beach in front of town for most day-trippers. And nice as this beach is, you have to venture a bit further to discover the best beaches Montezuma has to offer.
Where exactly are the best beaches in Montezuma?
While the town of Montezuma is quite small, it is surrounded by massive expanses of national reserves and beaches.
To the west you have plenty to see, including the town of Cabuya with its island that is only accessible at low tide, as well as the Capo Blanco National Reserve, the oldest such reserve in the country.
There is also one gorgeous cove worth checking out called Playa Las Manchas.
But the best beach experience can be found in the other direction.
East from the town of Montezuma is a massive stretch of beaches. Beginning with the main beach in the center of town- Playa Montezuma- you’ll can walk to beach after beach, each uniquely beautiful, over the course of about 1.5-2 hours.
I know that sounds like a long journey, but its worth it. The beaches are generally almost empty and feel like your own- the only way to access these remote beaches are with your two feet, which weeds out all the other lazy tourists 😜.
Not to mention, there’s a lovely surprise at the end as a reward for all your hard work. We’ll get to that later.
The next few sections will discuss each of the beaches along your walk!
Playa Montezuma
Playa Montezuma is your starting point. It starts right in front of the main town, and continues off to the left for about ten minutes.
Some of the areas a bit further from the town are quite nice. Even in the first ten minutes, you can feel the beach getting more wild with the town fading from view and the jungle coming into more prominence.
Speaking of the jungle- often times, the beaches are separated by large sections of rock. If you have the proper footwear you can go from beach to beach via the rocks. If not, there are always paths off of the beach through the jungle that you can use. They’ll also be faster if you’re looking to cut down on time.
Piedra Colorada
After emerging from a quick walk over the rocks or a stroll through the jungle, you’ll have arrived at Piedra Colorada.
The name translates to “colored stones”- the beach here is a narrow cove with sand that has a distinct color from all the other beaches you’ll see. At first it appears brown. But if you actually investigate the grains of the sand, you’ll find lots of green and red.
Flowing into the beach here is a small freshwater river from the jungle. Walking up away from the water, you’ll find pools, streams, and small waterfalls filled with these green and red stones.
Take a dip in the pools here. After walking for a while in the sun, it’ll feel so refreshing!
If you want, you can also spend some time here walking up the stream. There are lots of cool spots to find up there.
Playa Grande
Playa Grande is one of the most impressive beaches I’ve seen in my life, and probably my favorite beach in Montezuma.
To get here from Piedra Colorada, I’d recommend taking the trail through the jungle- there’s a nature reserve here that is quite pretty. However, it’s certainly possible to tackle the rocks as well.
Playa Grande is a long, wide, flat expanse of beach. No features really stick out. No streams, no waterfalls, no colored stones.
But it’s the simplicity that does it here. It showcases Pacific Costa Rica in its most basic form. Wild. Remote. Jungle. Dark, volanic sand that reflects the sky like a mirror.
The remote feeling here is incredible. There’s a decent chance you’ll be the only one on this entire beach, and the feeling of having such a massive beach all to yourself is just exhilarating, and refreshing after seeing many of Costa Rica’s more touristy spots.
Keep your eyes open for turtles, who often nest on this beach! There was an absolutely massive dead one on the beach when I was there. Sad to see, but I’m assuming from his size that he had a good and long life.
Playa Cocalito
You’ll again have the choice of jungle trail through a nature reserve or the rocks to reach the next beach, Playa Cocalito.
This is the last beach you’ll visit, and long like Playa Grande. But that’s really the only similarity the two share.
Unlike Playa Grande, which is flat, wide, and essentially just ocean and sand, Playa Cocalito has a whole lot more going on. Many curves; parts that are wide, parts that are narrow; parts that are flat, parts that are steep; and cool stone formations popping up here and there.
There’s also a river similar to the one at Piedra Colorada flowing into the ocean near the end of this beach. Locals often come here to build dams.
The sand here also differs from Playa Grande. It doesn’t have quite the colorful array of grains that Piedra Colorada’s sand possesses, but its certainly lighter and more golden.
And the surprise I alluded to earlier comes, well-deserved, at the end of this long beach in the form of the Cocalito Waterfall.
Once you reach the end of the beach, a quick minutes hike over the rocks will bring you right to the base.
Go refresh yourself under the cascades. They don’t come from very high up, so you can comfortably go underneath. So refreshing after a long walk in the sun!
Tips for seeing the beaches in Montezuma
Tip 1- Pack enough food and water. It’s a long trip with a lot of sun likely beating down on you for hours- there’s not a lot of shade outside the jungle. Throw on a hat as well, while we’re on the subject.
Tip 2- Choose a day with good weather. Clear skies and sun.
Tip 3- Don’t leave too early- or too late. You want to time it so that you’re ending your walk during sunset. It’s pretty magical if you do. So I’d suggest starting the walk around 12:30 PM. This will likely get you to the waterfall around 2-2:30 PM, and if you take your time there and on the way back, you should be getting back right around golden hour, which is generally around 5:30 PM or so.
If you feel comfortable walking in the dark (make sure you have a light), spend the sunset at Playa Grande. The reflections off of the dark sand are incredible, and the view is so expansive.
Tip 4- Definitely take a lot of breaks- especially on the way back. And this isn’t only if you’re tired. You should pick a few spots and settle down, really taking in the scenery and isolation.
Tip 5- I don’t recommend this one, but if you’re tired you can take a taxi back from where the waterfall is. Just walk up the path next to it, and it should bring you to a road where you can call an Uber.
Tip 6- Check out the rest of my Costa Rica content!
