On this tour you will go to the Tenorio Volcano National Park. In this park you will witness the rare phenomena of the blue river. The hike itself is medium tough and takes about 4 hours. It takes you to the stunningly beautiful waterfall, a high lookout point and the place where you can see the river change color. After the hike you will enjoy lunch and have some free time to take a quick dip in the river before heading back to La Fortuna.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 8.
You'll then engage in a 4-hour hike that is a bit tough for some but the end result is definitely worth it. After your 4-hour hike you'll get to the Rio Celeste (Blue River). The blue color you'll see is the result of a chemical reaction between two merging rivers containing different volcanic minerals. It's a very rare phenomenon which creates a fairy-tale-like beauty. You'll get to see a waterfall, a lookout point that's great for taking pictures and you'll also get to see the place where the river changes colors.
Please contact us for have an exact pick up time in your hotel If you have a Airbnb we need a reference point for the pick up (Restaurant o supermarket close to the place) If your hotel or Airbnb is not in the pick up area you need come to our office in la Fortuna bus terminal at the time of the tour
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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Rio Celeste Full-Day Hike: Blue Waterfall & Tenorio Volcano lasts about 8 hours. The itinerary has 1 stop.
Prices start at $89 per person for this La Fortuna experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 8:00 AM.
Children aged 5–11 pay from $78, adults from $89. Infants go free.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Yes, pickup is offered. Please contact us for have an exact pick up time in your hotel If you have a Airbnb we need a reference point for the pick up (Restaurant o supermarket close to the place) If your hotel or Airbnb is not in the pick up area you need come to our office in la Fortuna bus terminal at the time of the tour Pickup points include Regina Hotel.
The experience is available in EN, ES.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 15 participants.
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 4.8 out of 5 across 534 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Red Lava TSC.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
The tour through the reserve is full of nature, although it can be complicated in some parts. The waterfall and the river have an incredible color. The experience in general is very good, although I feel that some guidance from the guide was missing.
This experience was awesome!! Carlos was an amazing tour guide who was very outgoing, friendly, prepared, and knowledgeable. My wife lost her shoe while we were swimming in the river and Carlos ran downstream after it and retrieved it. He made the entire tour a memory to remember. We even got to see some cool animals along the way. The driver William did amazing too.
Absolutely beautiful! Great workout and Santiago with William are super friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended. Pura vida!
We had a great time, and the tour gave us an opportunity to escape the crowds and get close up to some of Costa Rica’s wildlife. Our guide, Santiago, was informative and fun, pointing out the wildlife and things about the culture along the way.
We had the best time today on our tour with Santiago. There was a little mix up in the beginning with bus assignments, but the company made it right immediately and Santiago ended up giving our family our own tour. The views of the waterfall were lovely and Santiago made it a point to include all of our kids in the fun animal sightseeing on the way (both on the side of the road and in the park). We split up for the more challenging half of the hike. The littles and their older sister (ages 4, 6, and 14) enjoyed fresh fruit and a little shopping with dad across the street while Santiago brought my older son (age 11) and I on the more challenging loop after the waterfall. Lunch was fantastic with fresh juices followed by a very tasty Casado (or hamburger/chicken fingers for the kids). I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting the La Fortuna area!
This hike was overall a nice scenery and wildlife experience. We took a trail through a national park in the middle of the woods, and we passed much wildlife like snakes and spiders. We also got to see the huge waterfall and some cool sulfur deposits, and our tour guide was friendly and knew a lot about the animals. Most of all it was some much needed exercise! The only thing was that the hike is tiring and gets repetitive, and it rained the whole time, so we couldn’t really see the blue lagoon at the end. Of course you can’t really control this, but be aware that it’s for the physically fit and strong minded.
A beautiful and exciting way to spend the day! We loved our day with Santiago, Ani and Roberto. They were amazing wildlife spotters and educators, extremely clear communicators, and excellent planners. What a special day!!! We saw so many creatures that we would never have spotted on our own, and we learned so much. Mahalo nui loa to our amazing guides and driver. Pura vida!!!
Santiago was an amazing guide! Every informative, went the extra mile. Our group was about 8 people which was nice, as my other tours felt a bit crowded. Unfortunately the water was not blue when we went due to the heavy rain the day before. but Santiago did his best to make the experience worth it, and it was! We saw many different snakes, spiders, and a family of sloths close enough to see without binoculars! The lunch was very tasty.
The tour guides - Santiago and Ani were knowledgeable, funny, and kind. The flexed the tour based on the weather. They told stories. We tried termites. We stopped for howler monkeys and sloths. We had a wonderful time!
Santiago is knowledgeable and spotted so many cool animals for us. He was absolutely the best guide we had on our entire CR trip.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Celeste Full-Day Hike: Blue Waterfall & Tenorio Volcano | 8 hours | 4.8 (534) | $89 | |
 La Fortuna Waterfall, Arenal Volcano Hike & Hot Springs Tour | 8 hours | 4.9 (620) | $100 | View |
 La Fortuna Waterfall, Arenal Volcano, Hot Springs Full Day Tour | 11 hours | 4.8 (2,595) | $105 | View |
 La Fortuna Waterfall, Hanging Bridges, Arenal Volcano Combo Tour | 8–9 hours | 4.9 (1,877) | $154 | View |
 Canyoning Adventure Rappelling Waterfalls in Arenal Volcano | 5 hours | 5.0 (1,401) | $95 | View |
 Arenal Volcano Canyoning and Waterfall Rappelling from La Fortuna | 3 hours | 4.9 (1,112) | $84 | View |
 Arenal Volcano, Hanging Bridges & La Fortuna Waterfall Combo Tour | 10 hours | 4.9 (800) | $154 | View |