Catarata Río Celeste y Los Teñideros, Volcán Tenorio

From the car park at El Pilón, enter the park and follow Sendero Misterios del Tenorio south through wet, rich forest. After about 1.5 km a long flight of steps leads down to the foot of the Río Celeste waterfall, about 20 m high, which drops into a pool of milky blue water. Back up the steps, the trail continues past a viewpoint towards the cones of Tenorio, the small and intensely blue Laguna Azul, and the borbollones, where volcanic gas bubbles up through the river. It ends at two hanging bridges over Los Teñideros, the meeting of two clear streams where the water turns blue. Return the same way.

It is 5.2 km there and back with 157 m of ascent; allow about 1½ hours, more with time at the waterfall. The grade is Easy: a natural path, muddy and slippery for much of the year, with a long flight of steps to the waterfall.

Going into the river is forbidden, as are drones, pets and single-use plastics. Rain falls in almost every month here, so wear boots with a good grip.

Tickets are sold only online through SINAC (US$13.56 for non-residents). Entry is from 8am to 2pm, and visitors must be off the trail by 4pm. The entrance is about 9 km from Bijagua, and the car park at the gate is private and charges a fee.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.