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Activities
This part of Costa Rica has a larger variety of fun activities than any
other, and the prices are a little more reasonable than a place such as Monteverde.
Many of the activities shown here are free. You can
easily spend at least a week in the area and do an amazing new activity every day. If your trip to Costa
Rica is shorter than a couple weeks, we recommend you spend a good part of it here rather than driving
all over the country on potholed roads and ending up spending most of your vacation in the car.
This guide will list not only the ordinary tourist activities of the area where you will find many tourists,
but also many free activities that you won't find listed at the tourist agencies.
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Adrenaline Rush
The primary reason people visit this area is for the legendary surfing. It's a very rare day without great
waves in this part of Costa Rica. In addition to surfing, there are so many other beach activities that
people do in Costa Rica, such as snorkeling, fishing, hiking, and horseback riding.
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| Surfing
Click here to jump to the 'beaches' section of the website. Look for the red surfboard icons to
see which beaches are best for surfers. In general, the Malpais side of the peninsula has better, more
consistent waves, but the Montezuma side has its great spots as well. |
Two Canopy Tours
There are two canopy tours in the area. The Montezuma one is shorter, but it includes a swim in
the world famous Montezuma Falls. The Malpais canopy tour is longer and higher. These should really be called
"Jungle Zip Lines" because the tour is all about zipping through the canopy rather than learning about it. But still,
they're very fun. |
Ultralight Flight
For the ride of your life, try an ultralight flight in Tambor |
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| Scuba Diving
Many have found the diving here to be the best on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. There are many
large fish, rays, turtles, eels, etc in the area. Visit the scuba outfitters in Montezuma to get the scoop. |
Cliff Jumping and Ropeswing
People die every other year trying to jump the Montezuma falls. Usually they fall while attempting
to climb up. So we recommend the third pool of the falls, where it's much safer, with cliffs from 2m-12m (6-40
feet). There's also a ropeswing and a tree you can climb out on and do a backflip (or a bellyflop) to amuse
your friends. |
Sea Kayaking
Take a sea kayak trip out to mysterious Cabuya Island and go snorkeling at the fan reef there. This is a
spectacular trip and one of the best things you can do in the area. You may even see whales, which are frequently
in these waters. Sea kayaking is easy, so don't worry if you haven't done it before. |
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Boogie Boarding
If you're not up for surfing, you can still do this, which is easy and a lot less painful. You can rent boogie boards
in Montezuma or Santa Teresa in many places. Just watch out for the surfers. |
Camp on a Haunted Beach
If you're a serious adrenaline junkie and want to be scared out of your mind, try camping for a
night on Playa Grande, which is a 30 min walk north on the beach from Montezuma. This is the site of an
ancient burial ground, and there are many reports of tourists who have been found in a near comatose state
from the fear of what they saw the night before. Try this at your own risk. We're not going to be responsible
for your years of therapy to recover though. |
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Natural High
Part of Costa Rica's allure is the reputation the country has for great, healthy living. Yoga, hiking, and
healthy food are part of daily life here.
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| Yoga
In this part of Costa Rica, we have six or seven options for practicing Yoga. While many of
them are good, we recommend Dagmar's class at Los Mangos Hotel in Montezuma, every morning except Saturday at 9 a.m. |
Visit a Waterfall
The Montezuma side of the Nicoya Peninsula has a few well known waterfalls and many secret ones. Click
here to learn details about many of both. If you want to get away from the crowds and have a safe and exciting adventure
without seeing another person, this is for you. |
Hiking
There are many great hikes in the area that we can recommend which are free and you may see some
wild animals. |
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Animal Attractions
Many people visit Costa Rica hoping to see wild animals, but where are they? Why did I hike for four
hours in a national park without seeing a single animal? For those of you who think 'animals should stay
in zoos where they belong,' you're probably vacationing in the wrong place. Try El Salvador, where all
the jungles have been destroyed. Here in Costa Rica, with a little effort, you will find Monkeys, Pizotes, Iguanas, Parrots, Whales, and
many other animals in their natural habitat (not eating french fries handed out by tourists!) Who knows,
maybe you'll even get really lucky and see an ocelot or a kinkajou.
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| Montezuma Butterfly Gardens
Montezuma has a new butterfly garden. Here you can see the amazing 'blue morpho' and other
butterflies. It's also a bed & breakfast, and the owners know a secret path to easily get to the rope
swing at Montezuma Falls. |
Profelis Wild Cat Center
Pay a visit to Profelis, one of only two wild cat centers in Costa Rica. When a wild cat such
as an ocelot, jaguarundi, or Margay is found injured or captured from poachers, it will be brought here for
rehabilitation. Those cats that can be brought back to good health are released back into the jungle. |
Rainsong Wildlife Sanctuary
Spend a day volunteering at Rainsong Wildlife Sanctuary, which is currently building the area's
first wildlife hospital and spearheading a movement to protect wildlife and jungle habitat in the area. They need
your help and your donations. |
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| Whale Watching
Montezuma frequently has humpback and other types of whales frolicking in the waves right
off shore. A great place to look for them is at Hotel Amor de Mar, or walk up the hill from the hotel and
climb out to a bluff with ocean views above. They can be seen almost any time of year. We should also mention
that "whale watching tourism" is illegal in Costa Rica, so don't approach the whales by boat. |
Cabo Blanco National Park
Cabo Blanco has an amazing story behind it. It was the first national park in Costa Rica, founded
by two Scandinavian immigrants who lived for years in Montezuma, and are buried here. Most of the park was
originally cow pasture, but for over twenty years was allowed to grow back. No tourism was allowed in the park.
Now there's a single trail through the park to a rugged and wild beach on the other side. Its a two-hour hike
each way. Don't expect to see any animals unless you arrive first thing in the morning. |
Curu Wildlife Reserve
Curu is a privately owned park with an abundance of wildlife. It's easy to find because its on
the road between Tambor and Paquera. Curu has an amazing wildlife reintroduction program, and is the first
place in the area to reintroduce both Scarlet Macaws and Spider Monkeys. |
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| See a pet pizote
If you're just crazy about pizotes and want to see one up close, then you can walk one and a half
hours up the beach north from Montezuma, where you'll find an old Tico man with two pet pizotes. Look for a
sign that says "Cafe Coca Cola". The pizote (Coati in English) in this photo he told us was 14 years old. |
Pet a Peccary
Cabo Blanco has an amazing story behind it. It was the first national park in Costa Rica, founded
by two Scandinavian immigrants who lived for years in Montezuma, and are buried here. Most of the park was
originally cow pasture, but for over twenty years was allowed to grow back. No tourism was allowed in the park.
Now there's a single trail through the park to a rugged and wild beach on the other side. Its a two-hour hike
each way. Don't expect to see any animals unless you arrive first thing in the morning. |
Birdwatching
Many people aren't aware that birdwatching is one of the world's most popular pasttimes. It takes great
skill and patience to find, identify or photograph rare birds. This part of Costa Rica has hundreds of species, including
many that tourists want to see, such as Parrots, Toucans (Aracari here), Long-Tailed Manakin, and the Mot-Mot. The best
time to look for birds is early in the morning, between 6-8pm. Or if you're lucky and find an army ant swarm, dozens of
types of birds are often following the swarm, eating bugs that are flushed out by the ants. The birds photographed above
are, starting from the upper left and going around clockwise, a baby tropical screetch owl, red-legged honeycreeper,
turquoise-browed mot-mot and baltimore oriole. |
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