El Santuario (La Catedral Waterfall) is one of Costa Rica’s wildest waterfalls, thundering into a narrow slot canyon beneath a beautiful patch of rainforest. It’s an incredible sight, and even more special if you’re lucky enough to see the ethereal light rays.
The river is blue, although there was a huge amount of white water on our visit, which made the whole experience even more of a spectacle.
Whilst the walk to reach the mouth of the canyon and waterfall is pretty easy going, getting up to the waterfall itself can be a little on the sketchy side (more on that later in the guide).
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting El Santuario (La Catedral Waterfall).
Visiting El Santuario (La Catedral Waterfall)
The different access points
Before we get into the details on what to expect on the trail, it’s worth noting that there are several different access points for visiting El Santuario. To the best of our knowledge - having spoken to quite a few companies - all routes cross private land and require a guide.
The routes vary in length and at least one comes out on the eastern side of the river - the opposite side to our trail (which would mean you have to cross the river, which looked pretty perilous at the time we visited).
We opted for the shortest, easiest route to reach the falls, which from my research was also the cheapest - but there may be people I didn’t speak to - as there are often so many different companies running tours to the same places in Costa Rica.
The walk to El Santuario (La Catedral Waterfall)
The stats
Distance: 1.6km loop
Elevation gain: 90m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate to the falls, more challenging to get close to the pool at the falls
The walk to reach the river and a view of the falls and canyon is relatively easy, there are some staircases to climb, but the terrain is generally very good. However, one thing to note is that we did this walk in the dry season, there were some areas of slightly squishy ground, but nothing that was an issue.
In the rainy season I imagine some of the track could become very boggy. However, there are stairs for any ascents and descents, so you could still do the walk without too many issues, but my guess is you would get pretty muddy shoes.
You’ll be given a stick when you start the walk, although I found in the dry season, I didn’t need it.
In terms of accessing the pool the waterfall cascades into, this is more challenging. And in the rainy season would be even more so. This is another reason we recommend accessing the waterfall on the western side, so you don’t need to cross the river.
Full details on getting to the waterfall itself are in the trail notes below.
Starting the trail
The walk begins by heading through the owners orange tree farm. This section had soft mud, but in the dry season it was easy to walk on, and not in the least bit slippery.
We were lucky enough to see a sloth curled up in one of the trees, which was an unexpected treat.
After 150m you leave the farm and enter the forest. The track is a narrow dirt path, with dense forest on either side. It’s really pretty, and nice and shady.
Again there was light soft mud along this stretch, but in the dry season, it was nothing to worry about. I’m only noting it for people who plan to venture here in the rainy season and might find it to be very squelchy.
This first part of the walk is all pretty much flat, and it’s not until the 400m mark when you reach the first staircase, but it’s downhill and well maintained.
To the miradors
The first descent is 130m and leads to a wooden lookout over the top of the canyon.
You can peek down into the narrow walls and watch the seething mass of white water.
You’re surrounded by dense rainforest which adds to the atmosphere. From here you’ll soon reach a set of stairs heading uphill.
It’s a brief climb before you descend to another lookout (just 110m beyond the first).
This one offers a look into a deeper part of the canyon and you can also see the waterfall below.
It was at this point that I realised the river was much stronger and more turbulent than I’d seen in pictures!
Even though we were visiting in the dry season, it was pretty hectic, and it’s obviously much crazier in the rainy season.
Reaching the canyon
After visiting the miradors (lookouts), you’ll have a couple of staircases to climb and then you’ll begin descending to the river.
The descent lasts for a few hundred metres, however all but the very last bit is on well maintained stairs. We were lucky enough to see giant dragonflies and spectacular Blue morpho butterflies along this stretch.
You’ll arrive at the river 1.1km after leaving the car park.
The last few steps are more rustic, they’re cut into the rock and quite uneven, but even though soaking wet, were not actually that slippery.
From here you can see the waterfall and into the canyon.
The waterfall does look a touch distant, but if you don’t fancy leaving the maintained path, you can at least see it from here.
Getting into the canyon and closer to the falls
If you want to get to the pool that the waterfall cascades into, you’ll need to traverse a short section of rocks.
The first bit is easy, as there are lots of footholds and it’s not slippery. It’s more like walking along a slanted rocky track than it is rock hopping.
However, the last few metres requires traversing some big boulders.
Though there are no technical moves involved, some of these boulders have very slippery surfaces. We’re talking banana skin slippery.
It’s one of the only times I have ever seen Joe slip, and we do a lot of off track walking and hikes through water.
Not every boulder is slippery and of the ones that are, it’s not usually the whole surface of the rock, but you need to go slowly and cautiously.
At one point it’s much easier to walk in the water than across the boulders - your guide will show you where.
The thing that unnerved me about this section was that if you did slip there’s a risk you’d go straight into the river, and given it was a mass of white water, you’d be carried off downstream pretty rapidly.
Having said that, it is a very short section, so if you go with caution, or you have shoes with excellent grip, then it won’t be long at all before you reach that upper pool.
Before writing this guide, I looked at some more photos of this hike, and it looks like there used to be rope here, which would be great for just giving you that extra peace of mind. However, at time of writing there’s no rope.
Catarata El Santuario
After the short, but slightly sketchy rock traverse you’re rewarded with a close up view of El Santuario, and you can see why they named it ‘the sanctuary’ or the ‘cathedral’.
It’s a magnificent sight, it’s not about the size of the falls - as it’s smaller than most we’ve seen here - it’s about the incredibly dramatic setting.
With the towering canyon walls that shut out almost all light, wild blue river and partially submerged log, it’s a captivating scene.
We were lucky enough to have a few minutes where the clouds cleared and several light rays beamed into the canyon.
It was a truly magical sight and we lingered a long while hoping to get lucky again, but it wasn’t to be. Maybe how fleeting it was made it even more special!
Sometimes you can walk into this pool and get even closer to the falls, however for us, the flow of the river was too strong.
The current and white water would have made one wrong move a potential disaster, so we stuck to the large boulders and didn’t venture closer.
If you’re lucky enough to have slightly calmer conditions, I can imagine it’s even more awe-inspiring up close.
The hike back
You start off briefly following the same trail, which is uphill, before you have a very short flat stretch in the forest.
After a couple of hundred metres (from the river) you’ll exit the forest and finish the walk on a farm track, back through the orange grove again.
It’s pretty much uphill all the way back, but the section through the farm is much more gentle than the staircases!
The distance of the walk up from the river to the car park is just 500m.
The best time to visit El Santuario La Catedral Waterfall
The best time to visit El Santuario waterfall is when you can see the light rays. Although seeing the rays does depend on the weather - you’ll need clear skies - we were told they are best viewed on the 11am tour. This is the tour we took and we saw the rays at around 11.45am.
It did cloud over, so we only saw them briefly, but if you luck out with clear skies, then you should see them for much longer.
In terms of crowds, La Catedral Waterfall is not yet well known amongst foreign tourists, but is popular with Costa Ricans. This makes visiting on the weekends a bad idea if you want a quiet experience. We were told Monday - Wednesday is the quietest time to come.
The tours using the route we describe are at 9am and 11am at time of writing. You’ll want to opt for the 11am if you want a shot at seeing the light rays.
Other companies run tours at other times of day too, but we know less about those options.
Who we booked with
We booked our tour through Genive on Whatsapp, on this number +506 8395 8923.
The family who run the tour own the farm and have a private trail to the waterfall. We were told we could spend as long as we wanted at the falls, and we never felt rushed.
We paid USD $25 per person. You can also pre-order lunch if you want, which is USD $16. We didn’t do this as we had a long drive ahead.
Our guide only spoke Spanish, but we could get by without any issues.
When you chat to them on Whatsapp it’s ok for the basics, but if you have any detailed questions, it’s easier to phone and speak to the daughter who speaks really good English.
It is worth checking about the distance and whether there is a river crossing with any other tour you speak to, as we saw some people who came out on the other side of the river and couldn’t get across.
Facilities
If you are using the same start point as us, there are toilets and a changing room onsite (which is private not communal). There’s also a basic outdoor shower if you need to rinse off.
There were picnic tables, which I assume are for if you book the lunch option.
Getting to El Santuario (La Catedral Waterfall)
The access roads
Whichever route you choose, there is a significant amount of driving on an unsealed road. If coming from Liberia, we recommend taking route 917 that approaches from the west. This road is generally in good condition and you don’t need a 4WD. It’s bumpy and corrugated in places, but not too bad.
If coming from Miravalles on the eastern side (Ruta 737/Aguas Clara) the road is not so good, and much more of it is unsealed. You don’t need a 4WD, but you do need a bit of clearance.
Most of it was rocky and bumpy and though a 2WD could do almost all of it, there was one slight incline that I don’t know if you could get a low clearance car up. I was worried our old banger of a 4WD wouldn’t make it, but happily it did!
From Liberia, it’s about a 1 hour 20 minute drive. It’s just under 3.5 hours from both La Fortuna and Monteverde.
Where to stay near La Catedral Waterfall
La Anita Rainforest Ranch - 40 minute drive
Note that driving to the waterfall from here is along the worse of the two roads, but it is fine with a bit of clearance.
La Anita Rainforest Ranch was our favourite stay in Costa Rica. The rooms are all individual bungalows and the views are gorgeous, out to the forest and volcanoes. The birdlife here was amazing.
Rooms are really clean and the beds are huge and comfy. There’s hot water, and a hammock and rocking chair on the terrace. There are no windows, but instead the frames are netted, so the rooms are really cool without the need for AC. They are also bugless which was a bit mind blowing to us given the location.
If the drive concerns you, you can book a tour to El Santuario with La Anita, however it’s going to be more costly and you’re likely to be in a group.
You can check the reviews and prices on:
Casa Buda 2 apartment - Liberia
We stayed in the Casa Buda 2 apartment as well, which is a good option if you’d like a house rather than a hotel. There are two bedrooms with good beds and a full kitchen. There’s also a washing machine.
The shower has hot water, but fairly low pressure, which is standard for Costa Rica. The internet was good and it was close to lots of amenities. Soundproofing is not great, which again we found to be across the board in Costa Rica.
You can check out the reviews and prices on:
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