Lace up your hiking boots for this full-day immersion in the wild beauty of Tenorio Volcano National Park. Look for wildlife on the drive from La Fortuna, and feel like a jungle explorer on the trek to Rio Celeste, known for its mystical aquamarine waters. Take a dip in warm volcanic river pools, admire a cascading waterfall, and reward your efforts with a typical Costa Rican lunch.

Full-day hiking tour to Rio Celeste from La Fortuna
Spot native Costa Rican wildlife with the help of a guide
Hike to the beautiful Rio Celeste in Tenorio Volcano National Park
See where the bright-blue river changes color due to a reaction of volcanic minerals
Soak in naturally warm river pools and see a tropical waterfall
Savor a fresh Costa Rican lunch
Hotel pickup and drop-off included

What's Included

Lunch in local restaurant
Professional guide
Pickup and drop-off from hotels in La Fortuna area

Dinner

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Calle 468
C. 468, Provincia de Alajuela, La Fortuna, Costa Rica
La Fortuna Bus terminal, Street 468

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

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Start time

08:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

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

What To Expect

The adventure begins with pickup at your La Fortuna hotel and a scenic drive through landscapes rich with tropical beauty and wildlife habitats. After arriving at Tenorio Volcano National Park, embark on a moderately challenging hike through the park’s protected habitat. Along the way, your guide helps scout for animal sightings and points out highlights of passing flora and fauna.

The effort is well worth it when you reach the beautiful, bright-blue waters of Rio Celeste (Blue River). The otherworldly hue is thanks to converging volcanic minerals from two different rivers, resulting in a rare and photogenic chemical reaction. Snap pictures from a lookout point, admire a tropical waterfall, and see the point where the river changes color. You also have a chance to soak in natural warm-water river pools if you like.

After exploring this fairytale-like landscape, replenish your energy with a delicious lunch of typical Costa Rican cuisine. Relax on the return drive to La Fortuna, where the full-day tour concludes with drop-off back at your hotel.

Rio Celeste

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.

4 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Vegetarian option is available
4-hour medium-tough hike is involved

Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Full-Day Rio Celeste Tour From La Fortuna?

A:The policies on face masks and attendee health are:

Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Face masks provided for travelers
Temperature checks for travelers upon arrival

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Full-Day Rio Celeste Tour From La Fortuna?

A:The policies on sanitization are:

Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized

Q:What is the social distancing policy during Full-Day Rio Celeste Tour From La Fortuna?

A:The policies on social distancing are:

Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

Q:What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during Full-Day Rio Celeste Tour From La Fortuna?

A:The policies on staff health & safety are:

Guides required to regularly wash hands
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

You should mind that English guide is applied only in the park.

We took our time and it was totally worth the hike!

Reviews

5.0

90 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 90 reviews

Fantastic tour of Rio Celeste and surrounding area!

Susan_C, Aug 2022

Had the best time on this day trip! Our guide Mauricio and driver Oliver were fabulous, so friendly and knowledgeable. We were able to learn way more than I anticipated about local plant life and see the beautiful blue waters of Rio Celeste. This tour did not disappoint and everyone was glad to have come.

Rainy but worth it!!

Jolene_K, Aug 2022

This experience was totally amazing and worth it. We were worried because a full rainstorm was predicted but a small kiosk nearby had boots and ponchos to rent. They totally took care of us and our tour guide was friendly and enthusiastic. It was gorgeous and worth the trip even in the pouring down rain- the water was not as blue but the experience was a great memory. Highly recommend whatever your weather. Just be prepared!

Beautiful tour

Nargiz_K, Jul 2022

Absolutely must do in you are in La Fortuna. Thanks to Santiago for such a lovely and informative tour.

Beautiful hike

Robyn_S, Jul 2022

It was a great hike that for us was made more fun by the pouring rain. Though the falls weren't their beautiful blue hue due to the rain, we still found it beautiful and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Awesome hike and waterfall view

Sophia_S, Jul 2022

Carlos was a great tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and down to earth. He helped my mother climb steep steps and was very patient with us! A cool, calm, and collected guide. The hike was amazing with an AWESOME view of the water fall, which made for great pictures. Choose this activity with Red Lava Tours. You won’t regret it. Lunch was also extremely seclusions! Thank you Carlos and Piola, our driver, for getting us to our location, and back safely. Pura vida 🤙🏽

The best trip

Aliana_S, Jul 2022

The trip was absolutely amazing, Carlos and the driver were absolutely great people and very informative. They made the trip extra great. Seeing the blue river was such an amazing parents, if you’re traveling from the Fortuna I highly recommend going to Rios Celeste. The bus was very comfortable with A C and the food at a local restaurant was absolutely delicious I felt like I was part of the locals

Seeing a variety of...

Mario_M, Jul 2022

Seeing a variety of animals was great. Unfortunately it rained so it was an adventure to get to see the blue waters and hike

Great tour

Arlette_R, Jun 2022

The tour was wonderful, the guide was very knowledgeable about the location where we were, and he was attentive to all the participants.

We really enjoyed our...

Kassandra_C, Jun 2022

We really enjoyed our time on the tour. Thankfully it didn’t rain the night before so the water was bright blue. Christian was a great guide. He was patient with our group as we took pictures. Our group was small, 6 people. We enjoyed chatting with other travelers. The hike itself is hard. I highly recommend hiking shoes. There are some steep steps. Bring cash bc there are some vendors who sell fresh coco, mangos and pina. The lunch was amazing! It’s a traditional Casado but you can change the protein. After lunch they drive you to the river and we spent around 30 minutes there. Very refreshing after a long hike. Our tour was in Spanish & English.

The tour that achieved a dream come true.

Nathan_C, Apr 2022

The tour guides especially Santiago was very helpful and knowledgeable. The pace of hike was perfect for all ages and wasn’t rushed. The bus driver Angelo was a blessing in disguise, he went far and beyond his normal duties and drove us almost 6 hrs to our next destination even though it wasn’t a part of the tour. Everyone was extremely professional, humble, and most of all very fun. It made the tour memorable for my family and the others in the tour. We wish we could give the tour more than five stars as we would give it 20. Thank you very much.

Beautiful Nature, but …

Cecilie_M, Mar 2022

The food was good, and the nature was beautiful. The pick-up worked well, but the tour was clearly overbooked as there were not enough seats in the car. Therefore, one girl had to sit on the floor and another girl on a seat with no seatbelt available. The guide did, indeed, offer to sit on the floor instead of the girl, but no matter what, I do not think that it is responsible for anyone to sit on the floor for a 1,5 hour drive each way. It started to rain as we reached the Tenero Park, so understandably we had to hurry to be able to see the water still blue. That was totally fair. But after we reached the waterfall in time, I expected there to be at least some kind of guiding on what we saw on the hike. The guide could at least have told us about some animals or why the water was blue. I am not a hundred percent sure, whether the guide actually did tell something, but since he tended to not wait on everyone and to speak primarily in Spanish, I did not receive much guiding on the tour. Since I paid for a guided tour, I am quite disappointed about that. For future tours I think that you should not advertise that the guides speak English. The driver did not understand or speak a word in English, so he guided only in Spanish. The other guide did speak English, but because many people in the group spoke Spanish, I would say that 90% of the guiding was in Spanish. As someone who does not speak Spanish, this made me feel quite unwelcome and left outside of the group the entire day. I spoke to a couple of other non-Spanish people from the group, who also felt a bit left out. The guide definitely seemed nice, and I am sure that the Spanish people had fun, but I just wish he would have been more including with the rest of us. Also, the driving could definitely improve. I know that the infrastructure on this route might not be the best to begin with, but it would definitely have been more relaxing and safe, if the driver would slow down, stop checking his phone and be careful. We almost hit another car and several dogs.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

You are right we are aware that this wasn't the best tour we have had. At our last pick up there appeared one person more than anticipated. the hotel had forgotten to book her and we were left with a dilemma. To leave her stranded. because of the mistake of the hotel, or to try to fit her in, the best we could. We feld bad for her and the guide offered to sit on the floor and take her. That this turned out to be a customer sitting on the floor was never considered an option when this solution was proposed to me. Very unwelcome situation that we certainly will try to avoid. The rushing in the park was because the guide was trying to make it to the waterfall before the rain would change the color of the river. Why he didn't explain things in English I'll have to ask him. Its surprising because your guide was Mauricio that has a lot of 5star comments on this same website. Very dedicated, knowledgable and he has very good English. Maybe the earlier setback got him of his normal game. Sorry that that happened it's not how it should be. We always emphasize to our guides to use both languages equally when it's a mixed group. The driver luckily didn't kill any animal on the way, the roads are curvy and sometimes it's hard to see to far ahead. He is 30+ year experienced driver that hasn't been involved in any accident, so he knows what he is doing. The phone checking is bad though so I will urge him to minimize this and let the guide answer. Thanks for your feedback and we will take the things you mentioned in consideration.

Beautiful parc, great tour!

Nadine_K, Mar 2022

The Rio Celeste is a must see in Costa Rica. Tenorio is by far my favorite park to visit. Highly recommanded!

Must do, beautiful!

Anita_S, Mar 2022

Enjoyed the waterfalls and learning about the jungles. It is tough hike and a lot of walking. Our guid was very good made sure all of got to complete the tour and took us on our pace. It is definitely a must do trip. But come prepare with good shoes, water and small snack.

Worth it!!

Stephanie_F, Nov 2021

So worth it! We pulled over and saw a sloth, Tucan, and the guides were amazing and so knowledgeable. We wouldn't have seen nearly half of the stuff had I gone without a guide.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Amazing tour

Viel_S, Nov 2021

Raul our tour guide was amazing! Super funny and knowledgeable about the Rio Celeste. He and our driver were super friendly and they made sure everyone on the tour was comfortable and having fun! I love both of them and highly recommend this tour for everyone!

This tour is worth it!

Mayra_T, Oct 2021

This was a great tour! Our tour guide Arturo, made sure to point out anything interesting he saw as we walked along the trail. We also met his “sister” Lola lol! The waterfall was magnificent…the color, sound and smell. Definitely worth the hike. This tour does require a lot of hiking, so wearing the appropriate shoes and clothing will aid in your enjoyment.

Definitely book this tour!

Lauren_C, Mar 2021

This was a PHENOMENAL tour! I went on several tours in Arenal and my tour guide Augusto was one of the most thorough and knowledgable tour guides I had. He answered all of our questions regarding Arenal Volcano and all the various flora and fauna and animals in the area. We luckily arrived on a beautiful day with lots of sun, so Rio Celeste was absolutely stunning and a vivid turquoise color. At one point, I walked up the stairs too fast and got pretty dizzy and weak. My tour group and Augusto were gracious enough to give me a few minutes to recover. This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip!!

A true rain forest experience

Elizabeth_L, Dec 2020

It was an enjoyable hike in heavy rain and while we didn’t get to see the teal colors, our guide was humorous and delightful. Very knowledgeable about the rain forest and the animals. We lucked out in seeing a snake and toucans! Delicious lunch and great ride up and back. Thank you!

Response from Host, Dec 2020

Hi Liz, Thanks for your friendly review. Glad you enjoyed the activity.

Rio Celeste waterfall

Nikki_F, Jan 2020

Rio Celeste tour was excellent! Our tour guide Santiago was great, very informative and understanding. The hike was tougher than expected for my husband who had bad knees but he made sure that he was okay. We took our time and it was totally worth the hike! Rio Celeste was breathtaking!

1 traveler found this review helpful

Rio Celeste

Saori_K, Jan 2020

Rio Celeste is worth to visiting in Costa Rica. It’s instagramable. Overall it was good tour but I was confused that it wasn’t a driver who is English speaker. You should mind that English guide is applied only in the park.

Questions?

Product code: 18265P3

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