Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
nearby Cabuya or Montezuma. Bring drinks and snacks as there is no food or water avail-
able.
The average annual temperature is about 27°C (80°F) and annual rainfall is some
2300mm at the tip of the park. Not surprisingly, the trails can get muddy, so it's best to vis-
it in the dry season, from December to April, and start your hike early before it gets too
steamy.
Getting There & Away
Buses (US$1.50, 45 minutes) depart from the park entrance for Montezuma at 7am, 9am,
11am and 3pm. A taxi from Montezuma to the park costs about US$16.
During dry season, you can drive (4WD required) for 7km from Cabuya to Mal País via
the stunningly scenic Star Mountain Rd. It's a rough road and there is one river crossing
but it's all good.
Mal País & Santa Teresa
Get ready for tasty waves, creative kitchens and babes in board shorts and bikinis, because
the southwestern corner of Península de Nicoya has all that and more. Which is why it's
become one of Costa Rica's most life-affirming destinations. Here, the sea is alive with
wildlife and is almost perfect when it comes to shape, color and temperature. The hills are
dotted with stylish boutique sleeps and sneaky good kitchens run by the occasional run-
away, top-shelf chef. Sure, there is a growing ribbon of mostly expat development on the
coastline, but the hills are lush and that road is still rutted earth (even if it is intermittently
sealed with aromatic vats of molasses). The entire area unfurls along one coastal road that
rambles from Santa Teresa in the north through Playa el Carmen, the area's commercial
heartbeat, then terminating in the fishing hamlet of Mal País. The whole region is collect-
ively known as Mal País.
The road from Cóbano meets the beach road next to Frank's Place, on the western side
of the peninsula. To the left (south) lies Mal País and to the right (north) is Santa Teresa.
Dead ahead is the beach at Playa el Carmen. In the dry season you might also arrive on the
4WD road from Montezuma via Cabuya, which terminates at the southern end of Mal País
village.
