Montezuma Things to Do

You quickly learn that the main tour pushed all over Montezuma is the Tortuga Island tour. It's a fun tour but it is a pretty standard tour.... lots of lolling around the island time waiting for the boat to leave, snorkeling with 50 people in the water etc. In search of something a little different and more authentic we went on a fishing and snorkeling tour of Cabuya Island with a local diver/fisherman - Jeffry. He's a local from Cabuya who is trying to build his own business - Solo Bueno Tours. It was such a fun and interesting day! Jeffry made every effort to provide a fun and interesting tour for my wife and our kids. From teaching us out to cast our hand lines, to collecting and preparing delicious fresh oysters for us! OK so we didn't catch fish but of course Jeffry did which he provided to us cleaned and ready for cooking. We finally felt like we were seeing the real Costa Rica! For $35 per person plus fresh fish for dinner, it's was great value.

I'm not sure I can be an unbiased critic of this particular outing. I set out for the Cabo Blanco beach at the end of my trip, sore from long day of surfing and tired from battling a day of light travelors diarrhea. I expected for the bus to drop us off at the beach, I wore sandals and shorts and did not bring water. Reality hit hard. Getting to Cabo Blanco is a bit of a hike, 3 miles I believe, through jungle. The humidity in this reserve challenges any area I have ever been, I can not remember the last time I was so drenched in sweat, and when I arrived, tired, feet worn, thirsty, I sat on the beach for a few minutes as the sun beat down on me and was to worn to enjoy any beauty. If you want to make a day of seeing Cabo Blanco please come prepared with lots of water, hiking shoes, take ample time to get to the beach, enjoy the forest and rest in the shade you can find at the beach. Overall I think if you are prepared you can enjoy this trip, however, be aware of the difficulties and plan accordingly

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Another popular and fun tour from Montezuma is a day tour to Tortuga Island. Again shop around as many tour operators offer this. I believe I paid 40$ a person for the full day. You depart from the beach in the morning and head out to the island area, stopping for an hour of snorkeling. You arrive to the Island for a lunch, laying in the sand or playing beach volleyball. The island itself is a wildlife sanctuary and is access to most areas besides one patch of beach is restricted. The island is gorgeous, with white sand and great shady palm trees. There is a souvenir shop (an expensive one) on the island as well. You have the option of going for a second snorkeling trip or lounging around the island. Engage in a beach volleyball game with some locals and enjoy the fresh cooked lunch. This tour is definately worth a day

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My first time horseback riding was in here in Montezuma, Costa Rica. The Montezuma area has several long patches of beach for horses to romp, and let me tell you, the horses take off! The tour guides ensure you get a thrill by racing by your horse on their own, sending yours into a full gallop. They give the horses an hour or so break at a stop at a waterfall near that ends in the ocean and you can take a swim and enjoy a fresh fruit lunch. Overall the ride lasts around three hours and is well worth the money and time. Always bargain and shop around for the different tour operators. Usuall you will be accompanied by a party of about 12 other people. My travelmate Karessa said that the horseback riding was the highlite of her trip to Costa Rica, now that speaks volumes!

Paul is an American expatriate who lives on the beach in Montezuma. Seen by some as a bit of a nuisance, he is actually quite an interesting fellow. He is on the main street every morning sweeping up the garbage in hopes of a bit of compensation from the merchants. He pan-handles most of the rest of the day but is more than happy to engage in conversation for as long as you want (or can take). He has quite a storey to tell and some of it rings very true. He is a VietNam vet and is well versed on that country from that era. He also has a great sense of humor and took my good natured scolding for using my "donation" for beer rather than the orange juice he had promised. Next time I'll buy the juice myself for him!
Rather than being intimidated or scared of him, talk a few moments to sit down and get to know him. He's probaby one of my most lasting memories of Montezuma.

I purchased the all day snorkel trip via CocoZuma in Montezuma. Departure is at 0830 from the beach. About 20 people on the small boat seemed a challenge but it was more seaworthy that at first appearance. Its about 60 minutes to the Island which is a tropical paradise with fine white sane, acqamarine water, and excellent snorkelling.
brought my own gear but the equipment provided looked in good condition. We did the first dive on a small island imediately north of tortuga. You can swim around it in 10 minutes. The volcanic nature of the island provided hundreds of nooks and crannies to peer into. Large fish were easily located and they were not too shy of divers. Spotted several coal snake eels, morays, and a few lobster.
After the first dive we went on shore for a great barbeque lunch. Lots of melon and pineapple to wash away the salt water.
The second dive was to a different island. The tide was running out and the surf was up but it brought huge amounts of bigger fish close to the island. Schools of blue pattotfish and at least three kinds of puffers.
A full hour at least was provided at each dive site and that was measured from the time the last diver got it. I brought my own gear and was off first so i got almost 90 minutes per dive.
Excellent day. We got back to Montezuma about 1700.

I booked a 2 tank dive through CocoZuma Traveller in Montezuma. I went by the same boat that takes the snorkellers to Tortuga Island. Just before we got to Tortuga, I was met by the other boat with the divers. I believe the scuba operator is based in Tambor. The two tank dive was $140 which is much more than I had paid elsewhere in CR.
Equipment was good and the dive master quite informative and professional. Reentry to the boat was very easy with the ladder they used.
The dives were nothing too spectacular. We actually saw more fish while snorkelling but did see several eels and lobster.
After the two dives, they dropped me off on the island where I rejoined my group who had already eaten. The tour operator had kept a barbeque lunch for me, all wrapped in foil and still nicely hot.
Its about an hour by boat from montezuma to tortuga.

About half an hour from the town, up the river is an awesome waterfall that cascades into a refreshing natural pool. It's worth the hike to get here, splash around, and eat a picnic lunch on the rocks, shaded by the towering trees all around. There's no anything there, so bring food and water, and hit up the bathroom before you leave.