5 incredible places to stay in Costa Rica that few people know about

Montezuma used to be just a small fishing village, but those days are long gone. Its beaches are now home to a hippie/boho scene made up of both locals and foreigners.

The city's location on the southeastern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula means that finding your way here is half the fun. You can get to Jaco by bus, and from there take an hour-long water taxi ride directly to Montezuma Beach (the boat actually departs from Herradura, just north of Jaco). You can also drive two hours from San José to Puntarenas and its ferry terminal, where you'll board a ferry to Paquera. Once in Paquera, drive another hour through Tambor Beach, Cobano, and then finally along the gravel road to Montezuma. (Yes, there's also a pretty cheap 25-minute flight from San Jose to Tambor, but that's a turn-off from the adventure.)

Montezuma is bordered by several miles of rugged coastline and offers some pretty epic nightlife — the fun certainly doesn't end once you put away your surfboard for the day. Just outside of town is a stunning 80-foot waterfall with great swimming spots, and there are natural hot springs nearby. The only problem with Montezuma is getting down from the heights long enough to see what else Costa Rica has to offer.

For obvious reasons, Costa Rica, almost 1,000 miles long and bordered by two oceans, attracts many people to enjoy its beaches and waves. But not everyone goes to Costa Rica to surf. For example, San Gerardo de Dota, located in the Savegre River valley in the Talamanca Cordillera, is entirely dedicated to bird watching. Although its south-central location provides easy access to Los Quetzales National Park, intensive tourism has not yet caught up with it.

Nearly 200 species have been discovered in the region's cloud forests birds, including many hummingbirds, woodpeckers and tanagers, but the undisputed star of the place is the magnificent quetzal, which lives in the San Gerardo de Dota area all year round.

From luxury villas to simple mountain lodges , most accommodations here offer magnificent views of green hills and fruit plantations. And if you find yourself in San Gerardo de Dota and are not into birds, you can always go trout fishing on the Savegre River, go on excursions to the nearby coffee plantation or to the Naranjo Falls.

Home to Cerro Chirripo, Costa Rica's highest peak (12,533 feet), this national park was literally created for tourists and climbers. On a clear day, you can see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea from the top.

In addition to the difficulty of climbing Chirripo, there are numerous trail systems that wind through more environmental zones than you will find in most countries. Rise from the grasslands near San Gerardo de Rivas (don't miss the hot springs there, just 15 minutes north of the forestry) to the rainforest, to forests of ancient oaks towering more than 150 feet, to the tundra ecosystem near the summit. .. All this rich diversity occupies armies of biologists for life.

The climb to the summit is 11 miles with an elevation gain of almost 10,000 feet, but there is a shelter half a kilometer from the top where you can spend the night and begin descent the next morning. Camping is not permitted and you will need to make a shelter reservation through the park system. While Easter and certain weekends during the dry season can get crowded, you won't see many other tourists at any other time of the year.

There is no better way to appreciate the majesty of the mountains, canyons and waterfalls of the Rio Pacuare than by rafting. The river is ranked among the top 10 best whitewater rafting trips in the world by National Geographic, and there are tour operators and sections of the river suitable for all skill levels. While you may be a little busy navigating the rapids, you'll likely see plenty of birds and monkeys along the way.

If rafting isn't your thing, the nearby town of Turrialba is all would still be a great place to stay for a while. This is also the place to organize a tour of the ruins in Guayabo. This is one of the few pre-Columbian sites in Costa Rica that is open to the public, and can give you an idea of ​​what life was like here from about 1000 BC. e. to 1400 AD e.

Note: Turrialba Volcano erupted in October 2014, so Turrialba Volcano National Park is currently closed. However, its Jurassic Park-like slopes can still be seen from a safe distance.

For those who really want to get off the beaten path, Manzanillo Village is definitely the place to be. This small town marks the end of the road that runs south along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, and this road was only first paved in 2003.

But who need to stay there? There is a full 10 miles of pristine coastline between the end of the road and the Panama border. For a real adventure, hire a local guide to take you beyond the village and along the coast into the Gandoca Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge. A half-day round trip hike will take you to beautiful Punta Mona.

Further southeast and deep into the reserve you can also visit the village of Gandoca, accessible from the main inland highway by 4x4 or boat . This small town holds tightly to its Afro-Caribbean culture. While you won't find any fancy boutique hotels, you will find friendly Costa Ricans who throw an occasional party at the local bar, and new friends who might invite you to go snorkeling or kayaking. This is the kind of trip that will go unnoticed, giving you a new understanding of the spirit of Tico and his pura vida.