Montezuma
7 km (4½ mi) southeast of Cóbano, 45 km (28 mi) south of Paquera, 18 km (11 mi) south of Tambor.
One thing that always amazed me since the first day I arrivedin Montezuma was the multiple beauty of the place. I say multiple because one can enjoy an incredible variety of natural beauties one close to the other all gouped within a very small area.
Back in the old days Montezuma was used as a small harbour to ship cattle across the Nicoya Gulf to Puntarena. There was no road to Cobano, just a small trail. Nowadays you can hear more foreign languages spoken in Montezuma than everywhere else in C.R. Foreigners and resident foreigners outnumber the locals Beautifully positioned on a sandy bay, Montezuma is hemmed in by a precipitous wooded shoreline. There are two routes into town, both bumpy and unpaved; the more direct route has had problems with the road subsiding at the top of the hill into town, so watch for possible detour signs via the alternate Las Delicias route.
At the bottom of the hill, the funky town center is a pastel cluster of new-age health-food cafés, trendy beachwear shops, and jaunty tour kiosks mixed with older Tico sodas (casual eateries) and noisy open-air bars.
Montezuma has been on the international vagabond circuit for years, attracting surfers and alternative-lifestyle types, and some unsavory characters as well. But the community, like its pioneers, is growing up, with Internet cafés and more sophisticated hotels and restaurants. Today you are as likely to meet older, outdoorsy European tourists as dreadlocked surfers. The main attraction for everybody is the beach that stretches across one national park and two nature preserves to the north, leading to a spectacular beachfront waterfall, a popular destination for hikers and horseback tours.
Just over a bridge, 10 minutes south of town, a slippery path patrolled by howler monkeys leads upstream to two waterfalls, the second one an impressive 108 feet high with a thrilling swimming hole.
Do not jump or dive from the waterfalls. Despite signs posting the danger, some young people are still jumping to their deaths or serious injury.
Amongst the beauties of Montezuma.. there was a special lady who came from Norway in 1955.Dona Karen Holsen arrived with her husband to Amongst the beauties of Montezuma.. there was a special lady who came from Norway in 1955.Dona Karen Holsen arrived with her husband to Costa Rica filled with the desire of devoting their life to nature. Their efforts were amazing, her husband paid with his life when he was trying to preserve the area of Corcovado. At the time the mechanical extraction of gold from the bed of Rio Tigre was causing a tremendous impact to its estuary and surrounding areas.
Doña Karen gave us the gift of Cabo Blanco Biological Reserve. She left a lovely wodden cottage in the very center of Montezuma that could have been kept as symbol of her perennial presence.
Unfortunately the thirst for money prevailed, the Sano Banano people decided its sad fate! The house was at first turned into small shop units, then into a garage and finally destroyed to give way to a row of new shops.
She now rests in the land called "Reserva privada Karen Morgesen", a 20 mins. walk along Montezuma Beach, were she spent the last years of her generous life, a life entirely dedicated to the care and protection of the environment.
One thing that always amazed me since the first day I arrivedin Montezuma was the multiple beauty of the place. I say multiple because one can enjoy an incredible variety of natural beauties one close to the other all gouped within a very small area.
Back in the old days Montezuma was used as a small harbour to ship cattle across the Nicoya Gulf to Puntarena. There was no road to Cobano, just a small trail. Nowadays you can hear more foreign languages spoken in Montezuma than everywhere else in C.R. Foreigners and resident foreigners outnumber the locals Beautifully positioned on a sandy bay, Montezuma is hemmed in by a precipitous wooded shoreline. There are two routes into town, both bumpy and unpaved; the more direct route has had problems with the road subsiding at the top of the hill into town, so watch for possible detour signs via the alternate Las Delicias route.
At the bottom of the hill, the funky town center is a pastel cluster of new-age health-food cafés, trendy beachwear shops, and jaunty tour kiosks mixed with older Tico sodas (casual eateries) and noisy open-air bars.
Montezuma has been on the international vagabond circuit for years, attracting surfers and alternative-lifestyle types, and some unsavory characters as well. But the community, like its pioneers, is growing up, with Internet cafés and more sophisticated hotels and restaurants. Today you are as likely to meet older, outdoorsy European tourists as dreadlocked surfers. The main attraction for everybody is the beach that stretches across one national park and two nature preserves to the north, leading to a spectacular beachfront waterfall, a popular destination for hikers and horseback tours.
Just over a bridge, 10 minutes south of town, a slippery path patrolled by howler monkeys leads upstream to two waterfalls, the second one an impressive 108 feet high with a thrilling swimming hole.
Do not jump or dive from the waterfalls. Despite signs posting the danger, some young people are still jumping to their deaths or serious injury.
Amongst the beauties of Montezuma.. there was a special lady who came from Norway in 1955.Dona Karen Holsen arrived with her husband to Amongst the beauties of Montezuma.. there was a special lady who came from Norway in 1955.Dona Karen Holsen arrived with her husband to Costa Rica filled with the desire of devoting their life to nature. Their efforts were amazing, her husband paid with his life when he was trying to preserve the area of Corcovado. At the time the mechanical extraction of gold from the bed of Rio Tigre was causing a tremendous impact to its estuary and surrounding areas.
Doña Karen gave us the gift of Cabo Blanco Biological Reserve. She left a lovely wodden cottage in the very center of Montezuma that could have been kept as symbol of her perennial presence.
Unfortunately the thirst for money prevailed, the Sano Banano people decided its sad fate! The house was at first turned into small shop units, then into a garage and finally destroyed to give way to a row of new shops.
She now rests in the land called "Reserva privada Karen Morgesen", a 20 mins. walk along Montezuma Beach, were she spent the last years of her generous life, a life entirely dedicated to the care and protection of the environment.