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Waterfalls in Costa Rica

I absolutely LOVE living in Costa Rica.  It is the country of adventure and amazing culture and kind people.  We have now lived here for over 18 months and I have decided that one of my favorite things about the country is all of it’s incredible waterfalls.  

I am on a mission to see all of them.  

When we first moved to Costa Rica I heard of some pretty amazing waterfalls, and we visited them.  But what I didn’t know is that there are actually hundreds (thousands?) of waterfalls all around the country.  So many of them are still being discovered!  Thank you drones!

I am going go share some of my favorites, broken down by each of the 7 provinces in Costa Rica.  The waterfalls I have chosen to highlight are only in 5 of the provinces.  

These are not all of the ones we have seen in Costa Rica, but some of my favorite!  Enjoy!  

Cartago

Los Campesinos Ecolodge- Not touristy at all! It is an amazing park with hanging bridges and several amazing waterfalls, with some you can swim in. About 40 min from Manuel Antonio. $8 for residents.
Los Campesinos Ecolodge- Not touristy at all! It is an amazing park with hanging bridges and several amazing waterfalls, with some you can swim in. About 40 min from Manuel Antonio. $8 for residents.
Waterfall Aquiares in Turrialba. Free and easy trail, but it is kind of confusing because there are a lot of turns. Best to make sure from a local which path to take before starting!
Waterfall La Muralla in Turrialba, close to Guayabo Monument. $5 and takes about 30 minutes to get to. You don't need a guide. You cannot swim here and there are snakes so bring good shoes!

Heredia

Poza Azul. Sarapiqui, Heredia. 2000 CRC. You can drive a 4x4 down to the fall or walk 15 minutes. GREAT poza for diving and if you climb up above the falls, there is my favorite poza in all of Costa Rica. It's calm, blue, and HUGE/DEEP!!!! Level-Easy.
Cerro Dantas. Monte de la Cruz, Heredia. 2000 CRC. 1 hour to even hike into the park. There are seveal trails (3-8 km) but the waterfalls are all on short trails close to the refuge. Level-Medium.

Puntarenas

El Tigre park, part of Monteverde. $18 for tourists. You can spend 5 hours here, walking the entire circuit to see all of the waterfalls (I believe there are like 8) and many of them you can swim in! It's not a hard hike. You could do it all in 1.5 hours.
El Campesinos Ecolodge. AMAZING and not very well known park. $8 for tourists. Several waterfalls to explore and some you can swim in. I loved seeing this view from the bridge. The park is small and can be done in 45 minutes, without many stops for pictures/swimming. Very family friendly.
El Tigre park, part of Monteverde. $18 for tourists. You can spend 5 hours here, walking the entire circuit to see all of the waterfalls (I believe there are like 8) and many of them you can swim in! It's not a hard hike. You could do it all in 1.5 hours.
El Tigre park, part of Monteverde. $18 for tourists. You can spend 5 hours here, walking the entire circuit to see all of the waterfalls (I believe there are like 8) and many of them you can swim in! It's not a hard hike. You could do it all in 1.5 hours.
El Tigre park, part of Monteverde. $18 for tourists. You can spend 5 hours here, walking the entire circuit to see all of the waterfalls (I believe there are like 8) and many of them you can swim in! It's not a hard hike. You could do it all in 1.5 hours.
El Tigre park, part of Monteverde. $18 for tourists. You can spend 5 hours here, walking the entire circuit to see all of the waterfalls (I believe there are like 8) and many of them you can swim in! It's not a hard hike. You could do it all in 1.5 hours.
El Tigre park, part of Monteverde. $18 for tourists. You can spend 5 hours here, walking the entire circuit to see all of the waterfalls (I believe there are like 8) and many of them you can swim in! It's not a hard hike. You could do it all in 1.5 hours.
Los Campesinos Ecolodge- Not touristy at all! It is an amazing park with hanging bridges and several amazing waterfalls, with some you can swim in. About 40 min from Manuel Antonio. $8 for residents.
Los Campesinos Ecolodge- Not touristy at all! It is an amazing park with hanging bridges and several amazing waterfalls, with some you can swim in. About 40 min from Manuel Antonio. $8 for residents.
Rainmaker Park. Quepos, Puntarenas. $15 for tourists. 2 hours for multiple trails, bridges and swimming holes. Level- Easy.
Monteverde Park. $20 tourists. 2 hours. Level-Easy.
Bijagua Falls. Jaco, Puntareanas. $20 tourists. Final of several falls and pools. Difficulty-Hard. This is said to be the tallest waterfall in Costa Rica. There is a small pool for swimming.
Nauyaca Falls. Uvita, Puntarenas. $10 tourists. 45 min hike down to falls. Level-medium.
Montezuma Falls. $2 tourists. 30 minutes to reach falls. Level-moderate.
Bijagua Falls. There are several pozas and smaller falls on the way to the final falls. $20 for tourists. 2-3 hours round trip with swimming time. Difficulty-Hard.
Dominical Waterfall. Free. 30 minutes. Level-easy. Fun place for jumping.

2) Alajuela

La Paz Waterfall. Alajuela. Free. Level- Easy (The falls are along the side of the road). This is right next to Waterfall Gardens La Paz, which is a great (and expensive) place to spend the day!
At the Starbucks plantation in Alajuela there is a nice place to sit and eat treats/coffee. This is the view of the coffee plantation. It is not allowed to go down and see the waterfall close up, but you can come for free and just sit in a chair and buy a treat to see the sunset 🙂
La Paz Spa and Gardens. The mother of the hot springs in Costa Rica! $60 for a half-day pass with lunch inlcuded. It is paradise. Not the hottest water of all of the springs in La Fortuna, but it is just beautiful. Go for the second half of the day so you can see the day and then the falls in the night with the lights. Food is AMAZING.
Orotina, Alajuela. Free. Level-Medium. You have to walk 1.5 hours along train tracks to arrive at this AMAZING waterfall/poza. You can climb the rocks of the falls and walk through the tunnel in the back. This is definitely one of my favorite falls in Costa Rica, but it is really hidden and kind of hard to get to.
Viento Fresco Waterfall. Tilaran, Alajuela. $8 for tourists. 1 hour to reach the final (of 3 falls). Difficulty-Hard.
Viento Fresco Waterfalls. Tilaran, Alajuela. $8 for tourists. 40 minutes to reach 2nd (of 3) falls. Difficulty- Hard.
La Fortuna Waterfall. This one is expensive and super tourist ($18 for tourists) but VERY beautiful! And there is a section of the water you can swim in. You have to go down a ton of stairs to get here, but they are well-made. It took about 10 minutes to get down and 15 to get up. In the sun this water is super blue!
El Salto. I have a hard time with this one, because Beckham almost died here (even with his life jacket on). It's an AMAZING and free local spot with a super fun rope swing. But please be careful and ask the locals where it is safe to jump. It is just right off of the road. No hiking involved. Located in La Fortuna.
Bajos del Torro Falls. Bajos del Toro, Alajuela. $15 for tourists. 45 minutes to walk down the stairs to falls. Difficulty-Hard. Cannot swim here.
Another shot of Catarata del Toro- one of my favorites in Costa Rica
La Paz in Alajuela. Free (right outside La Paz Gardens, which is $45 for tourists and has a ton of beautiful falls). Right off of the side of the road. Difficulty- easy.
Rio Celeste National Park. Bijagua, Alajuela. $20 for tourists. 2 hours to explore the whole park. Difficulty-easy.
Los Chorros Park. Grecia, Alajuela. $3 tourists. 40 minutes to reach falls. Difficulty-medium.
Rio Agrio Waterfall. Bajos del Toro, Alajuela. $8 tourists. 30 minutes to reach falls. Difficulty-easy.
Rio Agrio Falls. FREEZING cold water. Not very possible for swimming.
Los Gemelos. Bajos del Toro, Alajuela. 4000 CRC. 15 minutes to reach this falls. You can do a 30 minute hike up to a 6 hour to see up to 7 falls.
Tesoro Escondo. Bajos del Toro, Alajuela. $8 for tourists. One of 3 falls. 2 hours to see all of the falls. Difficulty-medium. This one is a natural water slide!
2nd waterfall in the Blue Falls hike in Bajos del Toro. The Falls right after Los Gemelos. Part of the same hike. $15 for tourists. Difficulty-medium.
Viento Fresco Waterfalls. Tilaran, Alajuela. First of 3 waterfalls. Need 2-3 hours to see and swim in all of the falls. Difficulty-Hard.
Tesoro Escondido. Bajos del Toro, Alajuela. $8 for tourists. 30 minutes to reach falls. Difficulty- medium.
Los Gemelos. Bajos del Toro.
Falls #6 (of 7) on Blue Falls Tour in Bajos del Toro. All hikes in Bajos del Toro are better during dry season, to see the bluest water.
Falls #7 (of 7) on Blue Falls Heavy Tour. Bajos del Toro, Alajuela. $40 for tourists. 5-7 hours to see all of the falls.
Waterfalls along Tenorio River. $75 for day of rafting, waterfalls and cliff jumping. Difficulty-Hard.

3) Guanacaste

El Cangrajo- Part of Rincon de la Vieja National Park. 1 hour hike to get here. $15 entrance to the national park. This area has a ton of waterfalls, so make sure you spend time in Liberia/Curribande for a while if you want to see waterfalls!
La Leona Waterfall. Curibande, Guanacaste. $10 for tourists. 1 hour to reach the falls, including swimming to this fall. Difficulty-medium. One of my favorites in Costa Rica! Best to come early for good lighting.
More of La Leona in Curribande. Go in dry season and in the morning to see the most beautiful water!!! 🙂
Hidden Falls near Playa Negra, Guanacaste. Free. Difficulty-Easy. It takes about 25 minutes to hike through the forest to get here. You have to have a guide or someone who knows the area, because there are no signs.
Belen Waterfall. Near Hojancha, Guanacaste. $1 for tourists. 3 minute walk from parking lot. Difficulty-easy. This waterfall is REALLY fun to swim in, but can be very dangerous during rainy season.
Hidden waterfall near Pilas Blancas, Guanacaste. You have to walk down the river for 20 minutes to reach it. Fun for jumping. Free. Difficulty-medium.
Ponderoza Adventure Park. Liberia, Guanacaste. $40 to enter the park. The waterfall is at the edge of the beach area. No hiking involved. Difficulty-easy.
Llanos de Cortez. Bagaces, Guanacaste. $10 for tourists. 10 minute to falls from parking lot. Difficulty level- easy. There is also a back route that the locals know about and it's a little harder and much longer.

5) San Jose

Diamante Falls. Tinamaste, San Jose. $59 for day trip, $89 to sleep behind the falls. Difficulty level-hard. This is one of my favorite waterfalls I have ever seen in Costa Rica. The tallest section (in this photo) is 600 feet tall. It is INCREDIBLE!!!!! Those little people up there at the top are us!
Catarata el Rey in Puriscal, San Jose. This waterfall is SO cool and you can climb up it. It takes about 3.5 hours to get here from San Jose and really is out of the way of everything, so it isn't very popular. But it is impressive! Only like $8 for tourists, and the hike isn't too bad, plus it takes you through a lot of palm trees and beautiful views. You don't need a guide.
Diamante Falls. This is the section of the falls that you sleep behind in a cave, if you choose to do so. It was unlike anything else. It takes 1.5 hours to hike up to this section. Then there are other pozas and sections to explore. This is where you sleep/eat. There are showers and plumbing toilet. Hot meals and everything. You can even repel down the waterfall!
Upper section of Diamante Falls
Poza section of Diamante Falls
Cloudbridge Nature Reserve. San Gerardo de Rivas, San Jose. $15 for tourists. Series of several waterfalls with beautiful water. Need 2 hours to visit all of the falls. Difficulty-Hard.
Random waterfall near Tres Cruces. Escazu, San Jose. Free. Need 1 hour to get here. Difficulty-Hard.
Waterfall in a cave in San Gerardo de Dota, San Jose. Free. 45 minutes through forest to arrive. Difficulty-medium.
Minas del Aguaca. Near Atenas, San Jose. Free. Just off of the road. Difficulty-easy. TONS of different levels of pools and jumping cliffs. One of my favorites in Costa Rica!
Hidden natural slide in Santa Ana. Free. 30 minutes to get there on unmarked trail. Ask Esteban. Difficulty-medium.
Waterfall off the road in Ciudad Colon on the way to University La Paz. Free. 1 minute walk down a steep path to the poza. Difficulty- medium.

7) Limon

El Virgen in Guapiles. 1.5 hours to get there, difficultly level medium. $18 a person because you need a private guide. I have the best one, let me know if you want his info! 🙂
The base of El Virgen in Guapiles
Falls in Guapiles on private property. $15 for tourists. 1.5 hour hike to arrive at the third of 3 falls. Difficulty-Hard, especially in rainy season.
Bri Bri Waterfalls. Limon. Free. 20 minutes to hike to falls. Difficulty level-easy.
Finca Pozas Guacimo. Guapiles, Limon. Free. 2 minute walk through woods to arrive. Difficulty- easy. Natural waterslide and great places to jump!
Falls on private property in Guapiles. First of 3 falls. $15 with tour (cannot do without guide). 2 hours round trip. Difficulty- Hard, especially with a guide.
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