Rio Celeste is a wonder of nature hidden in the northern part of the country within the Volcan Tenorio National Park close to the towns Guatuso and Bijagua in the province Alajuela. The neighbor town Fortuna gets tons of tourists visiting the nearby Arenal volcano. Rio Celeste, 
however, is in a rural area and visited by few tourists.
Rio Celeste is no ordinary river. Clear water runs races through the forest and then two rivers meet and sulfur and calcium carbonate mix to create a single bright, shocking turquoise river which then feeds several hot springs and a large waterfall. To get to the waterfall you’ll have to hike about an hour and a half through the national park after you pay a $10 USD entrance fee. The Volcan Tenorio National Park is also famous for its bird watching. There are a few lodges and hotels in the area like La Carolina Lodge and Celeste Mountain Lodge which have jumped on the EcoTourism bandwagon and leave their surroundings in their pristine state. At La Carolina Lodge nights are lit by candles and oil lanterns unless you request the use of limited electricity if you want it. Celeste Mountain Lodge offers a tour to Las Pumas Wildlife Refuge where they treat injured animals recovered from poachers and eventually release them back into the wild. Most of the hotels will also include some or all the food and offer tours to Rio Celeste, Volcan Tenorio, Caño Negro, and Corobici River where you can go white water rafting. If you don’t want to stay in the area you can take a couple of buses from the capital to the town of Rio Celeste and then take a taxi to the entrance of the National Park.
The Northern area of Costa Rica is beautiful but rarely visited by tourists, so be one of the few who visit this wild and untouched area of Costa Rica.
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