The second stop on our combination tour with Canoa Aventura was La Fortuna Waterfall. This impressive waterfall emerges through an opening in the jungle and plunges 200 feet to a pool below.
You can reach the base of the waterfall by taking the stairs down – all 530 of them. (Remember of course that you’ll have to take them back up!) There is a viewpoint before the stairs begin, as well as a restaurant, souvenir shop, and bathrooms with showers and changing areas.
The stairs are challenging (both up and down!) but worth it. Once you reach the bottom, there is another viewing platform before you continue all the way down to the water. There are two different areas where you can enter the water if you want to swim, one rocky entrance to the main pool at the base of the falls and one sandy entrance off to the side. The footing can be tricky on the rocks leading to the main pool so use caution.
The waterfall itself is gorgeous. The falls shoot out over the edge of a jungle cliff, the water pounding loudly into an emerald pool below. The surrounding cliffs are green and mossy with vines hanging down from the rocks even as trees try to grow up them. It really is an idyllic jungle waterfall.
I wasn’t brave enough to get into the water. It was COLD! But most of the kids went in and a few of the adults. I was shocked at how many people were swimming in the water, not just because it was so cold but because my husband and I had been here in 2012 and there was nobody in the water. In fact, there was nobody down there at all. We had hiked down a dirt path (no stairs) to the base and had the entire waterfall to ourselves. It was surprising how much the site had changed in 11 years and what a huge tourist attraction it had become.
After everyone was done swimming, they dried off and I took one last look from the viewing platform before starting the long trek back up. It probably took 10 minutes to get down and about 20 to get back up. Those stairs are no joke!
We enjoyed the waterfall but having seen it in a quieter, more peaceful state a decade ago, I’m not sure I would necessarily recommend it now. The waterfall itself is stunning but the crowds and the commercialization took away from the overall experience. There are dozens of other waterfall options in Costa Rica that are a little more off the beaten path and away from the crowds.
