Rio Celeste Waterfall Hike & Cooking Class Combo
This is a combo tour through a small local company. It starts with a visit to Tenorio Volcano National Park, home to the Rio Celeste Waterfall, for a 2-2.5 hour guided hike.
Rio Celeste Waterfall Hike
The Rio Celeste Waterfall is the main attraction in the Bijagua area. It is an absolutely stunning waterfall with bright blue water. In our opinion, it is one of the most beautiful in Costa Rica. The river and waterfall get their color from a chemical reaction that occurs naturally between volcanic minerals.
To reach the waterfall, it’s an easy-to-moderate hike through Tenorio Volcano National Park.
The first part of the hike to the waterfall is fairly easy. It’s about a half-hour long, and you access the falls by walking down a steep, but well maintained, set of 250 stairs. From there, you can view the waterfall from a platform.
Continuing on, you will come to other sights like the tenideros (point in river where it turns from clear to blue) and blue pool. The second part of the trail is moderate in difficulty.
Your bilingual naturalist guide will take you along the trail to see the waterfall and other points of interest mentioned above.
Along the way, they will point out interesting plants and animals that you may spot in the mix of tropical rainforest and cloud forest. The guides we use are locals from the Bijagua area so they are very familiar with the ecosystem and knowledgeable about the area.
Cooking Class
After the hike, you’ll head to the tour company’s office about 20 minutes away for a hand-on cooking class.
Alongside a local cook, you’ll get to prepare traditional Costa Rican food. The menu varies but you will make things like smoked pork or chicken, patacones (savory fried plantains), rice and beans, pico de gallo, and rice pudding for dessert. You’ll also have the chance to hand grind corn to make fresh tortillas. Vegetarian and vegan options available.
Everything is prepared over a woodstove. Many of the ingredients come from the local area.
At the end, you’ll sit down to enjoy the delicious meal you helped prepare.
Cost of Combo Tour: $100 per person adults, $90 per person children ages 5-9. Rates plus 13% tax. Children under 5 are free.
Offered: 8:00 a.m.
Duration: 5-6 hours (approximate) (2-2.5 hours hiking, 2-3 hours for cooking class + allow time for getting from national park to cooking class)
Includes: Bilingual guides, national park entrance fee, and lunch or dinner.
Transportation: Transportation can be arranged for an additional charge. Please request it when making your booking and we will email you with the cost.
If you self-drive, you will meet the guide at the national park in the morning (parking is available for about 3,000 colones or $6/day), then follow them in your own car to the tour company’s office for the cooking class. Their office is about 20 minutes away in Katira. We will provide map points.
For more information on the hike, read our post, Rio Celeste Waterfall: Essential Tips.
Have a question? Send us an email at bookings(at)
Return to Bijagua/Rio Celeste Tours
Two Weeks in Costa Rica, Inc. is registered with the State of Florida as a Seller of Travel. Fla. Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST41024.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet