Photograph: Montezuma Beach by micah420, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Montezuma is a small beach town near the southern tip of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, in Puntarenas Province, which began as a remote fishing village and has drawn budget travellers since the 1980s for its beaches, its river and the waterfalls in the forest behind it. It sits at the end of the road down from Cobano, where most of the services are, with a ferry ride across the Gulf of Nicoya between it and the mainland. Packing for Montezuma means packing for heat, salt water and a lot of walking on sand, rock and wet trail, in a place where the sea and the waterfalls are the real hazards and where the nearest proper hospital is on the other side of the gulf.
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This is Montezuma in Costa Rica, not the castle of that name in Arizona or the Aztec ruler. The photograph above looks north along the main beach on an overcast day: a wide sweep of grey brown sand, a few swimmers in calm water, two small boats pulled up at the left, low roofs among the palms at the back of the beach and a forested hillside running out to a far headland, with dark rocks in the sand in front. It cannot show what most people come for. There are no waterfalls in it, no village street, no Cabo Blanco reserve, no monkeys, no ferry and no road. It is also a grey day, which is honest about the rainy months but tells you nothing about the dry season sun. Read the frame as the shape of the bay and nothing more.
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What Is Here
Montezuma is a village of beaches, a river and a forest that comes down to the sand. The English encyclopaedia describes a mix of residents and foreign backpackers and eco-tourists who come for the beaches, rivers and waterfalls around the village, and the travel guide Wikivoyage adds that Montezuma has a reputation as somewhat of a hippie venue. The centre is small, with the beach on one side and the forested slope on the other. Weekends get busier, because the village is within a day's travel of San Jose.
The coastline either side of the village is sand broken by rocky outcrops, as the photograph shows. The rhythm is simple: early starts before the heat, the waterfall or the reserve in the morning, the sea in the afternoon and food in the village after dark.
The Waterfalls
The falls are the reason most visitors walk inland, and they are also where the worst injuries happen. Wikivoyage describes three sets of waterfalls flowing into one another, each with a pool at the bottom, reached by following the river up from the edge of the village. It calls the climb to the second set very steep and somewhat dangerous, and says many people jump from the top of the second fall, about 70 feet into the pool below, while catastrophic injuries are not uncommon. We would say plainly: do not jump. A pool you cannot see the bottom of, a height you have not measured and a rock ledge wet with spray are exactly the conditions in which a fit, confident swimmer breaks her back.
The walk itself is the useful part. It follows the riverbed over boulders and wet roots, so wear shoes with real grip rather than flip flops, start early before the trail is crowded, and keep away from the falls after heavy rain, when the river rises fast and the rock is at its most slippery. Go with someone, and tell your guesthouse where you are going if you walk alone.
Cabo Blanco Reserve
South of the village, at the tip of the peninsula, is the Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve. The encyclopaedia records that it was created in 1963 after a campaign by Nils Olof Wessberg, who with Karen Mogensen had settled on a farm near Montezuma, and that it was the first protected area in Costa Rica. Wessberg was murdered in 1975 while campaigning to protect the Osa Peninsula. The forest here sits in a transition between dry and wet forest, and howler and white-faced monkeys and coatis are easy to see.
Wikivoyage puts the hike from the visitor centre to the beach at about two hours, through humid forest with steady climbs. Carry more water than you think, start early, and expect mud in the rainy months. The FCDO says to go into jungle areas with an experienced local guide and notes that there are fines for unauthorised entry into restricted conservation areas, so stay on the marked trails, and confirm the reserve's opening days with your accommodation before you set out, in case they have changed.
When to Go
Costa Rica has a dry season from December to April and a rainy season from May to November, according to the English encyclopaedia, and the FCDO calls June to November the peak rainy season and the hurricane season. In Montezuma that means sunny, hot days and dusty roads from December, and green hills, afternoon downpours and muddy trails from May. In the reserve, the Cortez Amarillo trees flower bright yellow in March and April, the encyclopaedia says.
The dry months are the busiest. The rainy months are quieter, and the waterfalls are fuller, but the FCDO warns that heavy rain can cause potholes, flooding and landslides that block roads, which on a peninsula with one main route in can strand you for a day. Build slack into any onward plan, especially around a flight.
Getting There
Most people come by the ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera across the Gulf of Nicoya, then by bus, shuttle or car. Wikivoyage says the road from Paquera to Cobano is well paved, the last stretch from Cobano down to Montezuma is rougher, and the drive from Paquera takes about an hour. The FCDO says the standard of driving in Costa Rica is lower than in the UK, so if you hire a car, drive by day and slow down on the bends and single lane bridges.
Alternatively, small planes fly from San Jose to the airstrip at Tambor in around 30 minutes, the guide says, and you take a taxi from there. Water taxis also run across the gulf to Jaco in about an hour, the guide says. The FCDO notes that safety standards on small boats vary, so choose an established operator and look for life jackets before you board. Once you are here, the village is walkable.
Bring cash. Wikivoyage warns that the village cash machine is unreliable and that the nearest bank is up the hill at Cobano. Take enough colones or dollars for several days, and keep it split between your bag and your room.
Is Montezuma Safe for Women Travelers
The FCDO names no part of Costa Rica as an area to avoid, read on 10 November 2026, and there is no regional advice page for the country at all. Its advice is heavy on ordinary crime and heavier on water. It says rip currents are very common on any beach in Costa Rica, that there are often no lifeguards, and that drowning is the second most common cause of accidental death, averaging 50 to 60 deaths a year in recent years, a third of them tourists. Ask locally before you swim, every time, swim near other people, and never go in after a drink. The FCDO also warns of recent fatalities on snorkelling tours.
For women specifically, the FCDO is unusually direct. It says rapes and sexual assaults have increased, some of which appear targeted at tourists, warns of spiked drinks leading to assault and theft, and adds that women travelling alone have reported having to pay extra attention to their personal safety. It records deaths and serious illness from alcoholic drinks containing methanol, including cheap brands of vodka and guaro, the local cane liquor, and says methanol cannot be detected by taste or smell. In a village with a lively evening scene that matters: buy sealed drinks, watch your glass, prefer beer to cheap spirits and go home with people you trust.
The FCDO says to avoid walking alone in poorly lit or remote areas at night, and Montezuma's beach paths and the road to the falls are both dark after sunset, so carry a headlamp and walk with company. It notes that muggings and theft are significant problems, that you should watch your valuables on the beach, and that you should never leave luggage in a parked car. You must carry ID such as a passport, and the police will usually accept a printed copy, with the original kept safe. Do not touch drugs: the FCDO says the minimum sentence for possession or trafficking is eight years.
The quieter risks are the ones that come with adventure. The FCDO notes that quad biking, surfing and zip-lining are often excluded from general travel insurance, so read your policy before you rent a quad bike or book a surf lesson.
The Montezuma Packing List
Our merino base layers are 100% Australian merino at 17.5 micron, and a lightweight long sleeve merino wool base layer for women earns its place even here. It covers your arms on a sunny boat ride, dries quickly after a sweaty trail, resists odour through several days of humid heat, and is warm enough for the ferry deck and the air conditioning on the way home.
For the Sun and the Sea
The dry season sun is fierce on open sand. A lightweight sun hoodie is the best single defence, and a wide brim sun hat covers your face and neck on the beach and the boat. Our affiliate register carries no sunscreen and no eyewear, so pack high factor sun cream and sunglasses of your own. A waterproof dry bag keeps your phone and cash dry on a water taxi or snorkel trip, and a quick dry travel towel packs small and dries between swims. Water shoes help on the rocky stretches, but the only water shoe in our register has an unconfirmed product identity, so we are not linking one: bring any pair with a firm sole.
For the Waterfall Trail and the Reserve
The riverbed walk to the falls and the reserve trail both need shoes that grip on wet rock and roots. Hiking shoes with real grip are the right choice, and they double as town shoes on the rough road. The FCDO lists malaria, dengue and Zika among Costa Rica's health risks, so carry a DEET insect repellent for the forest and the evenings, and check vaccine advice before you go. That is our sixth affiliate link, which is our limit per post, so we have not linked a rain jacket: in the rainy months bring a light waterproof anyway, because the afternoon storms can be heavy.
For the Village
Loose cotton or linen for the day, a merino layer for the evening breeze and the ferry, a headlamp for the dark paths, and enough cash for several days. A small padlock for a hostel locker is worth having.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
Essential Resources for Women in Montezuma
Emergency number: 911 for ambulance, fire and police, according to the FCDO's getting help page; its health page says to call 911 and ask for an ambulance.
Medical care: the FCDO says medical care in Costa Rica is generally of a high standard but that ambulance services in remote areas may vary, and the southern Nicoya Peninsula is remote. The public Hospital Monsenor Sanabria stands outside Puntarenas city on the mainland, across the gulf, so ask your accommodation on arrival where the nearest clinic is and how a patient reaches the hospital. The FCDO says only initial emergency treatment is free for visitors and later treatment is charged, and that prescriptions from the UK cannot be used locally, so bring enough medication in its original packaging. Check vaccines on TravelHealthPro's Costa Rica page.
US State Department travel advisory: the Costa Rica advisory. Read the current level there directly rather than relying on a figure printed in any guide.
UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/costa-rica, and read the safety and security page rather than only the landing page, because that is where the substance sits.
Official health authority: the Ministerio de Salud, the Costa Rican health ministry.
US Embassy: the United States Embassy in San Jose, is in San Jose, a ferry and a long drive away from Montezuma.
Official tourism authority: the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, the national tourism board, covers the whole country, including the Nicoya Peninsula.
Solo women safety assessment: Montezuma is a relaxed, sociable village, but it is remote, and the FCDO's warnings about assault, spiked drinks and methanol apply fully in a place where evenings often centre on bars. Buy sealed drinks and keep them in sight, walk the dark paths with company and a light, and keep cash split. The biggest physical dangers are not people: rip currents with no lifeguard, and the jump at the waterfall. Ask before you swim, never jump, and remember that help is a ferry ride away. Emergency 911.
Takeaways
Come to Montezuma in the dry season for sun and the reserve, or in the green season for full waterfalls and empty beaches. Pack sun protection, a merino layer, grippy shoes and repellent, bring cash, ask locally before every swim, walk the falls and do not jump, and follow the FCDO's advice on drinks and dark paths.
Reading On
Montezuma is reached through Puntarenas, so read the Puntarenas packing list for the port and the ferry. Further north on the same Pacific coast is the Tamarindo packing list, and across the gulf on the mainland are the Jaco packing list, the Manuel Antonio packing list and the Uvita packing list. Inland, the Monteverde packing list covers the cloud forest and the San Jose packing list the capital. The Costa Rica packing list and the Costa Rica travel guide for women cover the whole country. For why one wool layer works from a humid trail to a breezy ferry deck, read the guide to merino wool base layers for women, and every destination we cover is indexed at the travel packing guide for women. The base layers themselves are in the Roman Trail collection.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
