To say Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is remote is an understatement. Located in Northern Costa Rica less than 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the border with Nicaragua, travelers usually get here as part of group tours. Because we’re on a road trip (and we hate group tours, just sayin’) we drove ourselves to Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge from Rincon de la Vieja National Park, but that doesn’t mean it was easy.
Though the area is reached via a numbered highway (#4 to be exact) it was well into the process of crumbling apart leaving gaping potholes in the beleaguered pavement which required radical swerving and slow speeds to avoid the most cavernous of them. Welcome to Costa Rica where even the numbered highways will kill your car.
The humble entrance to Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge in northern Costa Rica.
After such a jarring overland journey it was a relief to get into a boat. There are no trails in the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge because it’s made up of 12 lagoons connected by waterways and Lake Caño Negro which is fed by the Rio Frio. Volcanoes loom in the distance (including Tenorio, Maravillas and Arenal). Animals surround you. And there’s not a pothole in sight.
There are no trails in Costa Rica’s Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge so boats are the only way to go.
On a clear day a whole string of volcanoes can be seen from Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica, including Tenorio (seen here), Maravillas, Rincon de la Vieja and Arenal.
The animals of Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge
Volcanoes are cool and all, but the real highlight of any tour of Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge (US$35 per person including a guide/boatman, roughly 1.5 hours) is the wildlife. We saw caimans, a whole host of birds, huge fish, frogs, trees full of monkeys, cool lizards and more (though the area’s pumas and jaguars took the day off).
Here are some Caño Negro wildlife highlights.
A jicana hunts for lunch in Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica.
This was one of the smaller caimans we saw in Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge.
We saw or first juvenile tiger heron in Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge and its stripy coloration (which they lose in adulthood) made their name make sense.
Can a lizard be sexy? We think this basking baselisk in Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge comes close.
An egret glides through Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica.
This bird’s name, purple gallinule, is as impressive as its look.
A juvenile jicana tries its wings on for size in Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica.
This male mantled howler monkey was just hanging out on a branch over the water in Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge.
The shores of the waterways in Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge are a haven for all kinds of critters.
The trail left behind by our boat as we toured Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica.
Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Travel Tips
We stayed at Caño Negro Natural Lodge (US$120 double including continental breakfast) which is located just a short stroll from where the tour boats depart from. The lodge has its own wildlife-filled grounds and a pool along with 42 motel-style rooms. Some have been recently renovated so be sure you get one of those.
During the dry season (November to March) the wetlands of the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge dry up considerably, shrinking the boatable area. For maximum access visit in the wet season. Skies are clearest in October, affording the best views of Arenal Volcano, Tenorio Volcano, Maravillas Volcano and Rincon de la Vieja Volcano in the distance.
After spending more than six months traveling in Costa Rica we can tell you that it takes some doing to feel like you’ve made it off the beaten path. We got that pleasant feeling–plus a shockingly blue river and a shockingly green lodge–when our road trip took us to Tenorio Volcano National Park.
Hiking in Tenorio Volcano National Park
There are only three hiking trails in Tenorio Volcano National Park (US$10 per person) and one of them requires a guide. We were warned that the park’s trails are often a muddy, slippery mess since the place gets around 200 inches (5,000 millimeters) of rain every year. However, when we were in the park big trail improvements were under way, including a much needed set of stairs down the steep slope that leads to the base of the impressive Rio Celeste waterfall.
The Rio Celeste Waterfall in Tenorio National Park in Costa Rica is much more easily reached now thanks to a newly improved trail.
Though only one volcano made it into the park’s name, Tenorio Volcano National Park actually encompasses four differentvolcanic peaks. None of them are climbable unless you’re a researcher, but we didn’t come to see the volcanoes. We came to see what the volcanoes have done to the river.
To reach the river in question we hiked the four mile (six kilometer) round trip Sendero Misterio del Tenorio (Tenorio Mystery Trail)which climbed steadily but gently through the cloud forest. It really was one of the best short day hikes we did in Costa Rica with varied scenery, plenty of peace and quiet and, finally, that shocking blue river.
This is NOT photoshop: the Rio Celeste, which runs through Tenorio National Park in Costa Rica, really, truly is that blue thanks to a unique cocktail of natural volcanic minerals.
Is the Rio Celeste the most beautiful river in Costa Rica?
The Rio Celeste (sky blue river) achieves a blue like we’ve never seen in any other body of water thanks to sulfur and calcium carbonates from the volcanoes. Picture a white Russian cocktail made with a splash of Blue Curacao (just picture it, don’t drink it…ick) and you’re pretty darn close to the color of the Rio Celeste.
Karen on part of the trail to (and over) the shockingly blue Rio Celeste in Costa Rica’s Tenorio National Park.
We’ve seen eerily-hued crater lakes before but the color achieved in this river is even more surreal. Look at the Rio Celeste long enough and it does begin to resemble a ribbon of sky down here on earth.
The Rio Celeste (Sky Blue River) lives up to its name in Tenorio National Park in Costa Rica.
At one point on the trail we reached a spot where two streams converged turning the water blue. The spot is called Los Tenideros or Borbollones and though it looks like magic, it’s really science that’s at work.
One stream contains sulfur from the volcanoes in the area, the other contains calcium carbonate. When those two streams mix, the substances create a natural reaction which instantaneously transforms the water to a shockingly blue color. It was mesmerizing to watch and we really, really wanted to jump in for a swim in what just might be the most beautiful river in Costa Rica. Sadly, that’s not allowed.
One stream containing sulfur meets another containing calcium carbonate and, voila!, instant blue water.
You used to be able to swim in one specific natural hot spring within the park but now there are signs up all over the place making it clear that no one is allowed in the water anywhere in the park, presumably for safety reasons since many of the springs, like the one boiling away, below, are dangerously hot.
No swimming allowed: a natural hot spring, heated by nearby volcanoes, boils away in Tenorio National Park in Costa Rica.
Check out Tenorio Volcano National Park highlights, including the incredible mixing of streams to create that shockingly blue water, in our video, below.
Looks are deceiving at Tenorio’s shockingly green eco lodge
We’ve noted before that Costa Rica is bursting with places to stay that call themselves eco or green and we’ve checked into many of them during our road trip through Costa Rica. Some have earned the title (like Selva Bananito Eco Lodge & Preserve). Others, not so much.
Joel Marchal, the French creator of Celeste Mountain Lodge (from US$170 double including three gourmet meals a day, though specials and lower walk-in rates are sometimes available), has earned the right to fly the eco flag.
At first glance, Joel’s 18 room, two story lodge looks too modern, too high-concept to be eco as well with stark angles, shots of vivid color (lime green, cobalt blue, tangerine orange) and lots of open-air spaces to make the most of the views.It’s chic but is it eco chic?
Eco chic Celeste Mountain Lodge on the doorstep of Tenorio National Park in Costa Rica.
Eco chic Celeste Mountain Lodge on the doorstep of Tenorio National Park in Costa Rica.
What you can’t see at a glance is that most of the materials used to construct the lodge were recycled or cast off, including an incredible number of old tires that have been given a new life (and kept off the burn pile). It was also built on stilts to limit its foot print and reduce the need to excavate.
The open-air dining room and lounge area at Celeste Mountain Lodge near Tenorio National Park in Costa Rica features many smart eco touches, including plastic slip covers filled with fine coconut hull fibers to create comfortable and natural bean-bag style seating.
Inside, almost every clever and chic design element is also green. Fine coconut husk fibers fill clear plastic slip covers to create biodegradable bean bag style seating and ottomans. Bed side lamps are made from old corrugated sheet metal. The boxes they pack a to-go lunch in are made from recycled materials. Meals in the open-air restaurant are served on wooden cutting boards covered in a banana leaf which is simply composted when you’re done eating, eliminating the need to wash dozens of dishes. The hot tub is filled with rain water which is heated using a customized energy-saving gas-fueled system.
The chef at Celeste Mountain Lodge turns out gourmet farm to table meals (included in your rate), served on wooden boards covered with banana leaves to reduce water and soap use in the kitchen.
The elegant dining room at Celeste Mountain Lodge is the perfect setting for the lodge’s gourmet food.
Joel also created an innovative process when he built a small network of hiking trails through his cloud-forest-covered property which involves the use of a protective, flexible, durable material laid over the surface of the trail which limits erosion. Officials from Costa Rica’s national park system have considered adopting the process on park trails.
But don’t take our word for it. Shortly after it opened Celeste Mountain Lodge earned five green leaves, the highest level of eco certification that the government’s CST regulating body hands out. Then Joel began to feel constrained by what he felt were one-size-fits-all rules and goals of the CST and he opted out of the program.
His eco efforts, continue, however, with a big emphasis on educating guests and locals, especially children, about green issues. One of the most charming elements of Celeste Mountain Lodge (and the list is long) are the in-room eco messages to save water and turn off lights drawn by local school children.
Celeste Mountain Lodge is sandwiched between Tenorio Volcano National Park and Miravalles Volcano National Park of which the lodge has commanding views.
Tenorio National Park Travel Tip
Though Tenorio National Park is still one of the least visited in Costa Rica, useage has been surging in recent years and we hear that the Costa Rican government is considering a proposal which would invest heavily in Tenorio Volcano National Park to add services and infrastructure–like improved and expanded trails, a camping area (camping is currently prohibited), a welcome center and more–which would mimic US national parks. If it goes well in Tenorio other national parks in Costa Rica could be similarly improved. Stay tuned.
Oh, and don’t be put off by what you might read about the road conditions to Tenorio Volcano National Park. Yes, it’s a rocky, bumpy dirt road but all but the lowest vehicles will do just fine as long as you take it slow. If you’re renting a car in Costa Rica you should always go for the 4X4 option anyway precisely for access to places like this.
You say your trip to Costa Rica must include fuming volcanoes, outdoor adventure and relaxing hot springs but without the crowds and prices of Arenal? We say head to Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park instead which is shaping up to be a cheaper, less crowded and more exciting alternative to Arenal.
Cheaper than Arenal
Now that Arenal Volcano is no longer erupting (yes, you heard that right), the one big reason to travel to Arenal Volcano National Park and La Fortuna, that crowded eyesore of a tourist town, is to soak in the volcano-heated hot springs that continue to bubble up to the surface even though the lava stopped flowing years ago.
In Arenal it will cost you at least US$25 per person (and up to US$95 per person) for the privilege of stewing in communal juices along with hundreds of others. We know. We did it. Our ho-hum experiences made us determined to find an alternative to Arenal and we think we hit pay dirt in the Guanacaste region of northern Costa Rica.
We had this remote waterfall all to ourselves near Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park in Costa Rica.
More exciting than Arenal
Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park is about a 1.5 hour drive from the town of Liberia, primarily on a rocky dirt road in reasonably good condition which winds past bucolic farms and picturesque small villages. Clouds often obscure the park’s namesake volcano so we contented ourselves with sightings of flocks of noisy green parrots and the occasional capuchin monkey along the way.
The clouds did occasionally part, allowing us glimpses of Rincón de la Vieja Volcano which, following impressive explosions in February of 2012, has been put firmly back on the active volcano list unlike the now dormant Arenal Volcano.
Costa Rica’s Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in the background as seen from the grounds of the Blue River Resort & Hot Springs.
Close to the action in Rincón de la Vieja
On a clear day you can see the crater of Rincón de la Vieja Volcano from almost any point on the spawling grounds of the Blue River Resort & Hot Springs which has 20 cabañas, each with more than 700 square feet (65 square meters) of space and all the amenities you’d expect in a much swankier location including a huge TV, air conditioning, two double beds and an enormous bathroom all starting at US$127 for up to five people including breakfast, taxes and use of all of the hot springs. A family of five would pay more than that just for hot springs access in Arenal.
Critters, like this butterfly, love the grounds of Blue River Resort & Hot Springs in the shadow of Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Costa Rica.
If looking up at the business end of an active volcano doesn’t release enough adrenaline for you Blue River Resort & Hot Springs also offers day trips to local attractions like CañoNegro. You can choose from a nine platform zip line, a Tarzan swing, horseback riding, hiking and an activity we think the resort owners need to rename “Extreme Tubing”. After all, when was the last time you needed elbow pads to go tubing?
Welcome to extreme tubing
When the guides for our rafting trip on the Rio Azul (Blue River) handed us not only a helmet but elbow pads as well we thought he was just being overly cautious. Isn’t tubing like napping on the water during which the biggest danger is losing hold of the tube toting the cooler full of beer? Not this time.
Eric heads off down the Rio Azul for some extreme tubing at Blue River Resort & Hot Springs in Costa Rica.
White water everywhere during our extreme tubing trip with Blue River Resort & Hot Springs in Costa Rica.
For nearly two hours we hurtled down the Rio Azul atop special extra-plump, extra-durable tubes with hand holds. We shot through narrow channels of swift-moving white water, bounced over rocks, pin-ball-machined around boulders and, sometimes, ended up upside down. By the time we reached the take out point we were grinning and very, very grateful for every single piece of protective gear.
Moving fast down the Rio Azul during an extreme tubing trip near Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park in Costa Rica.
See those elbow pads in use in our video, below, shot during our extreme tubing trip down the Rio Azul in Costa Rica which, as you’ll see, really is extra blue.
Less crowded than Arenal
Even with the elbow pads we still ended up with some bumps and bruises during our trip down the Rio Azul, so we were grateful for Blue River Resort’s natural hot springs which fill four very large pools with soothing water directly from the volcano. There’s also a cold plunge pool.
When we were at Blue River Resort we were often the only people soaking in pools that could easily have held 20 people.
You can have a volcano-fed natural hot spring pool all to yourself at Blue River Resort & Hot Springs near Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park in Costa Rica.
To get even closer to the healing powers of the volcano guests have free access to a vat of slate gray, sulphury volcanic mud which can be applied to your skin before entering a sauna where the volcanic minerals work their magic. Our skin felt silky for days afterward. One warning though: do not do this while wearing light colored swimwear since the mud stains like mad.
Healing mineral-filled volcanic mud for guests of Blue River Resort & Hot Springs in Costa Rica – just don’t wear a light-colored swimsuit when you slather it on.
Guanacaste Travel Tip
If you’re exploring the Guanacaste region or crossing the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua at Peñas Blancas then you’ll probably need to spend a night in the town of Liberia. We can recommend a budget hotel called Hotel Liberia. It’s central, clean, moderately priced at US$40 double (we recommend haggling) for a private room with a fan, bathroom WiFi and ample, secure parking. Dorm beds are available for US$13 per person.
If you’ve got just a bit more to spend on style, check out the nearby Casa de Papel Bed & Breakfast. The exterior of the building is decoupaged with old newspapers (hence the name). Inside is an eclectic mishmash of antiques. Rooms spread out around an interior garden with a pool (a rarity) and a jacuzzi (even more rare). Rates vary from US$75 double down to US$30 double and quality varies accordingly. The US$30 room, for example, is fan only, tiny and a bit claustrophobic. Parking, WiFi and continental breakfast are included.
An Arenal Alternative - Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
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Travel Guide to Puerto Viejo and the Southern Caribbean Coast - Costa Rica
Another Way to Get Wet - Rio Pacuare, Costa Rica
The Name Says It All - Rainforest Adventures, Costa Rica
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