Río Celeste Full-Day Tour: Is It Worth It?

Río Celeste (“sky-blue river” in English) is 1 of Costa Rica’s most gorgeous spots and undoubtedly really worth a check out if you are in the La Fortuna region. Though it’s attainable to go on your own, it can be difficult to get to devoid of a rental vehicle, which I did not have.

As an alternative of owning to determine out all the transportation aspects, I opted to go on a entire-day tour from La Fortuna. Stick close to to uncover out: is the Rio Celeste tour worth it?

My Knowledge

I booked a entire-day tour of Río Celeste and Tenorio Volcano Countrywide Park, not definitely realizing what to be expecting. I experienced read about Río Celeste and it was certainly on my head when I received to La Fortuna, but it is a 90-moment generate from wherever I was being, and I hadn’t rented a automobile. A spur-of-the-second selection led me to e-book the tour, in particular after I did the math on how substantially it would value to get there on my very own, factoring in the admission fee to the national park, treats, and foods.

The $85 cost tag seemed a tiny significant at to start with, but at the time, I wasn’t accurately absolutely sure how to get to Río Celeste by using public transportation, and spending a taxi to take me would have been about $50 each way, so that was a big no for me.

Looking at that the tour features transportation, lunch, the entrance cost to the countrywide park, and a naturalist information, I imagined it was well worth the cost, and so I booked it the working day right before. The van came about to choose me up early, all-around 6am, and I was greeted by my manual, Carlos.

The drive to Tenorio Volcano Nationwide Park, in which Río Celeste lies, was about 90 minutes but took a bit for a longer time for the reason that the manual noticed a sloth in a tree on the facet of the street. How he was ready to see it from so significantly absent is a mystery to me nonetheless, but I was grateful for the quit, due to the fact I’m often down to see these very little fellas munching on leaves way up in the trees.

Once we acquired to the park, the foggy environment was a little bit overwhelming. I wondered aloud if we would be in a position to see Río Celeste’s dazzling blue shade, and our information reassured us that there was time to verify it out ahead of the rains came and made the water murky. I took a deep breath and organized myself for disappointment.

As we hiked via the jungle, examining out the unique vegetation and animals along the way, I was obtaining psyched about our 1st prevent: the Catarata Río Celeste waterfall. As we approached, I could hear the thunderous roar of the countless numbers of gallons of water pouring into a pool underneath.

There are hundreds of steps foremost down to the waterfall, and the path was crowded with other people, but the perspective on the way down was magnificent the total way. Compared with the Fortuna waterfall, you just cannot swim at the base of the Río Celeste waterfall, but you can admire its beauty and namesake blue color from a platform near the base.

Right after climbing back up the ways (and receiving a fantastic training in the course of action), we continued alongside the trail and stopped at a variety of details on the river to get the scoop on how it gets its blue shade, as very well as the geothermal exercise below it. Two noteworthy stops have been Los Teñideros, where by we saw in which the river changes shade from distinct to blue, and Los Borbollones, the place sulfuric bubbles rise to the floor, emitting an eggy smell.

Right after traversing by means of the nationwide park (additional on that below), our guidebook brought us to a “secret” incredibly hot river just a kilometer away. It was just beginning to rain, so I resolved to go for a rapid soak. It was a blast to consider a dip in a very hot river while sensation the chilly, misty rain appear down.

We then experienced lunch at a community soda (a modest open up-air restaurant), which was filling and delectable. The other tour individuals and I experienced a prospect to pick our guide’s mind, inquiring all types of questions about Costa Rica’s geography, wildlife, and much more. Besides getting a knack for recognizing wildlife and realizing the science behind Río Celeste, I observed that our tutorial experienced a total treasure trove of awareness on the national park and past.

Is the Río Celeste Tour Really worth It?

As a traveler who did not have a rental motor vehicle, the Río Celeste tour was really worth it for me. Not only did it get the pressure off of making an attempt to get there by means of community transportation, but getting a tutorial was great. There are so several points you can find out about the river alone that could possibly if not go unnoticed if you visit on your individual. I loved having the opportunity to request queries about it, as very well as the wildlife and flora.

On top of that, the hot river we also frequented might have flown under my radar, as I hadn’t read about it before. It came as a pleasurable surprise!

If you are pondering if the tour will be truly worth it for you, there are a handful of items to take into account. Initially, transportation. Vehicle rentals and gasoline selling prices in Costa Rica are rather expensive, so it is not really worth it to hire a vehicle just for the working day, as it’ll conclusion up costing about the identical as the tour, just for transportation on your own. If you have already rented a vehicle and want to increase Río Celeste to your itinerary, go for it devoid of the tour. You will just be missing out on acquiring a information except if you hire a single at the park which is an extra $30-50 on major of the $12 admission price.

If you are traveling through community transportation as a result of Costa Rica, as I did, this tour is definitely truly worth the price. Given that it involves lunch, the entrance charge, transportation, and a information, it operates out to be about the similar price as if you have been to go on your personal from La Fortuna by using community transportation. I imagined it was an incredible bang for my buck and would do it all over again if presented the decision.

The only drawback of going to Río Celeste on a tour is that you never have the flexibility to choose when to go. Considering that the waterfall and other critical sites along the river can get rather packed in the late early morning and early afternoon, I was not equipped to come across some solo time to enjoy them. By the time we arrived at the waterfall, there were being so quite a few men and women there that it was complicated to snap a fantastic picture or just hang out unbothered. If you are hoping to get an epic shot of the waterfall or traverse the trails on your possess time, a tour like this one probably isn’t for you.

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Río Celeste absolutely justifies a spot on any Costa Rica itinerary, as it was a single of the highlights of my time there.

Are you heading to La Fortuna shortly? Allow us know what else you’re psyched to do there!