rio celeste

My husband and I spent an amazing morning touring at Rio Celeste followed by lunch and a great afternoon touring at Heliconias. We were referred to Marco Elizondo (marcoelizondo36@gmail.com) who drove the two of us and our guide from Playas del Coco to Rio Celeste. Both Marco and our guide accompanied us on this tour which made it very interesting and lots of fun.The waterfall at Rio Celeste is fairly easy going to get to but the hike from there becomes very muddy and some of the bridges and the platform need repair. We had a beautiful sunny day so would not recommend going in the rain. The hike is definitely rewarding but be prepared for these challenges. The hiking trails and hanging bridges at Heliconias are not to be missed and were a great finish to a great day!

So, the "girlfriend" says, hey, I heard about this beautiful waterfall - let's go there. We says, OK.We were staying in the La Fortuna area and drove to Nacional Parque Tenorio. Getting into the general vicinity of the park isn't difficult, but finding the exact place to park and enter was a bit of a challenge. The location wasn't well marked, but check it out on Google Earth for a good GPS location.It was raining on the morning that we went - no surprise - particularly since you're gently driving up the side of the old volcano. The parking area was quite muddy, which was a good introduction to our hike. A vendor is nearby, offering to rent you gum boots. We chose to get brilliantly dirty in our boots and lightweight shoes. At first, you're a bit careful about getting too muddy, but after a while you just have to let go.The hike itself isn't that long - the issue is the conditions. It's approximately three kilometers to the furthest away feature where the waters mix. The waterfall is about a mile in. Walking to the waterfall isn't too bad and you'll only get slightly muddy/dirty. If you go beyond that to the fumarole and the mixing zone, then much of your hike will be walking through slick, sticky clay - a.ka. - mud. Again, once we let go of the idea of staying clean, we all really had a great time. Seriously, when was the last time that we got this dirty on a hike? :) It was a good experience and we're very glad that we did it. As a photographer, I wish that I could have taken photographs of the waterfall from different perspectives, but that's the way it goes.

From La Fortuna you can get to Rio Celeste four different ways. Tour, $80 - $130 per person, lunch, guide and transportation included. Taxi, $160 round trip, driver will wait while you hike and that is included in the price. Taxi will take two people for that price. You can hike alone or hire a guide when you arrive, $20-$35, negotiable. Rent a car. Or you can take the bus, leaves La Fortuna at 6:30am, only costs $8 each way, but you need to walk about 1.5 miles to her to the trail head. Obviously the bus is much slower than the cab, rental, or tour which are both about 90-120 minutes each way.If it is wet or recently rained and you want your shoes or pants to stay out of the mud rent the $4 boots. Otherwise you can wear your own gear and rinse off at the end of the hike.The guide is helpful when pointing out Stan vents away from the the trail, plants, and birds, not to mention mammals if you happens to see any. Don't go expecting to see a lot of mammals. Otherwise the guide is completely unnecessary.Signs prohibit swimming, though I am sure some people step over the 2' fence.The hike starts off easy and gets more difficult, though it is not strenuous or technical. If it is raining or recently rained the trail gets much more difficult as the mud is slippery and persists through much of the back 1/2 of the trail. I observed two people who fell in the mud on a rainy day

hike is worth it. We went after a hard rain so the water wasn't as deeply colored as usual, but it was still amazing. Seeing the volcanic crack where they dye comes from was great ("The place where the river dyes"). Hike was steep. Hotel nearby would be a nice choice, there are probably many nice hikes in the area. Went with a tour and it was nice to be sure we were headed in the right direction. Can get lunch and restrooms at the hotel at the bottom. Long 2 hour rocky drive from Arenal.

If you want to have the best possible Rio Celeste experience, then you MUST go tubing with Onca Tours! You can swim and tube in the most beautiful river on earth with this company! You can NOT swim in the Rio Celeste in the Tenorio National Park since 2005, when a series of fatal accidents prompted the park service to discontinue allowing people to swim in the river's pools and waterfall areas. The safest way to swim in the river is by taking a river tour with Onca. The owner, named Odir, does a superb job of providing a safe and high quality tubing experience. The tubing trips are available seven days a week. Trips usually depart at 9:00 or 1:00, although there is some flexibility in the time offered. This two hour trip will possibly be the highlight of your Costa Rican experience. Odir and his staff are very friendly, and helpful in the river if you need a hand. The guides speak English, French and of course Spanish. The excursión includes a delicious fruit snack at the end as well as a tasty lunch. Pura Vida with style! The trip is safe for children as young as three years old. Call a day or two ahead of time to schedule your trip.You can call Odir from Onca Tours at (506) 8399 2757 or email at odirrg5@hotmail.com

The colour of the water is amazing! Definitely go see this if it's a sunny day and the day before was sunny as well. Apparently the colour won't be as nice if it has rained. I was coming from La Fortuna and busses seemed really difficult so I rented a car. Directions are vague so:East on 142 then north on 4 (towards Upala). When you get to Katira make a left down a dirt road (there is a sign). Take that until you get to a 4 way crossing and turn right. This will take you to the park entrance. I had read that you turn left at San Rafael de Guatuso, but the locals kept pointing me towards Katira. I think you can go both ways but this way was is less time on dirt roads.After the hike be sure to stop off for a swim in this amazing river. It's just a couple hundred meters from of the park entrance on your way back to Katira.

There is not a lot more that I can add to the previous reviews except to reiterate that it is very muddy & there is a lot of climbing over rocks. The steps to the falls were steep but it is completely doable for most people if you take your time. We did not have a guide & did not need one to find our way as there is good signage. However, guides are good for pointing out wildlife. Swimming is prohibited in order to preserve the river for future generations. I heard that there is a place outside the park where you can swim but we did not go there. We rented boots a a little store before we got to the park for $4. We didn't have the right kind of socks & my husband got blisters.Take water with you & by all means take the complete hike for the full experience. You will be glad you did.

I loved the nature, birds and the beautiful colours of the river. The lodge we stayed in and the great people who took care of us

Due to the rain, we were not able to see the most magnificent color of the river, but we had an awesome time following the trail to the waterfalls. We learned a great deal from our guide who recommended we did not go up to the lagoon due to the mud and rain. This place is far up a mountain and the road to get there is very bumby due to the frequent rains. Also, it was real hard to dry our clothes and shoes due to the high humidy index. Still, it was well worth our day at the Rio Celeste. Glad we went!

It is a grueling drive on the rockiest road I have every experienced. I was grateful that we had arrived the day before and stayed the night at the Rio Celeste Hideaway since it was a long drive from Arenal. It gave us a chance to rest and recover from the rattling drive before taking the hike the next day. (I would recommend the Hideaway, BTW, if you plan to spend the night in the area). The hike starts at a ranger station where you will need to pay. Regardless of what you read, there is no swimming allowed. They give you a map, but it's not essential to have it since the path is so easy to follow and well marked. There are 4 main stops along the hike. First the waterfall (with a long series of steps to reach the bottom). There is a bubbling hot spring with strong sulfur smell. There is the blue lagoon. And lastly the spot where two clear water rivers combine and the blue color is formed right before your eyes. The trail gets more difficult the further you progress along the trail, but it's not about elevation, it's the ruggedness of the path (large roots, rocks, etc). Overall, it's a moderate hike, no difficult. Local people were selling or renting tall rubber boots near the entrance to the hike. We chose not to. It started raining and the path got very muddy. So either rent the boots or be prepared to get dirty. The water is so amazing, it feels like a magical place. I could stare into the blue lagoon for hours, it was so mesmerizing. The place where the two rivers joined to make the blue water was fascinating - don't miss out by ending the hike with the waterfall. Go all the way to the end! The water at Rio Celeste really is as blue as the photos show. It's a beautiful site, not to be missed! (FYI, After the hike we ate at the soda across the street, which I would recommend.)

Do this hike - whatever your level. Plan to take your time on the stairs. If you are guaranteed a sunny day, hike to the end and stop at the 4 main points coming back so that you end with the waterfall. If you can, plan to go after at least three days of no (or light) rain as you will have a better chance of seeing the incredibly blue water. Go early (especially on weekends) to avoid the crowds from tour buses. We didn't take the guide and we wore anything from sneakers, to hiking shoes and sturdy sandals. We did get muddy, but that seemed to part of the fun. Especially for the kids (8 and 11). The only thing besides a water bottle and camera that I would recommend is a walking stick. Enjoy.

Hike was muddy, but not as muddy as suggested. Didn't rent wellingtons and didn't regret it. Don't need a guide, well marked trail. Colour of the water is amazing.

I went there on a rainny day with my mm and a private tour guide.We walked fast so it took us around a hour to arrive the place.The view is amazing. Luckly we saw the light blue color and the clear water.I recommand not to take the full day tour we the long walk in the park if you are planning to visit other parks such as Monteverde, Manuel Antonio.It's the same amount of money- take Alexander Alvarado89892017

This is a worth doing 3-hour hike! you will not regret it!!! this park is divided in 4 sections: the waterfall, the view point, the blue lagoon and the "teñidero" where "the magic happens", that is where 2 rivers (Buena Vista and Quebrada Agria) combine their waters and PH creating this beautiful turquoise water called "Celeste" (sky blue) river. If you are going between the months of June and January better bring hiking shoes and repellent, because it gets very muddy and there are lots of mosquitoes, other than that... prepare to walk and climb!

I visited in September during the "rainy" season. Definitely rained, but my boyfriend and I went earlier in the day (9 a.m.) after a relaxing coffee view of the mountains. We took advice from a fellow Trip Advisor-er and hiked all the way to the end of the trail and came forward, leaving the waterfall for the last - save the best for last! The hike itself was not very difficult, it had some challenging areas, but mostly the difficulty lied in the stairs. My advice: take your time, turn around when your climbing back up and enjoy the view! There's a great little place right outside of the park, before the big hill, that has some beers for 2 bucks and the little old lady who works there doesn't speak English, but she's very sweet. Great place to grab a few cold ones after a good hike! No food, just snacks like chips.