Montezuma is a charming beachside retreat popular with budget-minded backpackers and counterculture travelers seeking an offbeat experience. Business owners are prone to shut up shop on a whim—sometimes for days at a time, or longer. No posted hours. No apologies!

The fantastic beaches east of Montezuma are backed by forest-festooned cliffs from which streams tumble down to the sands. Monkeys frolic in the forests. Beware riptides! The Nicolas Weissenburg Absolute Reserve was created in 1998 to protect the shoreline and forested hills to the east of Montezuma. It’s strictly off-limits, however.

Sports and Recreation

The waterfall and swimming hole two kilometers southwest of town (the trail leads upstream from the Restaurante La Cascada) is dangerous. Do not climb or jump from the top of the fall. Several lives have been lost this way.

The Montezuma Waterfall Canopy (tel. 506/688-4200, www.montezumagardens.com, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. daily, $8 entrance), west of the village, 0.5 kilometers above the canopy tour (see below), has a netted garden and breeds morphos and other butterflies species.

Montezuma Travel Adventures (tel. 506/642-0802, www.montezumatraveladventures.com) offers all manner of activities, from ATV tours and horseback riding to the Montezuma Waterfall Canopy del Pacífico, which offers tours by zipline between the treetops.

Montezuma Expeditions (tel. 506/642-0919, fax 506/642-0482, www.montezumaexpeditions.com) similarly offers a wide range of tours and activities, as do Montezuma Eco-Tours (tel. 506/642-0467) and Zuma Tours (tel. 506/642-0024, www.zumatours.net). El Sano Banano (tel. 506/642-0638, 7 a.m.–10 p.m. daily) has a tour desk offering similar options.

Montezuma Yoga (tel. 506/642-0076, www.montezumayoga.com) at Hotel Los Mangos, offers yoga classes at 9:30 a.m. Sunday–Friday ($12).

Entertainment and Events

The Montezuma Music Festival (tel. 506/642-0090) is held each July.

El Sano Banano shows movies nightly at 7:15 p.m. (free with dinner or $6 minimum order). The Congo Azúl, at Luz de Mono hotel, hops on weekend nights, when its laser-light disco gets into gear.

Getting There

Buses (tel. 506/642-0740) depart from Avenida 3, Calles 16/18 in San José daily; minibuses meet the bus in Cóbano. Interbus (tel. 506/283-5573, www.interbusonline.com) also operates minibus shuttles from San José ($39).

A bus for Montezuma ($4) meets the Paquera ferry.

A taxi to Montezuma from Tambor airport costs about $15.

Zuma Tours (tel. 506/642-0024, www.zumatours.net) offers water-taxis to Jacó at 7:45 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. ($35 pp), while Montezuma Expeditions and Montezuma Eco-Tours offer daily water-taxi transfers between Montezuma and Tamarindo, San José ($35), Manuel Antonio ($45), Malpaís, and other key destinations.