Waterfalls
Mountain rivers dropping off a cliff face. Some have a pool you can get into; most are reached by going down steps or mud, and you have to climb back up.
Also searched as
- waterfalls Costa Rica
- waterfall hike
- natural pool
- swimming hole
Where to find it · 3 areas
Bagaces
Guanacaste's middle town: it sits on the Interamericana between Cañas and Liberia, and most people drive straight past without knowing the county holds three big things. To the north, the Llanos de Cortés waterfall and its turquoise pools. Higher up, Miravalles volcano and the geothermal field that heats its waters. And to the south, dropping toward the Tempisque river, Palo Verde National Park: the wetlands where thousands of water birds gather in the dry season. Bagaces is dry heat, flatland and cattle country.
2 days AlajuelaLa Fortuna
The town at the foot of Arenal volcano, with the cone in view from almost any corner when the sky clears. Around it are hot springs, a waterfall, hanging bridges and Lake Arenal. It's one of the most tourism-ready places in the country, and you can tell.
3 days AlajuelaRío Celeste
The sky-blue river inside Tenorio Volcano National Park: the colour comes from suspended mineral particles that scatter the light, right where two streams meet. You reach it through Bijagua, a dairy-and-mountain town in northern Alajuela. The trail is muddy and climbs — not a flip-flops walk.
1 day