Malpais, Costa Rica: A Quaint Fishing Village in Nicoya Peninsula

A small snail crawled into the deep burrow among the small rocks on the beach. The sun had just set. But the sky still retained the orangish tint of the twilight. We sat silently on the beach, listening to the music of the waves crashing on to the shore. Soon the tunes of the ocean waves were joined in by the pouring sound of a fresh shower. Covering our heads with our hands, we got up and walked towards our car. Thus ended another beautiful day in the quaint village of Malpais, Costa Rica.

Malpais is a small fishing hamlet located at the southern tip of Nicoya peninsula. With dirt paths, unspoilt secret beaches and an unfiltered way of the simple life, this village can be a delight to travelers.

Things to do in Malpais, Costa Rica

Whether relaxing on the beach, or hiking to a nearby waterfall, you will find quite a few things to do in Malpais.

Beach Time

Malpais has a mesmerizing coastline. That is why the best thing to do in this town is to find a spot on the vast stretch of sand, soak up the sun and admire the incredible surrounding scenery. Yes, you can swim in the ocean too but be careful of the rocks.

While Playa Malpais is the most known beach, find some time for Playa Mar Azul too. The waves here are good for surfing. You will also find tide pools on this beach for a relaxing soak.

Spend a Day at Playa Cuevas

Playa Cuevas is a secret little beach, known only to the locals. You can reach this beach after driving on a bumpy unpaved road to the far end of the Malpais town.

The white sand and the clear waters of Playa Cuevas look inviting for a spending a perfect beach day. However, the most striking feature of this beach is a huge rock that helps create small caves inside. That is how the beach gets its name, as Cuevas in Spanish means Caves.

The marine ecosystem around Playa Cuevas fall under the protected area of Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve.

Watch Sunset on the Beach

Santa Teresa gets all the fame and attention for its stunning beach sunsets. But if you want to witness a fiery sunset over the ocean, minus the flocks of people on the beach, Malpais is your answer.

Hike in Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve

Inaugurated in 1963, Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve is the first nature reserve of Costa Rica. Hiking in the reserve will give you the chance to come across rare animals and colorful birds along the nature trails through secondary forest.

There are couple of shorter trails which take about an hour each to complete. The longer trail of 10 km is a round trip to Playa Cabo Blanco, a secluded white sand beach. The hike, in the heat and humidity, is not easy, but is definitely rewarding.

Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve is located in the nearby town of Cabuya. It takes up to an hour when driving from Malpais.

For more details, read our detailed post about hiking in Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve.

Hike to Montezuma Waterfalls

How about another adventurous hike? Drive to the beach town of Montezuma and hike to the Montezuma Waterfalls. It is an adventurous hike because some parts of the trail will make you climb hundreds of stairs, walk over rivers and scramble on rocks.

Montezuma Waterfalls can be considered among the best waterfalls of Costa Rica. Three different waterfalls, Upper, Middle and Lower constitute the Montezuma Waterfalls. The Lower Fall is the largest and the most difficult one to reach.

You can swim in the pools near the waterfalls, and if you are up for it, can also jump from the cliffs into the pools, at your own risk.

Check out this post to read about the full experience of hiking to Montezuma Waterfalls.

To know more about the beach town of Montezuma, read our detailed guide to Montezuma.

Explore Santa Teresa

Santa Teresa and Malpais are often combined together for many travel articles. Santa Teresa is the bigger sister town of Malpais, lying a few kilometers to its north. Over the years, Santa Teresa has grown to become very popular in the travelers’ circuit, particularly among surfers and yoga practitioners.

When staying at Malpais, make a short drive or a long walk, if you prefer, to explore the perfect white sand beaches of Playa Carmen, Santa Teresa and beyond.

If you prefer to vacation at a happening place with a lot of buzz around, make Santa Teresa your base and take trips to Malpais to explore that area.

Visit Cabuya

Cabuya is the last town of the Nicoya peninsula, on the east coast. It is not just a gateway to Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve, but the town itself has its own charm.

Apart from Cabo Blanco, an island cemetery, an old giant banyan tree, a wildlife rescue center and some quiet beaches are some of the other attractions of Cabuya. When in Malpais, take the opportunity to visit this neighbouring town.

And if you are up for a little adventure for your visit to Cabuya from Malpais, drive on the Malpais-Cabuya road, a rough dirt path through the jungle. Fair warning, you may have to drive on river water flowing over the road.

Is Cabuya your cup of tea? Read this post about Cabuya to find out more about this small town in Nicoya peninsula.

Malpais, Costa Rica: Make It Happen

To help you plan your visit to Malpais, Costa Rica, here are the logistic details about how to reach, where to stay and where to eat.

How to reach Malpais

Malpais is located at the southern end of Nicoya peninsula, on the west coast. It is remote but not inaccessible by road. You can also take a domestic flight from Liberia or San Jose to Tambor, and then cover the rest of the trip by road. For domestic flight schedules, check the website of Sansa Airlines.

Driving from Liberia

From Liberia, drive on Ruta 21, without taking any diversions. Even if Waze or Google Maps show you alternative shorter routes. The roads on such routes are often nonexistent. So the key is to stay on Ruta 21. When you reach the junction of Santa Teresa – Malpais, take left and drive towards Malpais.

You can find the detailed driving directions from Liberia in this post.

Driving from San Jose

The fastest way to travel in car from San Jose to southern Nicoya is to take the Puntarenas Ferry, with your car, for crossing the Gulf of Nicoya. On the other side of the ferry ride, once you reach Paquera, take the same Ruta 21, as mentioned in the previous section, to drive towards Malpais, Costa Rica.

To plan your ferry ride across the Gulf, refer to this post about Puntarenas Ferry.

Where to stay in Malpais

You will find a handful of nice hotels, resorts and lodges along the main road of Malpais, as well as some up the hills with ocean view rooms from up above. Some of the stay options that you can consider for Malpais are:

Hotel Ritmo Tropical: Located few hundred meters away from the Carmen beach in Santa Teresa, Hotel Ritmo Tropical, with its bungalows and private rooms, is equipped with all modern amenities including a swimming pool. Check prices and availability here.

Moana Lodge: Moana lodge has rooms and suites with garden or sea views located 700 meters from the Malpais beach. Click here to view prices and book your stay.

Indigo Yoga Surf Resort: If you wish to have a tropical experience in your stay, choose Indigo Yoga Surf Resort. The villas, cottage or suites with a rustic local flavor and green surroundings, make it suitable as a yoga retreat.

Vista Naranja Ocean View House: Located slightly away from the ocean but on the hills of Mal Pais, Vista Naranja has rooms with wide ocean views surrounded by tropical forests visited by various species of monkeys and birds. Click here to check prices and book your stay.

Where to eat in Malpais

During our visit in December 2020, we did not find many places to eat in Malpais, except for one or two sodas here and there. But those sodas also operated only during limited hours.

However, you can still find plenty of places to eat, if you move a bit up north towards Playa Carmen and Santa Teresa. The food scene in Santa Teresa is pretty vibrant, with cute cafes and relaxing restaurants serving cuisines from around the world.

A couple of our favorites in Playa Carmen area are The Bakery, for amazing desserts and El Tercer Ojo, for innovative fusion food.

Final Thoughts on Malpais, Costa Rica

Malpais is indeed a small fishing village in Costa Rica. Despite the surf-worthy waves, the hiking trails in the region and the proximity to the hot and happening Santa Teresa, Malpais still lies in a cocoon that protects it from the wild pace of tourism infrastructure development. Shall we keep it that way please?

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