If you are visiting Dominical, Uvita, or even Manuel Antonio during your trip to Costa Rica, you won’t want to miss the famous Nauyaca Waterfall. This impressive cascade now has two entrances. In this post, we’ll share a second, newer entrance called the Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park. This way involves a bit more driving but offers easy access, friendly staff, and beautiful views.
Background
We first wrote about the Nauyaca Waterfall more than 10 years ago, shortly after moving to Costa Rica. At the time, there was only one way in and not much was known about it.
Today, this waterfall gets many visitors and for good reason. It’s one of the most picturesque cascades in the country, with two giant tiers and amazing jungle surrounds.
Here’s a quick video
Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park
The Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park is the newest option for visiting the Nauyaca Waterfall.
We have to admit that we were hesitant to drive farther to this entrance, but so glad we did. Overall, we found the facilities welcoming and nice, the staff friendly, and the views and access to the waterfall superior.
Location
The starting location of the Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park is a charming mountain village called San Salvador de Baru near Tinamaste off Route 243.
While this entrance is about 30 minutes past the original Nauyaca entrance, we feel that the extra drive was worth it. The last part is along an unpaved country road, but no 4×4 is necessary.
For information on access through the original entrance, see our post, Visiting the Beautiful Nauyaca Waterfall.
Facilities
Arriving at the main office of the Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park, you will find a large building with the reception, small restaurant, and drink bar with free coffee. Outside, overlooking the rolling mountains, is a covered patio.
Our kids also really enjoyed the pool table and ping-pong table inside. It kept them busy while we were getting the tickets.
Closer to the waterfall is another building. This area has nicely maintained bathrooms, changing rooms, showers, and a big open rancho with swings, hammocks, games, and Wi-Fi.
Ticket Options
From the main office, you have two access options.
Hike in and Take Truck Out – $28 pp adults, $25 pp children (ages 3-11)
One option is to hike from the office to the waterfall, then take a truck ride back up when you are done. This is what we did.
The hike is about 1.6 miles (2.7 km). It goes along the quiet village road, down a dirt road to the changing rooms and rancho, and then to the waterfall trail.
Since it was mostly downhill, it was easy, even for our youngest son (age 5). This option took us about one hour (going slow). We stopped frequently to see butterflies, bugs, flowers, and a friendly goat along the road.
Truck Both Ways – $38 pp adults, $35 pp children (ages 3-11)
If you are short on time or don’t want to walk as much, you can take the truck both ways.
With this option, the truck will drive you all the way to the changing rooms and rancho where the waterfall trail starts. You’ll still need to hike 15 minutes down to the waterfall.
Trails and Scenery
From the rancho and changing rooms, the main trail to the waterfall begins.
There is no vehicle access here, just a narrow, but well-maintained, trail through the lush jungle. The trail descends quickly. We counted about 300 steps in total to reach the main waterfall pool.
Trail conditions were good considering the rugged terrain. Rope handrails make the hike a bit easier, and the steps weren’t too big.
As you meander down, you’ll see large trees, lush vegetation, and maybe some wildlife.
We heard toucans and howler monkeys nearby but didn’t get a glimpse. It was still beautiful, though.
Accessibility Note: Even though this entrance provides easy access, you will still need to hike along dirt steps and over rocks and roots. Conditions can be wet and slippery at times. We recommend footwear with good grips. Keep in mind also that there are a lot of steps to climb on the way back up. They do have a couple of benches for resting.
Waterfall Access
After about eight minutes of walking from the rancho, you will come to a split in the trail. To the left, you will be able to visit the upper falls. To the right, the lower falls and river area. Both are just a few minutes from this fork. There is a sign and map at this intersection.
Upper Falls
Reaching the upper falls, you will see a giant rocky cliff with wispy waterfalls trailing down. How much water will depend on the season and recent rain.
The cool thing about this access point is the cave that you can sit under. There was also a nice swimming area naturally made of rocks. Conditions for swimming were fine during our visit in July (early rainy season) but always use caution.
Lower Falls
Going back to the trail fork and down some more steps, you will reach the lower falls. This is the main event.
The lower falls come plummeting over another cliff into a wide pool. From below, you also can see the upper falls, so the combination is quite the photo opportunity.
Swimming
The trail drops you off at a small sandy beach along the river. This is a good spot for swimming. When the river isn’t too strong, you could wade through the water to get up to the main waterfall pool. When we visited, the river was too strong due to recent rain.
Although we couldn’t reach the main pool, it was great to be able to swim in the river. We watched people on the other side who accessed the waterfall from the original entrance slipping on the rocks and struggling to get to the pool. This was definitely an advantage of the Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park.
Other Trails
When getting our tickets, the staff told us about some additional trails they had made. They are all located near the waterfall and marked with signs. Doing them all would take about one hour.
We were more focused on the waterfall for this visit but hope to return again to check these out. If you’ve done them, leave us a comment below about the experience.
Return & Lunch
Having stayed at the waterfall for a couple of hours, we soon made our way back up to the rancho to catch our truck ride back to the top. Using the WiFi at the rancho, we messaged the office and they sent the truck down.
Back at the top, we enjoyed a delicious lunch (see options below) and mountain views. Lunch was 5,000 colones (about $10) and just what we needed after the hike and waterfall fun.
Hours, Directions, and Tickets
The Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park is open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The last truck leaves the rancho at 4 p.m.
If you’re visiting during rainy season (May through November), we recommend getting an early start as rain is typical in the afternoon.
They have two options for lunch: arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) or a vegetarian casado (rice and beans with an egg, avocado, and salad).
For detailed directions and to purchase entrance tickets in advance, you can visit the Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park website.
Tips for What to Bring/Wear
- For the hike, we recommend hiking boots or study sneakers. The walk from the office to the rancho is steep in places and has loose gravel.
- If you have kids, we highly recommend water shoes. These will protect their feet and help them not slip when climbing on the rocks.
- Don’t forget a towel and change of clothes
Conclusion
We visited the Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park with some close friends and all really enjoyed it. In our opinion, this newer entrance is the best option for visiting the Nauyaca Waterfalls. We especially liked how easy everything was and the better access points/beach near the waterfall. If you are up for a slightly longer drive, we’d recommend giving it a try.
Have a question about visiting the Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park or want to share your experience? Leave a comment below.
Looking for more information to help you plan? Check out these posts:
Reptilandia – You’ll likely pass this reptile exhibit on the way to/from the Nauyaca Waterfall. There are tons of snakes, lizards, and turtles, nicely displayed in landscaped enclosures.
Don Emilio Coffee Tour – This family-run coffee farm offers an authentic tour in the mountains near Uvita.
San Isidro de El General – Located about 45 minutes from Dominical, this locals’ city has a bustling downtown and one of the largest farmer’s markets in Costa Rica.
