Night swimming in the bioluminescence


We spent three nights in a tiny village called Cabuya on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, just outside Montezuma. This was more of a stopover on the journey between Quepos and Tamarindo; we had a few extra nights so I thought we'd fit in some time in this part of Costa Rica.


Cabuya

Cabuya is a tiny village right outside Cabo Blanco National Park, the smallest national park in Costa Rica. The neighbouring town of Montezuma is still pretty small but has a quite a few accommodation options, restaurants etc - Cabuya is about another 15mins along the very uneven, unpaved road (definitely the most challenging bit of our driving in Costa Rica!).


Cabuya has a handful of places to stay and 3-4 eateries spread out along the main (quiet) road. We stayed in a fab cabin at Villas Cabuya, which comprises 4 cabins around a communal pool. We pretty much had the pool to ourselves so we spent quite a while just chilling out here.


The entrance to Cabo Blanco National Park is just down the road from the cabins. 


Bioluminescence tour

We'd seen this - randomly - on an ITV show with Bradley Walsh (!) and it looked magical. They run tours from Montezuma so we decided we couldn't miss the opportunity while we were in the area. The boat tour wasn't cheap (£235 for the five of us) but it turned out to be one of the best things we've ever done!


The boat takes you from Montezuma round to a bay about a 45minute boat ride away where you can watch the sunset and have a drink/fruit on the beach. We all had a swim in the sea which was gorgeous as the light faded. Once it was completely pitch dark it was back on the boat. We only sailed for about 5minutes before they cut the engine and told us to put our hands in the water. 


Straight away you could see the sparkles of the bioluminescence glowing with every bit of movement. 


We all jumped in and it was honestly out of this world - the boys were beside themselves as they swam around in the water, every tiny movement generating sparkles that didn't seem real. When you dipped your face/hair in the water you came back up sparkling!


We spent a long time swimming - the boys also jumped in over and over again from the boat, as the huge splashes made waves of bioluminescence.


It was absolutely unbelievable, and one of those moments where I was just overwhelmed (and a bit tearful!). 


The boat back to land took around 20-25minutes, then it was a drive back to Montezuma (about 45minutes). Magical!


Cabo Blanco National Park

The entrance to Cabo Blanco was walkable from our cabins. Cabo Blanco was a 'complete' nature reserve for many years, ie no visitors were allowed. It is pretty small but it definitely still packs a punch! We spotted our one and only anteater in Costa Rica here, along with the usual Costa Rican favourites - monkeys, iguanas, agoutis and loads of land crabs. 


It wasn't an entirely flat walkway so it was a bit tougher than Manuel Antonio (heat+hills=hard!).


On the way out we stopped at a fab like chocolate cafe where the owner took the time to talk Griffin through the chocolate growing/making process and let us try several different types of Costa Rican chocolate.


Montezuma

We didn't spend a huge amount of time in Montezuma but really liked the place - its still pretty small but has a chilled out vibe and a bit of a buzz about it, with more little restaurants and bars. There are a whole string of fairly deserted beaches between Montezuma and Cabuya with some pretty spectacular wave action too!


One tip for anyone heading to this part of the world - the nearest ATM is about a 30minute drive away, and it wasn't working when we stayed so we struggled a bit with cash (as most places prefer payment in cash). So if you do visit, make sure you plan ahead on the money front!

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