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Visitor’s Guide to the Cabo Blanco Region: Cool Things to do for Free (or almost free) in the Southern Nicoya Peninsula
Costa Rica gets all the hype! Is it really the best place to go for a vacation? Well, of course we think so, but admittedly, we’re kinda biased. So, we decided to come up with an objective list of all the cool things people can do for free, or almost free in the Southern Nicoya Peninsula.
Think of it as our own mini Visitor’s Guide to the Cabo Blanco Region. Let this wet your appetite for adventure near Costa Rica’s white rock cape…
Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve- (Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco)
We might as well start with the obvious, and, let’s face it, the spectacular as well. Before reading any further, look at a few photos, and tell us you wouldn’t want to be there right now!
The Cabo Blanco Reserve is the last tip of land jutting out into the Pacific, defining the bottom ‘corner’ of the Nicoya Peninsula. And it is a wild place! It can be accessed from the towns that surround it – Mal Pais/Santa Teresa, and Cabuya, offering slightly different experiences of the rugged, and untouched landscape of jungle and sea.
The main entrance is at the very end of the road that leads from Montezuma to Cabuya, and since there’s only one road, it’s hard to miss! Here you will find the official entrance, and there is a fee to enter here, but the reward is a rugged, 3 kilometer trail that ends with a descent to the white sand beach from where the Cabo Blanco itself is visible.
If you want to make your way across to Mal Pais, with some quick directions from a local, you can wander in through a short trail to Playa Cueves; a small and isolated beach, steeped in the same rugged beauty. Entrance on this side is free and unregulated, but there are no trails beyond the beach.
Beach Bonanza
If we start at the Cabo Blanco and head east toward Montezuma, there are several beaches all along the sunrise side of the peninsular tip.
Go west/north toward Mal Pais and Santa Teresa, and you get the spectacular crescent beaches up the sunset side.
The majority of the surfing and surf culture is on the sunset side, while the sunrise side offers more in terms of unique nature experiences, including rivers that flow out to the sea, and unique wildlife sightings, like turtles and whales, often right from shore.
If you follow the beach trail out of Montezuma, you’ll cross several uninhabited beaches, covered in a colorful array of jasper.
Keep going, following the trail at the end of each beach that leads to the next, and eventually you end up at a waterfall, spilling straight down into the sea, which is as gob- macking as it sounds! And it’s all free
La Isla Cementerio – Cemetery Island
There’s an island close to the shore of Cabuya, right where the local fisherman keep their boats and sell their fish as they have since the first Costa Ricans settled this area in the mid-20th. century.
The island is aptly named, and it’s probably pretty easy to guess what’s on it. No, not a bouncy castle… it’s a cemetery, where local residents, including some foreigners have selected as their final resting place, making for an eclectic mix of traditional tombs and creative headstones alike.
The other neat thing about the island is that you can walk to it. What? Doesn’t that make it…well, just land, and not an island? Have we missed something? No… it’s only accessible at low tide, when a natural causeway emerges from the sea, connecting the island to the shore, and you can stroll right out. Just make sure you’ve got accurate info on the tide’s return, or you might end up with either a long wait or an awkward swim back to shore!
Chocolate and Butterflies
We have them both… thankfully, not usually at the same time. But if you want to learn about cacao, and about fresh chocolate making, as well as permaculture techniques and philosophy, check out this place.
Then, when you’re full of chocolate and progressive permaculture goodness, why not go share it with some butterflies? Actually, this is just one of a few butterfly gardens in the area, where you can sink yourself into the micro-habitats of our lush jungle, and see what the mariposas do at home.
You can even enjoy some locally crafted beer afterward, right at the same spot. And, just in case butterflies don’t get your adrenaline pumping the way you thought they would, a zipline and canopy tour are also nearby. These ones aren’t free, but general admission is nominal, while options abound from there.
You can even enjoy some locally crafted beer afterward, right at the same spot. And, just in case butterflies don’t get your adrenaline pumping the way you thought they would, a zipline and canopy tour are also nearby.
These ones aren’t free, but general admission is nominal, while options abound from there.
Kayak/Paddlboard/Surf
In either Santa Teresa or Cabuya (or smaller places in between) you will have no problem setting up a private tour, or even just renting a board and getting a few tips, if you’ve got some experience.
There is kayaking and fishing, paddle boarding, surfing, not to mention snorkeling, all right here along our shoreline. Prices and amenities vary, and are ready to suit every budget and every adventure level.
Is that all?
Heck, no! But we’re not going to give it all away in one post! Activities in our region range from the self-driven and cost-free, to the pampered luxuries that explain why God made credit cards.
In this post our aim has been to get you excited about our region, but also to point out that once you get settled in, there’s a ton you can do without opening your wallet.
And that includes the nature, which you can see just above your head all day, from monkeys, macaws, parrots, coatis… It’s all here. In fact, the Calala Lodge is located right smack in the middle of all the above. So put our region on your list for your next trip here, and it will be worth every colone!
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