Visiting Rio Celeste Waterfall In Costa Rica (Complete Guide)
Are you planning to visit the iconic Rio Celeste waterfall? If so, this article’s for you.
The Rio Celeste is a famous bright turquoise blue waterfall, located in the Tenorio Volcano National Park. It’s around a 1.5 hour drive from La Fortuna and Liberia, making it the perfect day trip from either place.
This article will cover updated costs, directions, and a few important considerations before visiting this gorgeous waterfall.
Here’s everything you need to know to visit the famous Rio Celeste waterfall.
How To Get To The Rio Celeste Waterfall
The Rio Celeste waterfall is nestled in the Tenorio Volcano National Park, which charges an entrance fee of $12/nonresident.
To enter the park, you must buy your tickets online at SINAC, where you’ll reserve a time slot for visiting. Make sure to buy your tickets beforehand, as there’s little to no cell service by the park’s entrance.
The drive to Tenorio Volcano National Park is scenic, but the last 10-15 miles leading up to the park is on a bumpy dirt road with huge potholes. If you don’t have a 4×4 vehicle, make sure to drive very slow to avoid damaging your car.
As soon as you arrive at Tenorio Volcano National Park, there’s a large dirt parking lot, just across the street from the entrance where you’ll check in. Keep in mind that there’s parking attendants here that may charge you a fee. When I visited, they charged me 2,000 colones for the day.
Right by the parking lot there’s restaurants, a cafe, and a gift shop that sells souvenirs, snacks, and drinks.
The entrance to the park is right across the street from the restaurant. Here you’ll show them your ticket, and proceed to enter the park.
Hiking To Rio Celeste Waterfall
- Park’s main trail: Mysteries of Tenorio Trail
- Distance to waterfall: 3.5 km (2 miles roundtrip)
- Duration: 1-2 hours
- Restrooms: Available at the entrance
From the entrance of Tenorio Volcano National Park, it’s a 3.5 km hike (2 miles roundtrip) to get to the waterfall on the park’s main trail.
It’s a really beautiful rainforest hike with small streams, and the sounds of wildlife rustling in the trees.
You’ll begin hiking on the park’s main trail until you see the marker for “Catarata” (waterfall), and follow this path until you approach the stairs that lead down to the waterfall.
There’s 250 steep steps to get down to the main viewpoint of the waterfall, so it’s an excellent leg workout. If you don’t want to climb down all of the stairs, don’t worry, you’ll have an amazing view of the waterfall midway down.
I visited Rio Celeste after it rained, so a portion of the trail was muddy. But to my surprise, the waterfall was still the brightest turquoise blue water I’ve ever seen!
At the bottom of the stairs, you’ll have an incredible viewpoint of the waterfall flowing into the turquoise blue pool. You may notice this area smells like rotten eggs (sulfur), which is from the nearby volcanic activity.
Important Tips For Visiting Rio Celeste Waterfall
- Buy your ticket beforehand online at SINAC
- Use WAZE for directions and drive slowly if you don’t have a 4×4 vehicle (the road leading up are VERY bumpy, with potholes)
- Bring cash for parking (~2,000 colones or $4 USD)
- Wear sunscreen, and a rain jacket if visiting during rainy season
Other Things To Do In Tenorio Volcano National Park
Beyond seeing Rio Celeste, you can hike to Los Borbollones, La Laguna Azul, and El Teñidero within the national park. These are all accessible by hiking the main “Mysteries of Tenorio Trail” which is around 3 miles roundtrip if you visit all of them.
Los Borbollones is an interesting natural attraction where the river bubbles up from volcanic activity, and releases gases giving the park the rotten egg smell.
La Laguna Azul is a beautiful sky blue lagoon. And El Teñidero is the point where the rivers mix (Quebrada Agria and Rio Buenavista), causing the chemical reaction that gives the waterfall its signature sky-blue color!
Rio Celeste Waterfall Map
Rio Celeste FAQs
Where is the Rio Celeste waterfall located?
The Rio Celeste waterfall is located within the Tenorio Volcano National Park in the mountains of the Guanacaste region.
It’s around a 1.5 hour drive from La Fortuna, 1.5 hour drive from Liberia, and 3.5 hour drive from San Jose.
How do you buy an entrance fee?
To purchase an entrance ticket, you’ll buy it online at the SINAC website. It’s $12+tax for nonresidents.
You’ll begin by creating a username and password, and then make a reservation for visiting Tenorio Volcano National Park (where you’ll choose a time slot).
While in Costa Rica, the website may default to Spanish. You can easily switch the language from Spanish to English on the homepage to make it easier when buying your ticket.
Once you buy the ticket, you’ll get a mobile confirmation, which you can screenshot to show the staff member as you enter the park.
How long is the hike to Rio Celeste?
The hike to Rio Celeste is 3.5 km (~2 miles) roundtrip, and can take anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on your speed.
How difficult is the hike?
The Rio Celeste hike is long but relatively easy. Most of the path is shaded by the trees until you reach the stairs leading down to the waterfall.
The hardest part of the hike is climbing up and down the 250 stairs, but it’s not necessary, as you’ll have an amazing view midway down the stairs.
Can you swim in Rio Celeste?
No, you unfortunately can’t swim in the Rio Celeste waterfall because of the strong currents and their effort to conserve its natural beauty.
Some great nearby waterfalls you can swim in are the La Fortuna waterfall (1.5 hour drive), Llanos de Cortez waterfall (1 hour drive), or La Leona waterfall (2.5 hour drive) near Rincon de la Vieja.
You can hike to La Fortuna waterfall ($20/person) and Llanos de Cortez ($7/person) on your own, but the La Leona waterfall hike requires a guide.
Why is Rio Celeste’s water so blue?
Rio Celeste gets its famous sky-blue color from a chemical reaction, when the mixing of two rivers (Quebrada Agria and Rio Buenavista) causes aluminosilicate particles to aggregate and turn the river bright blue!
If you visit after it’s been raining, there’s a chance the water will be brown due to runoff flowing into the river. However, I visited during the rainy season, on a rainy day, and was still lucky enough to see the bright blue water!
Why does Rio Celeste smell like rotten eggs?
The rotten egg smell of sulfur actually comes from the “borbollones” or natural jacuzzis in the river, near Rio Celeste.
These are areas of the river that bubble up and leak volcanic gases into the air, which you can smell all around the waterfall. After seeing the waterfall, you can continue hiking the main trail to Los Borbollones to see this interesting natural attraction up close!
Do you need a 4×4 vehicle to visit Rio Celeste?
The roads are paved leading up to Rio Celeste so you don’t need a 4×4 vehicle. However, the roads are very bumpy, with deep potholes, so you’ll need to drive very slowly to protect your car.
If you haven’t yet booked a rental car, I highly recommend choosing a 4×4 vehicle.
The roads leading up to Tenorio Volcano National Park, Rincón de la Vieja, and Monteverde are all much easier to drive on if you have a 4×4 vehicle.
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