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Bajo Del Toro- A Hidden Gem

Bajo del Toro (Low Bull) is one of my favorite towns I have ever been in Costa Rica. 

It is a town tucked away in a valley between extinct volcanoes.  It is the land of the turquoise water, most incredible waterfalls I have ever seen, and gorgeous scenery.  I felt like we were so far away from all of the crowds here and I loved every second.  I can’t wait to go back! 

Honestly finding information about this place online was kind of difficult so I wanted to put together a specific post detailing everything I learned about the area!  

There are a TON of waterfalls and hikes in the area, and locals are finding new ones every year.  This is not a touristy place and some of the falls you go to will just have locals.  It’s so fun.  You could definitely spend several days to a few weeks here just exploring.  I am going to talk about my favorite places we went!  

Important Information

  • Province: Alajuela
  • Cost: Depends on the falls.  See further down for more info! 
  • Hours: Depends on the falls and the time of year.  You can usually guarantee 8-4 PM for most of them!  
  • Age: This is a family-friendly trip for all ages!  
  • Best Time of Year to Go: Dry season is from Dec-April.  I think this is a good time to go because it isn’t raining.  If you do go during rainy season, go in the morning and make sure you have shoes with good traction!
  • What to Bring: shoe with traction, swimsuit, sunscreen (though most of it is shaded), bug spray, towel, water bottle, snacks, cash
  • How far from San Jose: 
  • Other things in the Area: Poas Volcano National Park, La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Catarata Del Toro

THIS IS THE MOST INCREDIBLE WATERFALL IN COSTA RICA.  I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE IT.  UGHHH I WANT TO GO BACK.  It is 270 feet tall!  You literally walk down and overlook the most impressive falls surrounded by cavern walls of green foliage.  You literally feel like you are in Jurassic Park.  It is supposedly the highest waterfall in Costa Rica.  We will see what else gets discovered! 🙂 

There is quite a hike down some pretty steep cement steps.  It took us 20 min to hike down and 20 to hike up.  You will be dripping with sweat.  

The restaurant is no longer an option (the owner told me they were not making enough money) but you can grab a bag of chips or a cup of coffee). 

  • Hours: M-Sat 7-7:00 (closed Sunday) 
  • Price: $14 for non-residents.  $7 for children (4-11) and seniors. 
  • Time Needed:  1-3 hours
  • How to get there: Take the scenic route through Sarchi!  AMAZING VIEWS!
  • Transportation:  Rent a car because there is only one bus that goes to and from there every day.   
  • Pack: Bring a ton of water and hiking stick if you have knee problems! 
  • Activities: Other than the hike to the waterfall, there are a few lookout trails and gardens which are gorgeous! 
  • Wear:  propper shoes with traction, and remember it is tropical weather so wear light clothing! 
Hint:The owners of Catarata del Toro also own Blue Falls, which is a 5 min walk down the road.  I strongly recommend buying a combo pass to see both falls.  
 
-If you go between Sep-Nov in the rainy season it may be too muddy to walk all of the way to the bottom.  Go in the early morning before the rain! 
Catarata del Toro herself!
The feeling of standing by this power waterfall is undescribable. You are not allowed to swim in it (probably for safety reasons) but WHAT AN INCREDIBLE PIECE OF NATURE!
If we look like tired death it's because we are. It was a LONG weekend with Beckham and I think we were both like a 1/10 right at this point haha. Beckham was crying in the Osprey as someone took this.
There are also trails in the reserve with different lookout points. CAN YOU SAY JURASSIC PARK?!?! And the storm clouds rolling in......it was just too much for my nature-loving soul!!! <3

Blue Falls

These falls are a lot like Havasupai in Arizona EXCEPT no crazy permit process.  You can literally just walk up to the Catarata del Toro office and purchase your ticket.  .  They are a lot less popular and so information was super hard to find online!!

  • Hours: M-Sat 7-7:00 (closed Sunday) 
  • Price: 
  • Time Needed:  2 hours for the first stop and full day for the long hike. 
  • How to get there: Take the scenic route through Sarchi!  AMAZING VIEWS!  It is a 5 min walk from Catarata del Toro (where you will park your car) 
  • Transportation:  Rent a car because there is only one bus that goes to and from there every day.   
  • Pack: Bring a ton of water and hiking stick if you have knee problems! 
  • Activities: You can hike 20 minutes to the falls and then an easy hike back out or you can do the all day guided tour to the other falls.  
  • Wear:  propper shoes with traction, and remember it is tropical weather so wear light clothing!  

I was so convinced we could do this without a guide and just show up, but there is a guard at the only accessible point so you truly need to pay to enter.  That is the frustrating part about Costa Rica is that you have to pay to enter anywhere but it’s worth it!  

Easy 20-25 min walk along a trail to the Blue Falls. You cannot get lost and there is a guy at the end of the trail to make sure you are in the right place!
The first of the Blue Falls!
Reminds me so much of Havasupai in Arizona! So much less touristy!
I literally had to ask the guy like 500 times to take the picture. I showed him exactly what I wanted and then he kept taking it like cutting off half of us or not even getting half of the waterfall in it. Am I asking too much!?! Dan is a good sport haha. Beckham was hanging on by a threat by this point.
This waterfall is right next to the other one but in a fairytail-like cove. LOOK AT THAT WATER. It is so unreal!!! The water felt amazing after hiking and you can just swim around and hang out on the rocks.
This picture will always mean a lot to me! Dan wanted to make me laugh because I was realllllly sad about how hard Beckham had been that day (and we were planning on taking away his pacifier when he turned two, which was giving me serious anxiety). New parent memories that don't seem so hard looking back but are so hard in the moment!
Heading out. I could have literally spent all day here but we wanted to make it home before it got dark!
My Rock! <3
Beckham stress-eating, very traumatized from the long day of events and not impressed by the beautiful water haha.
I was being in a scary bad mood about something. It was about dinner time......

Important to know: 

This is totally a family-friendly hike but make sure you bring water, bug spray and sunscreen!

There are two options: The self-guided falls ($15) aka Blue Falls Light (the one we did) or the Blue Falls Full. 

Blue Falls Full is a 6 km/ 5-6 hour hike but you have to be at least 18 years old to join the group (let’s be real, these people would probably be fine to bend the rules if you can show that your child is able to hike).  The group needs a 2 person minimum and 15 person max.  Reservations are required in advance and they only go out at 7 or 9 am as long as weather allows. 

Check here for reservations and availability! https://www.catarata-del-toro.com/blue-falls-costa-rica/#id_light

Hint: The website encourages you to get a tour for Blue Falls Light but you do NOT need that.  It’s so easy to find the falls.  I wonder if you could even do the other falls by yourself but we didn’t have time to try to figure it out.  Those other falls are not marked.  People are constantly finding new and hidden falls in Costa Rica!  

 

 

Dinner and Heading Home

Dan basically had to drag me away from this enchanting town. I mean look at the view from dinner!  Everything was misty and colorful and smelled amazing. 

By the time dusk came it was cooler and I was able to throw on some comfy sweats and sit down to an amazing warm and filling dinner! 

Beckham ran out of the front doors and into traffic when he heard a motorcycle coming but after that he sat on the ground and played with his cars and we were actually able to eat and not take shifts walking around outside with Beckham!  

A local Soda in Bajo del Toro called Restaurante Tipico. Just 10 minutes from Catarata del Toro. It had the regular Costa Rican dishes of yucca, rice, beans, meat, salad, etc. But for some reason it tasted EXTRA good. Maybe it was the giant portions or the giant tortilla con queso we bought. Our total meal was $15 for all of us and we could barely breathe after leaving!
After Beckham ran out of the restaurant right into the street. It was a long weekend with this energetic boy. He was following the animals and motorcycles. It was a weekend I will never forget!

We spent a full day in this incredible town but there was still so much to do!  As you drive around you will see signs for so many waterfalls and hot springs.  You really could spend a lot longer here!  Some places I want to try next time: 

  • Blue Falls Full: 6 km all day hike to a ton of turqoise falls.
  • Tesoro Escondido: There is a restaurant here and and you can spend a whole half day.  4000 CRC to enter and 1000 to park.  Open 8-5 (though honestly they kind of close when they feel like it).  20 min walk uphill.  Only recently discovered and definitely not a tourist place.  All locals! 
  • Rio Agrio: 300 m north of Tesoro Escondido.  Waterfall and turqoise pool to swim in.  Signs everywhere for this as you drive around!
  • Pescas de Truche Yiye: These fish farms are so popular all over Costa Rica.  You can fish for your dinner and then they make it for you! $10 a person.  Often the experience is the best part.  Portions are often small but it’s a cool opportunity. 

Hint: The falls can sometimes be green or brown if there is too much rain.  These pictures were taken in early March, during the dry season.  I would recommend going during the dry season!

One of the most breathtaking scenes I have ever seen. As we were driving back toward San Jose through Juan Castro Blanco NP, we came out on top of the clouds. The whole valley below was covered by the clouds. It was just something else. Beckham had fallen asleep and we pulled over to just breathe it all in. It was magnificent.
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