30.10.2021 | Central America, Costa Rica

Visit Rio Celeste in the Parque Nacional Volcán Tenorio

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The Parque Nacional Volcán Tenorio belongs to the district Alajuela and is famous for the bluest waterfall of Costa Rica. Rio Celeste with this light blue waterfall, is located north-west of La Fortuna (the town at Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal) and north of the big Laguna de Arenal. Rio Celeste is a great stop for 1 to 2 nights, if you drive from Monteverde to La Fortuna or otherwise. You can also visit Rio Celeste within a day trip from both towns. We found a wonderful cacao lodge to stay at in the middle of nature at the food of Parque Nacional Volcán Tenorio. You can learn everything about the cacao process here.

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1. Rio Celeste in the Parque Nacional Volcán Tenorio

Rio Celeste waterfall is part of Tenorio Volcano conservation area. It’s a beautiful bright blue river and waterfall. The entire hike in this national park is a 7 km long walk on snaking path through the rain forest. You will walk on well maintained trails to the famous waterfall, the lagoon and the spot “Tenidores”, the confluence of two rivers producing a chemical reaction that turns the water turquoise. The light blue color gives the river its name “Rio Celeste”. You will need around 2 to 2.5 hours for the whole hike.

To reach the platform at the food of the waterfall you have to take about 100 steps down and back up. It is not allowed to swim in the river. The blue gets created by special minerals in the soil of the river.

The biggest chance to see the river really bright blue is during the dry season. We visited in the rainy season and it was light blue, too. However, one guide told us, that it wasn’t light blue the last days. I guess we were lucky.

The park opens at 8am and closes at 4pm. Be the first ones in the line at 8am to beat the crowds. When we reached the waterfall we had around 10-15 minutes almost for ourselves, then it got a lot more touristic. The entrance fee is 12 USD per person, the parking place costs 2 USD. If you don’t have a rental car you can get a tour from the nearby towns.

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2. Stay at Finca Amistad Cacao Lodge

We stayed 2 nights in this incredible cacao lodge, located at the food of the Tenorio Volcano National Park, just 15 minutes by car to the entrance of the national park. We enjoyed every minute on this farm! You can learn about the life on a Costa Rican cacao farm and see the whole production of chocolate from seedling to the final chocolate bar.

There are several wooden huts for up to 20 guests next to the cacao factory and the main restaurant lodge, all surrounded by beautiful gardens of flowers and cacao trees. Every villa has a nice terrace with a view into nature. At the main building they prepare incredible dinner, afterwards you can sit at the cosy fire place and cuddle the dogs. Since the gravel dirt roads to Finca Amistad Cacao Lodge are pretty bumpy we highly recommend to only go there with a 4×4 or 2×4 car.

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Tours that Finca Amistad Cacao Lodge offers:

Join a cacao farm tour

Learn about this sustainable cacao farm in 90 minutes. You can see the process from cacao seedlings to dried cacao beans. 95 hectare of the farm is devoted to varieties of cacao. There are many varieties of cacao, each with its own distinct aroma. They plant around 30 different of these cacao varieties. The farm supports a healthy ecosystem: The quality cacao trees grow best in proximity to other fruit trees, with natural light and shade.

Also the cacao factory gives value for the entire region: They offer their seedlings to the small cacao farms of their neighbors and teach them in harvesting these plants. In this cooperative exchange the neighbors assume tree care and the harvesting. Then the factory buy the cacao fruits back at a fair price. The drying and fermenting process of the cacao beans will then be performed in their own factory. This cooperative supports quality for the regional independent cacao farmers.

Do a chocolate workshop on the farm

Do a 2.5 hours chocolate workshop on the farm and experience the whole process: Workers pick the ripened fruits by hand and cut them with machetes. Then the cacao beans embedded in the pulp are collected. The fermentation and drying process is extremely important since the cacao develops the flavor in this step. All ingredients of the chocolate products come from their farm and the neighboring smaller farmers.

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Horseback riding

Join a trail ride on a horse along the hills around Tenorio National Park. Enjoy the incredible landscape and take a dip in the Rio Celeste.

Visit Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge

You can reach the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge in a 2-hour car drive from the cacao lodge in northern direction (45 km away), it’s close to the border to Nicaragua. The refuge is on 102 km² of wetlands. In the dry season they turn into small lagoons with rich diversity of wildlife.

Other activities

• Join a mountain bike tour
• Join a trekking tour
• Do a rafting tour

Another beautiful place to stay:

Origins Lodge

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3. Visit the Volcán Arenal National Park

La Fortuna’s main attraction is the Volcán Arenal. A few years ago, the volcano regularly erupted, though unpredictable. The Arenal Volcano suddenly stopped erupting in 2010. Today, only a small amount of smoke can be seen escaping from the volcano’s crater. However, the view of the volcano is still very beautiful and you can experience some of the hot springs at the food of the volcano and visit the famous Mistico Hanging Bridges Park. Also you can go zip-lining and canyoning.

↠ Read more: “What to do in La Fortuna – Volcán Arenal”

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4. The scenic car drive from Monteverde to Rio Celeste

The whole area around the Laguna de Arenal with all the different national parks and volcanos offers really scenic roads and beautiful views! The 2.5-hour car ride from Monteverde to Rio Celeste or the other way round on the west side of the Laguna de Arenal will blow your mind! How beautiful is this nature here! The 1.5 hour car ride from Rio Celeste to La Fortuna on the east side of the Laguna de Arenal is also really beautiful!

↠ Read more: “Cloud Forests and hanging bridges in Monteverde“

Waterfalls on the route

If you are driving from Monteverde to Rio Celeste on the West side of the big Vulkan Arenal lake, consider to take a stop at one of these beautiful waterfalls:

Waterfall Cataratas Llanos de Cortés

This waterfall has a beautiful tree trunk lying horizontal in front of the waterfall. The perfect spot for a picture. The waterfall is a 2 hour and 30 minute car ride from Monteverde and 2 hours from Rio Celeste.

Waterfall Poza Los Coyotes & Poza la Argustura

This waterfall is known for its beautiful turquoise water pools between the rocks. From Monteverde it’s a 2 hour and 30 minute car ride, from Rio Celeste it’s only a 2 hour car ride.

Waterfall at the Rincon de la Vieja National Park

Visit the Rincon de la Vieja National Park with its beautiful volcano and waterfall!

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About the weather?

Dry season: December – April

High chance of no rainfall and clear blue sky. February, March and April are the hottest months.

Rainy season: May – November

It stays hot and humid. Mornings are usually sunny and clear and it will start raining in the afternoon. It often rains throughout the night. September, October and beginning of November are the rainiest months. We’ve visited in August and had clear skies in the morning and heavy rain in the afternoon and night.

Anzeige / ad: The hotels, restaurants and companies we mentioned above didn’t sponsor us. All our recommendations are always based on our own opinion.