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Via Puntarena to Montezuma

Written by Nadine Zangerle on . Posted in Costa Rica


After an 11 hours trip, changing from bus to ferry to taxi back to bus, we finally reached Puntarena. Here we booked us in the closest and cheapest hotel just opposite of the bus stop. Our last meal had been breakfast so we were starving.

We knew it better but we wanted to give it another try with Chinese food in Central America. And it was bad. But when you are hungry you wolf down almost everything. Since we didn’t have a ceiling in our hotel room we could hear the neighbors watching TV the whole night. But we are experienced in traveling and well prepared - always keep your ear plugs close by.

The next morning we carried our heavy gear to the ferry – just a 35 minute quick walk – to get to Montezuma. It is supposed to be a quiet, little community with some beautiful beaches and a waterfall. Four hours later and here we are at the black-sand beach enjoying the sound of the ocean and watching the pelicans.

Since we were a bit exhausted from all the traveling, we decided to stay 4 nights instead of 2. I also caught a cold which showed very strange symptoms – sneezing and swollen eye, more like an allergy. Traveling every 2nd or 4th day gets very tiring and we had troubles sleeping lately. Let’s get some good rest at this nice, quiet place.

For sure we had to explore a bit so we visited the waterfalls. The cascades have three levels, the lower one is the highest with its 25 m and the second has a drop of 16 m. After we watched some locals jump off the waterfall we decided we will try the smaller one. The 25 m drop is way too dangerous.

Standing at the edge and looking down, your knees got mushy and your heart-beat goes up. It took a little while to convince ourselves to jump but we did it. And the second time was fairly easy – no soft knees and heart-drumming, just adrenalin. The impact was so immense that my breast muscles were so sore, it felt like 100 push-ups and in the evening it got even worse. But at least we had fun.

Today we will relax at one of the beaches and just listen to the songs of the ocean.  Well alright, we are not the beach type person so we got tumbled around in the waves and current. Felt a bit like in a washing machine. Not that I ever had been in one.

In the evening you can see fireflies, this is really cool. Most beaches here have been spared of development and if so only in a reasonable sense. You can see that Costa Rica focuses on eco-tourism which makes it also more expansive than its neighbor countries.

Tomorrow we have to continue in order to get to Brazil in time for the World Championship. Monteverde, the cloud forest, it is.

Accommodation: Hotel Sol y Arena, Puntarena
Price: US $ 20 per night, double room (own shower), shared bathroom, Wifi, TV
Comment: suits its purpose, just opposite of the bus stop, a bit noisy

Accommodation: Hotel Lucy, Montezuma
Price:  US $ 20 per night, double room, shared bathroom or own (same price), Wifi
Comment: situated at the beach, great spot, friendly stuff and kitchen to cook