Hiking to Montezuma Falls, Costa Rica

•  The entrance of the trail to Montezuma Falls, one of the most famous waterfalls in Costa Rica, is just down the road from our hotel, La Cascada Hotel.

Traveling Gingerbread Note: We recommend starting this hike early in the morning, bringing water, and wearing sweat wicking clothing and water shoes. The temperatures climb quickly and the hike is challenging in areas. 

• Montezuma Falls consists of 3 separate waterfalls. The first waterfall is the tallest and is reached by hiking up the river, according to locals, for about 20 minutes. We quickly learn in Costa Rica, 20 minutes is the estimated time for almost everything and rarely accurate. The path to the second and third waterfalls begins by climbing up an extremely steep bank with the assistance of tree roots. 

• “Guides” wearing hats displaying the handwritten word Guide on the front, offer tours near the waterfall entrance. We choose not to partake in the tour and hike the waterfall on our own.

• A fallen sign for a Free Waterfall marks the beginning of the trail off the main road to Montezuma Waterfall. The path to the waterfall stops abruptly at the river, requiring us to use rock stepping stones to continue upstream. The large, slippery rocks jutting out from the murky water become scarce making it difficult in some areas.

• Be extremely cautious of feet and hand placements. Lines of large, red ants march along the branches and lizards bask in the small patches of sunlight. Thick, intertwined tree roots cover the banks making steady foot placements difficult.

• Only when necessary, we carefully place our hands on rocks or vines. Taking a step, I slip and grab a vine to prevent from falling into the murky water. We hold our breath as the tree slowly becomes still again and let out a sigh of relief no sleeping reptiles were disturbed.

• At last, reach the first of the 3 waterfalls. Seeing the color of the water we opt out of going for a swim, but many visitors splash around in the chilly water at the base of the falls. 
• Midway through our return hike, we hear voices above us. Carefully climbing up the steep bank, we emerge onto a small dirt path running parallel to the river. The unmarked trail begins across the river from where the trail from the road ends. 

* For more information on our tour check out: G Adventures Costa Rica on a Shoestring.

1. Day 1: Fly into San José
2. Day 2: San José travel to La Fortuna
3. Day 3: La Fortuna
4. Day 4: La Fortuna travel to Montezuma
5. Day 5: Montezuma
6. Day 6: Montezuma
7. Day 7: Montezuma travel to San José
8. Day 8: Fly out of San José

April 2018