Blue Falls of Costa Rica — Attraction in Toro Amarillo

10/10 landed the night before, picked up the rental and day 1- made this a stop north of San Jose before heading East to the Caribbean side. The views on the drive up are worth stopping for. We bought the tickets when we got to the office. I’m sure you can save a bit if you bought in advance but not by that much. I recommend to go to the blue falls first which is a short ride away from the office and has its own parking. Take regular walking shoes/sandals. We hiked it down in our water shoes and although the kids just flew down with them it was a little more difficult on us parents by the time we were coming back. The walk is in mixed terrain of stones and dirt, up and down but not steep at all and very doable. We had our 3yr, 13 and 15 yr old. Do the Las Gemalas (the twins) first. It’s absolutely breath taking when you first lay your eyes on it and after the hike, it’s amazing to just jump in. We met a guide half way who just joined us since we had kids and was so patient with my 3 yr old. Held her hand and walked with her. She was chatting his ears off. Lol. He spoke good enough English and was super helpful all around. The water is cold but we stayed for a good 45mins -1 hr and then wanted to hike back. We stopped to detour to Pozas Azul ( the blue pool) added an extra 10mins but was on the way back so it was easy. It has its own little waterfalls and a big blue pool to swim in. It was a lot more calmer and the little one enjoyed it so much. Doing the blue pool was a good break on the way back and made the hike back to the car much shorter. Take some water and snacks if you plan to stay longer and needless to say.. take your rubbish back with you. We tipped our guide since he was super helpful. We headed back to the office and it started raining so we saw the Cataratas del Toro from up top and headed off to Manzanillo (Caribbean side) What an amazing day 1. Nothing man made (other than children) is that beautiful and it’s for our children that we need to save places like this...

The drive there is paved, but steep on the way back if returning to San José (a few miles after you leave). Our economy car barely had enough engine power to make it up the hill. We did the combo tour for 25.00 and found it to be worth the value. The bathrooms are clean and there is plenty of parking. They direct you to the single, highest fall first. That took us about 45-60 minutes round trip. You don't swim there. After you return to the main building area from the first hike, you drive to another lot about 1/4 mile down the road and one of the employees checks your wristband and directs you to the other set of six more falls/pools. It's about a 15–20 minute walk on well-maintained paths to the first set of falls. Las Gemelas and La Celestial were our personal favorites. (Peak around the corner at Las Gemelas for the second fall...hence its name, Gemelas). The most difficult one to reach is La Tepezquintle, so if you are running low on energy that would be the one to skip. It's pretty, but not as pretty as the others. Be prepared to walk up and down a lot of stairs. The easiest falls to reach are Las Gemelas. The blue water is absolutely gorgeous and cold, but refreshing in the humid weather. At each of the falls/pools there is a guide. They can answer questions using google translate, and at some of the falls they assist you over the rocks to continue your hike. We spent about 4 hours during this second part hiking to each of the six falls/pools and swimming in some. Though the parking lot was packed on our return it never felt crowded. Highly recommend! This was one of our favorite stops...

This is a little off the beaten path but well worth it! We did just the Blue Falls (& not the nearby Catarata del Toro) because of lack of time. You drive up to Catarata del Toro which is where the tickets to that and the Blue Falls are sold (& restrooms), then back to Blue Falls parking lot. Need to be in decent shape to hike and wade through river/water in modestly strong currents (guides are super helpful, we tipped them at the end of the visit with tips left at the main office). First visit La Gemelas (wonderful twin waterfalls) but need to be careful walking and wading through the water, then we did Tepezquintle (which despite the posted 15min hike is more like 25 to 30 mins and is up and down, wading through water too) - worth it. Then back to Poza Azul (the swimming area), water was very cold for a good swim though in Apr 2025. Then you go back and do the other 3 waterfalls IF you have time and stamina - we did just the La Turquesa (La Pintada is the viewpoint only which we skipped and we didn't have time for La Celestial). La Turquesa also requires serious help from the guides (especially for our 9 year old boy, would not recommend for younger kids, even 8 or 9 is just about Ok). Bottom line, great falls but moderately long and strenuous hikes and need guides help several times (which they...