Day 5. Rio Celeste Hike at Tenorio National Park

Day 5.

We woke up as usual and packed up to head to our next destination. A destination that I, in particular, was especially excited about visiting! Rio Celeste in the Tenorio Volcano area. But, before we could start our road trip there, we ate our last breakfast at Rancho Margot, had our last turn with the hula hoops and said goodbye to our favorites at the ranch. So, in true vacation style, we lounged around a bit too long which proved to make the rest of our day a bit rushed.










The drive to Bijagua, the town where we were to stay with Donald and Pippa at Casitas Tenorio. The 2 hour drive proved to be stunning just as all of Costa Rica is-rural roads filled with one lane bridges, fields, mountains, flora and fauna. And, while GPS, did generally help, it often took driving down a road to see if it seemed right according to the GPS map rather than being able to drive as directed. They say getting there is half the fun and that has never been wrong thus far!































Once we found our way to Bijagua, we headed to Casitas Tenorio to meet Jorge, Donald's brother, to go our on hike to see Rio Celeste. Once we picked Jorge up, we stopped for comida rapida, fast food....or rather slowish food. At the restaurant, Graham was able to see Blue Jeans Poison Dart Frogs!! Definitely on his list of must sees! We ate Casado---a typical Costa Rican meal consisting of rice, beans, salad, veggies or meat, plantains and tortillas. I had casado de pescado. After eating (have to have energy for those kids to hike) we headed to Tenorio National Park. On the way, we stopped when we sighted Congo Monkeys with babies! Such fun to watch the babies being carried on bellies and backs! Then we headed to the trail head for a late start to our hike! The hike was about 7K roundtrip with about 160 meters of elevation gain (although lots of UPS and DOWNS, so probably climbing much more than that) and M-U-D-D-Y! I'm not sure what kind of shoes are best for this hike, but certianly nothing that can't get wet and muddy. Claire, our 5 year that either acts like a teenager or baby rendered her legs unable to move. So, I, the lucky winner carried her the entire 7K hike. The weather although not hot was humid! The hike pace set by Jorge was quick because we started late! So between rainfall, mud, stickyness, and sweat from carrying Claire-one might not have wanted to hike right by me! Our first stop and view of the magnificent blue color was at the azul laguna-Blue Lagoon! The water was unbeilevable! It looked like it came right out of a Disney movie! We went further down the hike to see the bubbling hot springs, the mirador and theTeñiderios. This is where the confluence of two streams creates the blue water found in the Rio Celeste! One stream is high in sulfur and the other is high in metals including copper. They’re both relatively clear and colorless, but when they meet copper sulfate - a blue or blue-green compound – forms. Amazing!! After we spent some time looking at flowers, lizards, and the river. We hiked back towards the start to see the rio celeste waterfall! Again, a must see!











































































After a rewarding hike, we headed back to Donald and Pippa's to take a shower and get some dinner before crashing in bed and sleeping to the sound of heavy rainfall...




To see all the photos of the day, click here

And a short VIDEO! :)