If you’re looking for one of Costa Rica’s best adventure hikes, and one of its most spectacular waterfalls, this is it. La Leona Waterfall is incredible. It flows into a deep orange canyon, forming a stunning blue swimming hole at the base. The walk to get there involves traversing jaw-dropping blue rivers, climbing small ladders and then swimming using a rope to fight the current, before you’ll finally reach the foot of the canyon waterfall itself.
As you have to visit with a guide, you’ll be in good hands, and if there are any bits that you’re unsure about, they will be able to help. A trip to La Leona might just be your most memorable Costa Rican experience.
Here’s everything you need to know to plan your trip, starting with full details on the hike, and finishing with how to escape the crowds, photography tips, and which guide we used.
The La Leona Waterfall hike
The stats
Distance: 2.7km return
Elevation gain: 115m
Difficulty: Moderate
You might notice that our stats give a different hiking distance to any of the La Leona Waterfall guides. We measured the distance with our Apple watch, both there and back again, and everyone we spoke to definitely overstates the length!
How difficult is the La Leona Waterfall hike?
Before we get started on the trail notes, I thought I’d address the difficulty, as I was nervous before the hike after reading it was really hard, and wondered whether it would be out of my comfort zone. The truth is that the majority of the hike was much easier than I was expecting (in dry season).
The river crossings were nothing more than a gentle walk through shallow calm water (you just had to be mindful of the rocks incase any were slippery) and the ladders were tiny and stable!
The swim was also easy and using the rope to get into the waterfall area was a breeze up until the last metre or so, when I had to use a bit of upper body strength to pull myself in.
I will admit to having very little upper body strength, so I did have to pull hard, but I managed, and it’s just a very short distance. I think most people are probably a lot stronger than me and would be fine, and if not, your guide would no doubt pull you in if needed.
The one other section that I was unsure of was climbing a few steps down a slippery boulder to reach waterfall number two. There is a rope and you go backwards to make it easier, but I didn’t trust my feet wouldn’t slip, so it unnerved me. But to put it in context Joe went down without a second thought!
In terms of the swims, that’s an area I am quite confident in, but you can take a life jacket if not. The first swim is very short, less than a few minutes long, and the bigger one is not exactly a swim, as you do have the rope.
You can just hold the rope and pull yourself in that way. For this reason I’d say you need a bit of water confidence as you will be out your depth and there’s a current, but you certainly don’t have to be a great swimmer, or someone that can swim far.
However, all of this relates to the dry season, in the rainy season the flow of the river will be much stronger and therefore any of the watery sections will be harder.
Starting the trail to Catarata La Leona
You’ll start the walk on a dirt track, which heads briefly uphill before you begin descending towards the river. It’s not perfectly manicured, but it’s in good condition and has a couple of steeper bits, but it wasn’t slippery. You’ll reach the river after just 300m.
You’ll then follow a flat easy trail through the forest before you reach your first river crossing 120m later. For us this was a shallow calm crossing and the river itself is gorgeous, the water was so blue even without the sun shining on it.
After 80m in the forest you’ll cross the river again. It’s much the same. It’s nice and easy and the only thing to watch for is the uneven rocks, but they weren’t very slippery.
The track then continues through the forest and it’s flat at first, before heading uphill, where you can see the river sparkling below.
It’s a good path and the scenery is really pretty. Your guide will point out various birds and there are plenty of beautiful fig trees. It’s also nice and shady, which is great in an area as hot as this one!
To the ladders
Once you’ve been walking for 750m you’ll come to a brief descent and there’s a rope handrail in place. I think this is more for the rainy season, because it wasn’t muddy, or slippery in the dry season. The easy path through the forest continues for another 100m, where you’ll meet your first ladder.
The ladders throughout the track are tiny wooden ones and they’re stable and don’t have any exposure. There are a couple close together and then you’ll see a rope on the right. This helps you climb a few steps up to a small bat cave. Again, in the dry season this wasn’t at all slippery, making it nice and easy.
You’ll then continue through the forest and a few minutes later come to a huge volcanic rock wall. You can see all the layers and it’s completely different scenery to the first part of the walk
This is the junction between La Leona Waterfall and the second boulder waterfall. You’ll head right, to La Leona first.
You’ll climb another small ladder before reaching a slightly tricker part of the walk. There is a little sloped rock wall, which you have to traverse using a rope.
There are plenty of footholds, but again I never trust my feet won’t slip, and I didn’t like the look of the murky pool that lay beneath if they did!
However, it takes just a few minutes to cross and was not slippery when dry. On the way back with wet boots it was easier to go backwards on this section, and though I wouldn’t say it was enjoyable, it was still very quick and happily my feet never actually slipped!
After this little traverse, you have one more wooden ladder and a couple of rocks to climb down and then you’ll reach the most spectacular part of the walk so far.
The start of the canyon, with the most stunning blue river flowing through it (this is 1.1km into the trail).
Through the river
The opening in the orange rock walls forms an arch and all the hanging vines and huge boulders really give this spot the wow factor. It would be beautiful with any water colour, but the blue makes it extra special.
This is the point at which if there are any clothes you want to keep dry, you put them in the dry bag (which your guide brings and carries, what a luxury!). You do keep your boots on though, as it’s easier for walking on the boulders after the swim.
The water starts off shallow, but when you get to the arch, it’s time to swim. It’s only a couple of metres and then there’s a big log and some current from here. However, it’s just a few steps before you leave the water and traverse some large boulders.
You will then see the big rope leading into the narrowest part of the canyon. It’s just 100m between the arch and this spot, and not much of it actually involves swimming.
Reaching La Leona Waterfall (Catarata La Leona)
The roped section lasts for roughly 50m (it’s actually a bit less, as within 50m you’ll be standing at the foot of La Leona).
The first 95% were really easy and I assumed the rope was just for the rainy season, when the current would be far stronger. You can make your way along the rope however you want, I went hand over hand, but our guide did some kind of funky Superman type move!
The last little bit is when you hit the strong current and I know I could never have got inside without a rope. It was really strong and I did have to pull hard to get inside. But from memory it was around three hard pulls to heave myself in, and as mentioned my upper body strength is severely lacking, so others may find this bit easier.
Once you’ve done the long rope line, you’ll be standing on a large boulder and then have another tiny rope section. You wedge yourself in beside the canyon wall, so it’s much easier and you’re moving over rocks, not in the water.
The rope is because water is continuously flowing over the rocks, so they could be slippery. After this you’ll reach a rocky area at the foot of the falls, and this is a dry spot, so you can relax here before going for a swim!
Swimming at La Leona Waterfall
Even though we visited La Leona in the early morning, when there was little light penetrating the hole at the top of the canyon, it was still a wow moment. The waterfall is really powerful and the blue water combined with the orange canyon walls is spectacular. We’d have loved to have seen it better lit, but then you have to deal with the crowds, so overall we’d take the darker canyon any day.
You get around 30 minutes at the waterfall. Enough time to sit and take it in and go for a dip. Getting into the pool requires walking over a few small rocks, but no different to most wild swimming holes (I was expecting it to be worse as our guide said it was very slippery).
The water is shallow at first and then gets deep beside the waterfall. There’s quite a current across the main part of the pool, so I wouldn’t say you can have a proper swim, but you can definitely have a dip, or swim a few strokes. It’s quite the sight to look up at the falls from inside the water itself.
Our 30 minutes went by in the blink of an eye. It’s the kind of place we’d normally stay for ages, but when you have a guide you have to stick to the schedule. Plus a few groups turned up at this point anyway, so the spell was kind of broken. It’s always more special when you get the place to yourself.
Continuing to waterfall two, the boulder falls
From La Leona you retrace your steps back to the junction. This is around 350m. You’ll then have another 350m walking on a trail with some rocks here and there, before you reach the big boulder down climb.
There are ropes in place and there are footholds, not huge ones though. You should go down backwards for stability. It’s probably only about four steps, but as I was worried about my feet slipping, I didn’t love this bit. However, on the way up it’s easy, as you don’t have that fear of downwards momentum!
Once down, you have another rope line through the river. It’s shorter than the one to La Leona, and though there is a bit of current, it’s nothing like the last bit into La Leona.
From here you can see a bit of the falls, but after taking a few steps left you can look through an opening and see the boulder falls close up. The current is strong here, but as there is a big log to hold on to, it’s easy to enjoy the view.
For any readers from Australia, this second waterfall reminded us of Legoland, but with water : )
Heading back
From the boulder falls you’ll walk back the same way you came. It’s all quite straightforward and though there are a few little hills, it’s mainly flat or downhill, and it won’t be long before you’re back at the parking area, having completed one of Costa Rica’s most fun hikes.
The crowds at La Leona - best time to visit
La Leona Waterfall is a hidden gem no longer, and that’s hardly surprising given how incredible it is. It gets really, really busy in the dry season in particular, we’re talking hundreds of visitors a day.
We are not fans of crowds, and therefore decided to take a private tour early in the morning on a weekday (weekends are even busier). We started our hike at 7am and we had the waterfall to ourselves for 30 minutes. As we hiked out we saw over a hundred people - literally - hiking in. We traded optimum light in the canyon for solitude and we’d make that decision every time.
We talked a lot with our guide about crowds and he said early morning is literally the only time you can get it to yourself. Whilst it gets quieter at the end of the day, it won’t be empty.
La Leona group tour vs private tour
The cheapest way to visit La Leona Waterfall is obviously on a group tour, but you will be with quite a few other people, not just your own group, but other groups too. If you don’t mind crowds and you enjoy the group dynamic, then it’s going to be your best bet.
If you take a private tour you can pick your time slot to try and avoid the busiest times. At time of writing it’s only USD $15 more for a private tour, which by Costa Rican standards is a bargain. How long this lasts I don’t know, as this waterfall will only get more popular over time.
The cost of the La Leona Waterfall hike and our guides details
Various companies offer the trip to La Leona and the prices tended to be similar from our research. The company we used charges USD $30 for a group tour and USD $45 for a private tour. A private tour does not guarantee you get the waterfall to yourself, for that you need to go very early.
The prices mentioned above assume you are driving yourself to the start point. If not you’ll need to pay extra for a transfer.
We booked with La Leona Waterfall Adventure Tour (and paid full price, so you don’t need to worry about bias). Our guide was Fransisco who was great, but I am sure all the guides are good.
If you want to do an early morning private tour like we did, you need to Whatsapp them, as the earliest tour you can select online is 8am. 8am is not early enough. You need to leave at 7am. You’ll be told to book the 8am and then leave them a message saying you want to go at 7am. But Whatsapp them first so that they are looking out for your special request.
As mentioned we only had 30 minutes alone, so you don’t want to go later than 7am if your priority is no crowds.
Getting to La Leona (Catarata La Leona)
La Leona Waterfall is located in Curubande, roughly a 20 minute drive from Liberia. The road is paved all the way to the car park. Your guide will then drive you in a 4WD up a big dirt hill to the trailhead. There are a few different outfits offering the tour, so your exact parking spot will depend on who you book with.
It’s a two hour drive from Tamarindo and just over four hours from San Jose.
Logistics for the hike - dry bags etc
I can’t speak for every company, but ours had a dry bag for us, so we didn’t need to bring our own. Our guide even carried it for us! There are lockers where you can store your things. You can leave a towel and spare set of clothes in the car, but there’s no point bringing a towel or clothes in the dry bag as there are river crossings on the way back too.
It’s best to just bring your camera and potentially suncream and that’s about it. We didn’t need suncream as we hiked so early and it was shady, but you might if you’re going later.
With regards to cameras, it’s best to bring a GoPro and phone rather than a big expensive camera. Because we knew we were writing this guide we took our big expensive camera. The reason we say not to is because it is a risk. The dry bag did a great job for ours, but I won’t say I wasn’t a touch concerned. You can definitely bring it, but it’s better on your nerves not to!
You will wear your clothes up until you reach the first swim. Your guide will then advise you can put your top in the dry bag, so you have something dry for the return walk. You keep your trousers and shoes on throughout - or that’s what we were advised. I only took them off to swim in the waterfall.
I guess you could take your trousers off and keep them dry too, but our guide advised not to as the current can interfere with your bathing suit - which I took to be polite speak for potentially whisking it right off!
Where to stay near La Leona Waterfall
We stayed a 20 minute drive away in Liberia. Liberia has the most accommodation and food options in the area.
Casa Buda 2 apartment
We stayed in the Casa Buda 2 apartment, 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:
Hilton Garden Inn
If you’d prefer a hotel, the Hilton is a good bet. It’s around a 15 minute drive from the city centre (a few minutes from our favourite coffee shop in the area, Monk and Capra). Rooms are spacious and get well reviewed for having comfy beds.
You can check out the reviews and prices on:
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