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Rio Celeste

IMG_3272In researching our trip, I discovered an area that I absolutely had to visit – Rio Celeste. Located in the Tenorio Volcano National Park about 1.5 hours from La Fortuna (4 hours from San Jose and 2.5 hours from Liberia), it’s a set in a remote location and is a bit of a challenge to get to, but so worth the journey.  Our two days here was absolutely a highlight of our trip.

We booked a room at the Rio Celeste Hideaway, luxury accommodations at an extremely reasonable price point given the location and amenities. Totally worth the splurge in my opinion. Our accommodations were magical and fancy, the food and drink at the restaurant was fabulous, and we were walking distance from one of the most stunning natural wonders I’ve ever laid eyes on.

The area is called Rio Celeste, meaning Blue River, because the river itself is this surreal turquoise color.  Seriously, I’ve never seen anything like it.  It was a short walk to get down to the river from our hotel, and just down the road from the trailhead to hike to Rio Celeste Falls.

Visit this blog for a fantastic write up of the hike itself, and some useful pointers for planning your trip.

It was a misty, overcast day when we set out on our hike, but the Falls were just as breathtaking as I’d imagined.

RioCelesteFalls

There are numerous excursion options in the area, and you could book most of them directly through the hotel concierge.  We chose Whitewater Inner Tubing on Rio Celeste for day two, and had the best time! Highly recommend!!! I’ve been whitewater rafting before in California, and whitewater kayaking on the Snake River in Idaho, but whitewater tubing was a whole other kind of fun! My inner ten-year-old loved every minute of it!

It was hard to leave Rio Celeste, I could have easily spent a week here, blissfully off the grid and far removed from the hustle and bustle of civilization. I recommend 4-5 days to fully experience all the area has to offer.  But our family was waiting for us in Tamarindo, so off to Guanacaste we went…

Practical Matters                          Arenal Volcano                       Guanacaste                   Manuel Antonio

Montezuma                     La Paz Waterfall Gardens                    Photo Album

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