Tamarindo: Rio Celeste Hike, Sloth Sanctuary & Waterfall

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/27

Duration12h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

The Rio Celeste turns out to be turquoise, not blue—and the hike to it takes two hours through rainforest.

You're picked up from your hotel at 6:30am and driven to Tenorio Volcano National Park for a two-hour hike to the turquoise Rio Celeste waterfall, then taken to an organic farm to see sloths and frogs up close, fed a traditional Costa Rican lunch, and finished at Llanos de Cortés waterfall for a swim before returning to Tamarindo by evening. Hotel pickup, park entry, lunch, and a bilingual guide are all included; you just need to bring your passport photo.

12h

Step-by-step itinerary

Waterfall, hike, sanctuary, and lunch

Hotel pick up and breakfast stop
Drive 3 hours to Tenorio Volcano Park
Hike Rio Celeste Waterfall trail
Visit Jungle Life Sloth Sanctuary
Enjoy Costa Rican lunch
Relax and swim at Llanos de Cortes Waterfall

The Experience

You don't expect the river to actually be that color. The pickup from your Tamarindo hotel happens early—6:30am from most places, 6:45 if you're staying at RIU Guanacaste or Palace—and after a coffee stop and a three-hour drive inland, you arrive at Tenorio Volcano National Park. The guide takes you straight into the rainforest on a moderately difficult hike that winds along the Celeste River itself. The water really is turquoise, and it stays that way because of minerals in the volcanic rock upstream. You'll hear birds the whole time, and the guide points out plant species and the occasional snake or frog, but mostly you're just walking and listening and watching the river get closer to that waterfall.

The Rio Celeste waterfall hike is the centerpiece, but there's a practical thing to know: on rare occasions after heavy rain, the river runs brown instead of turquoise. It still flows, the hike still happens, but the color is gone. The sanctuary part comes after lunch—you're taken to an organic farm that doubles as a sloth and frog sanctuary. The animals live there, and the guide walks you through the property pointing out sloths hanging in the trees, frogs, tropical plants, birds, insects. It's educational without feeling like a lecture, and you get close enough to photograph them. The whole day is structured around not having to arrange transport, park entry, or figure out where to eat; the lunch is included and traditional—gallo pinto, plantains, fresh fruit, the kind of thing you'd eat anywhere in the country.

Llanos de Cortés Waterfall is the last stop, a chance to actually swim and cool off after the hike. It's a different waterfall from Rio Celeste—wider, more open, easier to get into the water. You get time to relax there before the drive back to Tamarindo, which takes another three hours. The whole day runs from pickup to drop-off, and you need a moderate level of fitness for the two-hour hike and the terrain. One thing the operator needs from you before the tour: a photo of your passport and your full passport details (name, number, issuing country). It's a new requirement from Costa Rica's Ministry of Tourism, and you have to carry the photo with you on the day.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off from Tamarindo, a three-hour drive to Tenorio Volcano National Park, a two-hour guided hike to Rio Celeste waterfall, a visit to an organic farm sloth and frog sanctuary with a naturalist guide, a traditional Costa Rican lunch, entry to Llanos de Cortés waterfall for swimming, and a professional bilingual guide throughout. Park fees are covered.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Native's Way Costa Rica

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the main natural attractions around Tenorio in one day without arranging your own transport, park tickets, or timing—the fixed schedule and included lunch mean you show up at your hotel and the rest is handled.