Montezuma Beach – Walk for Hours Along Pristine Shores

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Montezuma is one of our favorite towns in Costa Rica. We love the relaxed bohemian feel here and the fact that although it is a small town there is still plenty of fun things to do in the area. One of our absolute favorite things to do is to visit Montezuma beach. You can walk for hours along pristine beaches here with plenty of interesting things to see along the way.

Let’s go through everything you need for planning a perfect visit!

Walking the Beach

As I mentioned above, you can walk for hours along the beaches. In fact, to walk until you can’t walk anymore (and with a special surprise at the end) will take about 1.5 to 2 hours going one way.

The beach you will start at is Playa Montezuma (aka Montezuma beach).

Playa Montezuma

Once you get onto the beach you need to walk to your left (south). The first thing you will pass is a turtle conservatory.

If you are interested in protecting sea turtles, you can read more about the conservatory here. Also, they offer a volunteer program, which is an absolutely amazing opportunity if you want to spend some time in Costa Rica, help turtles, and stay at one of the best locations in Costa Rica.

Definitely, keep an eye out for baby turtles heading out into the water. If you want to see some holes with eggs, check out the top of the beach. You may get lucky and see some. Just don’t get too close!

Also, rumor has it that they release baby turtles every afternoon around 4pm. If you are in the area it doesn’t hurt to check it out, but I can’t guarantee that they will actually be releasing some on that day.

Next, on your beach walk, you will pass Ylang Ylang Beach Resort on your left. We were a bit freaked out when we saw a guy standing in the woods next to the resort, but we then realized he was security for the resort. So, don’t be alarmed if you see someone standing there alone. He’s just keeping the resort safe.

As you continue your walk you should check out some of the rocky areas to see some crabs. When we were in Montezuma there were tons of them! It was fun to watch them all scramble when we’d approach. Sorry, for disturbing you little crabs!

Piedra Colorado

About twenty minutes into your walk you will hit a place called Piedra Colorada. This area has a beautiful beach garden filled with rock cairns. Apparently, a local artist used to go out here every morning to set up his rock sculptures and now the tradition has stuck.

Also in this area is a nice little waterfall with a pool and stream. We definitely suggest stopping here for a little dip in the stream. It’s a really popular swimming spot during good weather.

We didn’t swim because it was a bit too cold when we were there. Either way, you will need to cross this stream so prepare to get wet during high tide.

Playa Grande / Nature Reserve

Just after this, you will reach a trail called Dream Green which is part of the Nicolas Wessberg Natural Reserve. This trail will take you away from the beach and into the woods for a bit. The trail is about one mile long and along the way, you will see 11 signs telling you about the reserve.

You’ll have to visit to find out the whole story on the amazing couple who started this reserve and paved the way for national parks in Costa Rica. 😉

About forty minutes into your walk you will reach Playa Grande. This is usually the endpoint for most people. It is a beautiful, flat beach which you can usually have almost completely to yourself.

However…..You can keep walking for your final treat.

Playa Cocolito/ Cocolito Waterfall

If you continue walking you will hit another wildlife reserve called Romelia Wildlife Reserve (the same people that run the turtle conservatory), then another beach called Playa Cocolito, and eventually (at the very end of the beach) you will reach a unique waterfall that flows into the ocean.

Just note that during the dry season the waterfall may be dried up. We visited during October (one of the rainiest months) and even then the stream from the fall was very weak. I don’t want you to be disappointed!

Once you reach the waterfall you can’t really walk any further (and you probably wouldn’t want to).

Time to turn around!

On our walk back we took things slow and took a lot of swimming breaks to cool off.

Important Info About the Montezuma Beach Walk

Find out all the important details so your trip to the beach runs smoothly.

What to wear

We wore our bathing suits, t-shirts, fast-drying shorts, and flip-flops. This was fine, but it was definitely rocky in some spots (as you can see in the picture above). I also suggest wearing a hat to protect yourself from the sun.

What to bring

It is usually sunny and really hot on the beach. There is not much shade except for in the wooded areas. We have a complete post on how to protect yourself from the sun, but definitely, put on and bring SPF 50 sun lotion.

We also brought our dry bag. Having a dry bag is so helpful in Costa Rica because you never know when things are going to get wet.

During the Montezuma beach walk, we had to cross a stream at one point. It was low when we were there, but during high tide, it could have been more difficult to cross. After doing this type of crossing at another spot in Costa Rica and soaking an iPod, we swear by our dry bag.

Don’t forget a towel if you want to relax on the beach for a while. We suggest a microfiber towel because they dry really quickly and take up less space in your suitcase than a regular towel.

And the most important thing, snacks and water! If you opt to do the whole walk you will be out here for at least three hours. There is no place along the way to buy food (except for Ylang Ylang Beach Resort which we’ll get to in a minute). Bring lots and lots of water.

Pro tip: Montezuma is one of the few places in the country where you should not drink the water from the sink. We suggest bringing a reusable water bottle like Lifestraw from home and just buying a gallon size bottle of water from the grocery store to refill your bottle.

Check out our Montezuma Packing List on Amazon for everything you need.

Directions

If you are in downtown Montezuma just walk onto the beach and head to the left.

We had our car with us so we needed a place to park. We drove through the downtown area and to the left. We then parked at a random beach parking lot. There was nobody around so we were a bit worried about leaving our car there, but it was fine.

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However, for safety reasons, I suggest being a bit more cautious than us and either park your car in town, where there are people around, or check if there is a parking attendant at any of the beach lots.

We always happen to be there during rainy season, so it may be that during high season there are parking attendants. If this is the case, you just park your car and when you leave you will give the person watching the car a few dollars/ some colones as a thank you.

Don’t forget to remove all valuables from your car. Even with someone watching your car, it is best to air on the side of caution here.

Wildlife You May See

We saw tons of cool looking crabs, hawks, other birds, and a few monkeys. Let us know if you spot any unique wildlife while you are here!

Tips for the Montezuma Beach Walk

-Don’t forget to look out for little baby turtles and big momma turtles. We were so freaking excited to see two little baby turtles making their first steps in the world out into the ocean. We never expected to see this in Montezuma! You will most likely only see this if you are in Montezuma between August and November, but maybe you’ll get lucky at another time of year as well.

– If you do run into a little baby turtle, help it make its way into the water. A lot of these turtles don’t survive so do what you can to help them out. We like to clear debris out of the path of the turtles so they can make it to the water. We then watch it until it swims off to make sure the little guy/ girl actually made it.

-If you want to take a little break along the way, Ylang Ylang beach resort is a great place to stop for lunch. Their food is excellent and their restaurant is the perfect place to just chill out for a while. Also, they have a nice gluten-free selection. You do not need to make a reservation unless you plan on going for dinner. You can check out the menu here. However, maybe you should stop here on the way back because there is a good chance you will be too full to continue walking. 😉

-You can fish here. Thomas loves fishing from the rocks in Montezuma. It does tend to get a bit more difficult during high tide, so we suggest going here during low tide if possible.

– We felt safe here, but don’t walk at night and don’t carry valuables. We’ve never had anything bad happen to us in Costa Rica, but just remember you are in a foreign country and sometimes the Montezuma beaches can be really empty. You will most likely be fine, and maybe we are a bit too cautious, but you never know!

– If you are looking for a place to stay nearby, check out our guide to the 10 best hotels in Montezuma.

-It is best to do the walk during low tide. It is possible to walk during high tide but some of the areas will become more difficult to pass. If you plan on doing the entire walk (about three hours round trip) we suggest starting about two hours before low tide so you’ll have mostly low water for your whole walk.

-Don’t hesitate to jump in the water! The ocean is really refreshing and typically very clear. A few quick jumps in the water along the way will definitely help you to stay cool during your beach walk.

-Just be aware of rip currents. There can be rip currents in this area so definitely use caution. We suggest staying where you can still stand in the water.

What to Do After the Montezuma Beach Walk

After the Montezuma beach walk, we suggest exploring the souvenir shops in downtown Montezuma, visiting the butterfly garden, or checking out the Montezuma waterfall.

Although, I think after doing this beach walk, especially if it is sunny, you will probably be completely ready to head back to your hotel for a nap.

We have a whole guide to Montezuma which will give you a better idea of amazing things you can do in the area including the best restaurants, the coolest activities, and nice places to stay.

If you have any questions or comments about the Montezuma beach walk don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment section below. We love to hear from you and are always happy to help you out! Also, if you visit this area and have tips for fellow travelers we would love to hear them.

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