https://www.cabuyacr.com/An independent English guide to Cabuya, the fishing village at the southern tip of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula: Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve, the island cemetery, beaches, places to stay and eat, and how to get there.https://www.cabuyacr.com/montezuma-waterfall/https://www.cabuyacr.com/montezuma-waterfall/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Montezuma waterfalls are a set of 3 falls on the Río Montezuma, just south of Montezuma village and about 20 minutes' drive from Cabuya. The big lower fall is a short river walk from the road, and the upper falls have swimming pools, but people have died jumping here, so treat the river with respect.https://www.cabuyacr.com/beaches-near-cabuya/https://www.cabuyacr.com/beaches-near-cabuya/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Cabuya's own beach is rocky and best at high tide, when the water is calm, or at low tide for the walk to the island cemetery. For sand and swimming, head to Playa Los Cedros or Playa Las Manchas near Montezuma, and for surf, to Playa Grande or the beaches of Santa Teresa, where strong currents make swimming risky.https://www.cabuyacr.com/best-time-to-visit-cabuya/https://www.cabuyacr.com/best-time-to-visit-cabuya/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The easiest time to visit Cabuya is the dry season, from about December to April, when roads are dry, the Mal País back road is usually open and hiking in Cabo Blanco is at its easiest. The green season, from May to November, brings afternoon rain, fewer people and lush forest, but September and October are the wettest months and the hardest for travel.https://www.cabuyacr.com/cabuya-costa-rica/https://www.cabuyacr.com/cabuya-costa-rica/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Cabuya is a small fishing village at the southern tip of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, where the road from Montezuma ends at Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve. Come for the reserve's forest trails, the island cemetery you can walk to at low tide and very quiet nights; for restaurants and nightlife, Montezuma is 15 to 20 minutes away.https://www.cabuyacr.com/cabuya-tides/https://www.cabuyacr.com/cabuya-tides/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Cabuya has two high tides and two low tides most days, and each low tide comes roughly 50 minutes later than the day before. To walk to the island cemetery, check a tide table, set off about an hour before low tide and start back before the water turns.https://www.cabuyacr.com/getting-to-cabuya/https://www.cabuyacr.com/getting-to-cabuya/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Most people reach Cabuya from San José by driving to Puntarenas, taking the car ferry to Paquera and driving down through Cóbano and Montezuma, about 4.5 to 6 hours in all. The fastest option is a short domestic flight to the Cóbano airstrip, about 35 to 40 minutes from San José, then a drive of under an hour.https://www.cabuyacr.com/mal-pais-and-santa-teresa-day-trip/https://www.cabuyacr.com/mal-pais-and-santa-teresa-day-trip/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Mal País and Santa Teresa sit on the open Pacific just over the hills from Cabuya, with surf beaches and sunsets over the ocean. In the dry season you can take the rough 4x4 back road from Cabuya; the rest of the year, go round through Cóbano, about an hour. Swim with care: Playa Carmen and Santa Teresa have strong rip currents, and Playa Hermosa is the gentler choice.https://www.cabuyacr.com/things-to-do-in-cabuya/https://www.cabuyacr.com/things-to-do-in-cabuya/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The two things nobody should miss in Cabuya are a hike in Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve and the low-tide walk to the island cemetery just offshore. Add a boat trip to Isla Tortuga, a swim in the Río Lajas, a chocolate tour by the reserve gate and a day at Montezuma's waterfalls, and you'll fill a slow week.https://www.cabuyacr.com/where-to-eat-in-cabuya/https://www.cabuyacr.com/where-to-eat-in-cabuya/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000In Cabuya, start the day at the village bakery, eat pizza at Cafe Coyote or Salón El Higuerón, and stop at Indígena for chocolate after hiking Cabo Blanco. For a wider choice, drive 15 to 20 minutes to Montezuma, where Cocolores, Ylang Ylang and Sano Banano are long-running favorites.https://www.cabuyacr.com/where-to-stay-in-cabuya/https://www.cabuyacr.com/where-to-stay-in-cabuya/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Cabuya has no big hotels, just a handful of small places to stay. Villas Cabuya suits families and self-caterers near the beach, the jungle lodge at Wild Sun Rescue Center is the pick for wildlife lovers by Cabo Blanco, and The Sanctuary at Two Rivers is for booked yoga retreats. If you'd rather be near restaurants, Hotel Amor de Mar sits at the Cabuya end of Montezuma.https://www.cabuyacr.com/wild-sun-wildlife-rescue-center/https://www.cabuyacr.com/wild-sun-wildlife-rescue-center/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Wild Sun Rescue Center is a non-profit wildlife rescue in Cabuya, on land bordering Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve, that treats injured animals and returns them to the wild. Next to it, the Wild Sun Jungle Resort has rooms around an ocean-view infinity pool, and its volunteers and interns stay on site.https://www.cabuyacr.com/scuba-diving/https://www.cabuyacr.com/scuba-diving/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The easiest snorkeling from Cabuya is on the reef around the island cemetery, on a calm day around low tide. For clearer water and more fish, take a full-day boat trip to Isla Tortuga from Montezuma or Cabuya. Scuba is available through tour agencies rather than a dive shop in the village, so arrange it ahead.https://www.cabuyacr.com/cafe-coyote/https://www.cabuyacr.com/cafe-coyote/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Cafe Coyote is a long-running, informal restaurant in Cabuya, best known for its pizza, with local fish, Costa Rican plates and fruit shakes too. It's in a garden on the road toward Mal País, and the owner is a well-known source of local tips.https://www.cabuyacr.com/cabuya-bakery-panaderia/https://www.cabuyacr.com/cabuya-bakery-panaderia/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Panadería Cabuya, often called the Cabuya Bakery, is a family-run bakery and cafe on the village's main road. It's the go-to spot for breakfast, fresh bread and pastries, coffee and smoothies, with lunch plates and a garden patio.https://www.cabuyacr.com/playa-los-cedros/https://www.cabuyacr.com/playa-los-cedros/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Playa Los Cedros is a stretch of coast just past the Río Lajas on the road between Cabuya and Montezuma. It's best known as one of the area's better surf spots, and at low tide it opens up tide pools that are good for exploring and a quiet picnic.https://www.cabuyacr.com/the-sanctuary-at-two-rivers/https://www.cabuyacr.com/the-sanctuary-at-two-rivers/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Sanctuary at Two Rivers is a yoga and meditation retreat center on about 40 acres of jungle in Cabuya, where the Río Lajas and Río Cacao meet. It's set up for retreats and group bookings rather than ordinary hotel stays, and suits people who want yoga, river swimming and quiet.https://www.cabuyacr.com/cabuya-island/https://www.cabuyacr.com/cabuya-island/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Isla Cabuya is a small island just off Cabuya's beach that serves as the village cemetery. At low tide you can walk out to it over the rocky reef in about 10 to 15 minutes; at high tide the way is underwater, so timing is everything.https://www.cabuyacr.com/cabo-blanco-reserve/https://www.cabuyacr.com/cabo-blanco-reserve/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve covers the forested southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, a short drive past Cabuya, and was Costa Rica's first protected area when it was created in 1963. Visitors can walk two trails: the long Sueco trail down to Playa Cabo Blanco, or the short Danés loop.