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Malpais, Costa Rica – Beaches And a Long Dusty Hike

The tip of the Nicoya Peninsula isn’t big. Montezuma, where I am staying, is only 7 kilometres from Cóbano, the main hub. Cóbano is 15 kilometres from Malpais and its two main beaches, Malpais and Santa Teresa.

Makes sense to explore, right?

Right.

But transportation is a bit of an issue here, like it was in Omotepe. There are no paved roads. You can rent a quad but it’s expensive and frankly, I wouldn’t be able to drive it (okay, maybe I would but I ain’t trying). Bus service is erratic and they are not direct, you have to go first to Cóbano and then take another bus… and of course, the buses don’t connect. But this is not really an issue because most of the time, buses don’t show up, break down, and service stops around 3 p.m.

Yet, I wanted to explore Malpais and its beaches, on the other side of the Peninsula. So I took the 8:30 a.m. bus to Cóbano and started walking the 15 kilometres to Malpais. The dirt road was, well, extremely dusty and soon I was covered in a thin layer of dirt.

After walking 5 kilometres, a passing car gave me a ride to Malpais—lucky me. The driver was quite decent too and didn’t offer me any weed or cocaine. Don’t laugh. I have been offered drugs so many times here, it’s not even funny. Gee. People don’t know me at all. I run on chocolate, Coke Zero and bread.

My ride dropped me off at Playa Carmen, a long stretch of sand parallel to the main drag. It was still early and the only folks in the water were surfers, riding waves with more or less success.

From Playa Carmen, I walked all the way to Santa Teresa, another lovely beach, and then walk the road back.

I had briefly considered staying in Santa Teresa (or Playa Carmen) but I am glad I didn’t. The “town” is basically just a long road with businesses—hostels, sodas, souvenir shops—on both sides. Montezuma is much smaller but it feels cozier, more intimate and more laid-back.

As I was walking on the main road, I saw a fender bender on the road and the bus was stuck behind. My bus. My ride back to Cóbano.

Alright. May as well walk.

I followed the beach for about 4 kilometres to Malpais, then I saw a sign to Cabuya, the small town close to Cabo Blanco. Could I walk the 7 kilometres there?

I bought an iced 2-litre water bottle and started to hike on the dirt road. It wasn’t flat as I was hoping but up and down the hills. At least I wasn’t getting lost—all I had to do was to follow the road.

And I did, for 7 kilometres. The scenery was beautiful. I was alone, on that dirt road, contrasting with the lush forest and the fields.

By the time I reached Cabuya, I slowed down and flagged the first car I saw. No way I was walking another 11 kilometres to Montezuma. I ended up at the back of the pickup truck along with five other people (apparently, the bus from the reserve hadn’t showed up—what a surprise!).

I can feel my quads, my calves and my thighs. But it was worth it.

Dirt Road From Cóbano
Dirt Road From Cóbano
Dirt Road From Cóbano
Dirt Road From Cóbano
Dirt Road From Cóbano
Dirt Road From Cóbano
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Playa Carmen
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa
Malpais
Malpais
Malpais
Malpais
Malpais
Malpais
Cabuya
Cabuya
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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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