Ecoterra Costa Rica Hiking Rio Celeste & Tenorio National Park

Rio Celeste runs through Tenorio National Park in Alajuela Province, fed by streams that drain the flanks of Tenorio Volcano, and the colour that makes it stand out — a bright, opaque turquoise — is the reason to come. This guided hike follows a seven-kilometre trail through the rainforest and shows you exactly where and why the water looks the way it does.

The trail passes several distinct stops. First is the Rio Celeste waterfall, where the river drops into a pool surrounded by dense vegetation. From there the route reaches the Blue Lagoon, formed where the river broadens into a calmer stretch of water. A viewpoint gives an open look at Tenorio Volcano and the hills around it. The hike then arrives at the Teñideros — locally called the Dyeing Pot — the point where two streams converge and a chemical reaction turns the water its characteristic colour. The mixing of two mineral-rich flows causes suspended particles to scatter light at the blue-green end of the spectrum.

The final section follows the riverbank, past thermal water springs and areas of bubbling water where geothermal activity reaches the surface. The hike finishes with a cooked lunch. The trail runs to approximately four and a third miles in total, and the guide leads the group throughout.