Julio took me to a secret waterfall park for an afternoon hike the other day… well, it’s not really secret (see the photo above of the huge sign), but it is off the tourism radar and is only frequented by locals. The park, Los Chorros Recreation Park, has a few trails, two waterfalls, a river, some rope bridges, grills to cook out on, and tables for picnics. This makes a really great, easy hike if you find yourself stuck near the airport for a day or live in the area (like me!).
Los Chorros 60m (180ft) Waterfall
Our hike started off on the side of a gentle mountain in a field of lime green grass and quickly lead us into Jurassic-like jungle. The trails of Los Chorros were easy to follow and some of them even had rustic handrails on the slickest parts. The first waterfall I saw was the tallest in this park – 60 meters high (180 feet) and it blasted me with heavy mists while it crashed down into the river with a deafening roar. The second waterfall was not as intense and was accessible by crossing a rope bridge and wading through the river. The view from the middle of this rope bridge was incredible – like a scene from Fern Gully with mist saturating the air, vibrant greens sparkling all around, and crystal clear waters springing from the rocks.
The second waterfall is around the bend.
Rope Bridge at Los Chorros
Mocha having fun, Pelulu hiding from the water under Mocha.
Los Chorros is a 20 minute drive from our house, which means it is about 25 minutes from the San Juan Int’l Airport, or 45 minutes from downtown San Jose. It only costs a few hundred colones to get in and the entrance is guarded by a charismatic old man named Eli who lives in a modest house on the edge of the mountain. Eli doesn’t speak any English, so bring your Spanish skills if you go. It would also be nice if you brought him an Imperial or two…and a tip for watching your car while you frolic in the jungle. 🙂 Most importantly, come prepared to get wet and muddy!
When Harris and I went to Hawaii we did some hiking to a waterfall. I remember the locals jumping from the top of the waterfall into the lagoon below! Do people ever do that at these waterfalls?
Oh yeah, you can hike to the tops and jump off.
Julio has a nice video of himself scaling a waterfall and then leaping off…I’ll see if I can find it for show n’ tell =)
I went to Los Chorros about two Decembers ago with a group of friends. I liked the fact that it’s pretty clean and that there were guards walking around at all times. It was a very sunny day , so we really enjoyed the cool water. My friends and I got there early, brought some lunch and spent most of the day there. Good memories, I’d really like to go back next December.
It was a little chilly when we went, I can’t wait to go back when it is warmer outside! And for a cookout, hopefully get some good ol’ juicy American burgers going on the grill!
Another place added to my list of places/things to see. For such a ‘small’ country its becoming quite a task to try and fit everything in!
Probably will hit this one up on the way to Arenal from San Jose, how long would you figure the hike in/out would take? I love the idea of the bringing beer to Eli =)
The hike in takes only 10 minutes. Can you even call that a hike?
You can also hike to the La Fortuna waterfall and you don’t need to pay a guide to take you there. Just ask the staff at your hotel how to get there.
My wife and I moved down here 7 months ago and some friends found Los Chorros. We have been there three times taking visiting family from the states to it. It can be absolutely deserted or teeming with locals!
Such a nice spot when it’s deserted 🙂
This was the most remote, secret discovery made only because the owner of the B&B where we stayed (B&B Garden Grecia; Ronald Alfaro) is a Tiko and wanted us to experience something he treasured. It was hardly a recreation “center” but rather a private place to experience the majestic waterfalls of the area. We drove into a “parking lot” with not another car there and proceeded to walk down “stairs”, really flat areas between pieces of wood and according to my friend’s phone app. it was 23 flights of stairs (not sure that can be accurate but it really was a long way down and an even longer trek back up. Had we not taken a bamboo walking stick, it would have been really challenging for me to maintain stability as we walked the river. I absolutely loved this extraordinary experience.