Nature · Arenal / La Fortuna

Rio Celeste & Tenorio Volcano National Park

The impossibly blue river, with a guide who knows the trail

About 8 hours Max 14 Moderate English, Spanish Age 8+

Overview

Rio Celeste is the one day trip worth leaving La Fortuna for. Two hours north, inside Tenorio Volcano National Park, two clear streams meet and the water turns a saturated milky blue - the result of aluminosilicate particles scattering light, not dye and not mineral colour. The hike is about 6 km round trip on a rooty, often muddy trail to the waterfall, the Teñidero where the colour begins, the blue lagoon and the bubbling hot springs. An early 7:30 departure gets you to the waterfall before the tour buses. Park entrance, a full lunch and a volcanic mud mask are included, and you swim in the river where it is permitted.

Highlights

  • The 90-foot Rio Celeste waterfall and its blue pool
  • The Teñidero, where two clear rivers turn blue
  • Blue lagoon and natural bubbling hot springs
  • Early departure beats the tour buses to the waterfall
  • Park entrance, lunch and mud mask included
  • Swim in the river where permitted

Included

  • Round-trip transport from La Fortuna
  • Tenorio Volcano National Park entrance fee
  • Certified naturalist guide
  • Full lunch
  • Swim stop in Rio Celeste
  • Volcanic mud mask

Not included

  • Drinks beyond lunch
  • Photos
  • Guide gratuity
  • Towels
  • 13% national sales tax

Meeting point & getting there

Hotel pickup included
Sloth Park, downtown La Fortuna. Hotel pickup and drop-off included in the La Fortuna area.
Share your hotel or Airbnb when you book and the operator will confirm your pickup time by email or WhatsApp. Driving yourself? Use the directions below.

Departure times

  • 7:30 AM

What to bring

  • Closed-toe shoes you can get wet
  • Swimsuit and towel
  • Change of dry clothes
  • Sunscreen and insect repellent
  • Waterproof phone pouch
  • Hiking shoes with grip - the trail is muddy and rooty
  • Rain jacket
  • Change of clothes and a plastic bag for wet gear

Good to know before you book

  • Minimum age 8
  • Good fitness - about 6 km round trip on uneven, often muddy trail
  • Hiking shoes required; sandals are not permitted on the trail

Safety

  • Trail is slippery in the rain and the park closes it when conditions are unsafe
  • Swimming is only allowed in marked sections
  • Two hours of driving each way; this is a long day

Children

Children 8-10 pay 50% of the adult rate. The minimum age for this tour is 8.

Cancellation policy

Free cancellation up to 48 hours before departure. Inside 48 hours the tour is non-refundable, though we will always try to move you to another date first. Tours run rain or shine; if the operator cancels for safety you are refunded in full.

What travelers say about Arenal Jungle Tours

This tour
Had an amazing time at our Rio Celeste tour. Our guide was very informative, enthusiastic, and very passionate. Agosto went above and beyond to ensure our group would get the best experience during our trip. 100% would recommend.
Aileen C. · via Google
Johnny was amazing as a tour guide! We saw two types of poisonous frogs, about 5 sloths, a several kinds of lizards. He was sooooo knowledgeable! Highly recommend him as a tour guide!
Erin Church · via Google
Good tours for good value. The staff is extremely friendly. I didn’t the Arenal Volcano tour with Abel and the Rio Celeste tour with Wesler and both were amazing guides, extremely polite, attentive and knowledgeable. Totally recommend jungle tours
Natalia Cardozo · via Google
Loved all the guides and every single tour we did with them
Julie Stradtner · via Google
This tour was made so above and beyond by our incredible guide Erik. He has a superhuman ability to spot wildlife and was adept at showing those without such skills how to find what he spotted. He is very funny! And such a carefree, approachable affect. He absolutely made our day. We saw so much more wildlife than I even expected. I’ve attached photos that he took for me, I didn’t even know my phone could take photos this great. Please follow his Instagram, boanatravel to see more great shots
Kathryn Hamilton · via Google
Pasamos un día genial en La Catarata La Fortuna y en Volcán Arenal , nuestros guías Agustín y Neifren muy simpáticos y profesionales nos hicieron pasar un día estupendo. Gracias
Núria Molina · via Google
Went on the La Fortuna Waterfall, Arenal Hike, and Hot Springs combo tour with guide Norrlan! The waterfall, volcano home, and hot springs were beautiful. Lunch was delicious. Norrlan made the excursions engaging and fun. Would go again! The trip continued on through the rain and it was so easy to have the tour book all the tickets and transportation for us (plus they look after our stuff during the swims too). Only critique is updating the website description. We thought we would be swimming 3x but it's now wet to dry to wet (no swim in green lagoon ). There are places to change so we would've preferred to hike not with wet swimsuits on/under. Also was unclear really how the bus stop to the hot springs worked so some communication issues. They were being serious about being ready to hop off to swim and leaving everything else behind. Best deal.
Lucy · via Google
This is my 2nd time doing this experience, and I will return! The guides are extremely welcoming and fun. My party has Joshua as a guide this time, and he was amazing. Very understanding and informational, but more importantly made the tour fun made sure everyone was having fun and kept us altogether. 10/10 will recommend and will return
anishaW1177FR · August 2026 · via TripAdvisor
We did the Mystic Park tour with Joseph and it was incredible! He knew every animal, exactly where to find them, and pointed out things we would have completely missed on our own. His knowledge and enthusiasm made the experience so much richer. We had an awesome time and highly recommend Joseph if you’re visiting Mystic Park!
American_Clipper · New York City, New York · October 2025 · via TripAdvisor
Just had an amazing experience with a couple of guides, one of them is called Norlan. They picked me up in a nice van at my hotel, and drove to the Arenal domain. We had a nice walk near the volcano, had lunch, walked over 6 impressive hanging bridges and ended the day in a natural hot spring (which did really good btw !!) I believe everyone in the group enjoyed the whole day, our guide Norlan knows a lot about the area and the wildlife and also is very friendly and funny, just in case. 🤠 It was raining most of the day but that didn’t stop us from having a great day and experience. Thank you Norlan and the other people that made this possible.
Axel L · November 2025 · via TripAdvisor
We had an amazing experience. We took the tour with the la Fortuna waterfall. And hiking on the volcano. And the bridges. And the hot springs. The view is amazing Sergio, Issac. And Eliezer. We’re the best team. Super fun and lovely. Sergio made our tour an unforgettable experience. Highly recommended!!! (Noa and Rose)❤️❤️
Trek47137287372 · March 2026 · via TripAdvisor
Beautiful views during the trip through the jungle. Our guide Gonzalo explained a lot about wildlife and volcano scenery. We had a good lunch at a farm and after that a refreshing bath in the beautiful river. A really nice day :-)
Nina S · via TripAdvisor
$84 USD / adult
Free cancellation · Instant confirmation

You might also love