I’m so used to waterfall swimming holes having cold water that I couldn’t believe it when I dipped my toes in the pool at Llanos de Cortes and it felt tropical! The spray of the falls created constant rainbows and I spent a blissful 30 minutes swimming in the clear calm water and listening to the nearby family of Howler monkeys. It was wonderful.
And then the crowds arrived, and it was time to head to the hidden swimming spot and upper viewpoint nearby. We luckily avoided the ludicrously priced guide - more on that below - and generally had a great time. But that wouldn’t have been the case if we’d come later, when I say it got crowded, I mean seriously crowded!
Here’s everything you need to know to plan the perfect trip to Llanos de Cortes, one of the prettiest waterfalls in Costa Rica.
The walk to Catarata Llanos de Cortes
The stats
Distance: 360m return
Elevation gain: 35m
Difficulty: Easy, but not flat
The trail to the base of Llanos de Cortes Waterfall
It’s hard to call it a trail when it’s just 180m each way to the base of the falls, but there we are! From the car park you’ll walk past a few food and souvenir stall sellers before you make your way down to the waterfall. The path is concrete and there’s rope railing in place too.
It’s not particularly steep, but it is downhill all the way. After a couple of minutes you’ll emerge into a little patch of forest and then head over to a large sandy beach!
No wonder it’s so popular here, not only is the water warm, but there are no rocks to negotiate and it’s sandy all the way up to the pool and then inside it too.
Swimming at Llanos de Cortes
There’s a large swimming hole at the base of the falls and it’s so easy to access. I’m used to gingerly making my way over slippery rocks when it comes to waterfall swimming, but here you have a soft sandy bottom! It’s quite shallow at first and then deepens as you get closer to the waterfall, it’s also deeper on the left side of the pool than the right.
Although I like cold watering swimming, I have to say it made a really nice change to swim in such warm water!
We visited in dry season and there was no current in the water. Apart from when the wind created waves, it was a really relaxed and serene swim.
In the rainy season when the flow is more powerful and the current stronger, they put a rope across part of the pool to indicate where you can swim. In addition to this, there is always a lifeguard on the beach.
My favourite thing about Llanos de Cortes was definitely swimming through the rainbows! Despite the fact the flow of the falls wasn’t massive, there was constant spray, and mixed with the sunshine, made the most incredible vivid rainbows. They were a constant for our whole visit.
This combined with the roar of the Howler monkeys made for such a memorable experience.
The only thing that could have made it better is if it lasted longer, but alas you don’t get one of Costa Rica’s most popular waterfalls to yourself for long, and after 30 minutes it started to get busy. Still it was 30 minutes of bliss, so I really can’t complain!
The second swimming hole at Llanos de Cortes
There is a second much smaller swimming hole just 100m from the base of the waterfall. It’s a totally different vibe, with a weeping wall and much darker water.
There is also a lot of leaf litter that falls into the pool, which won’t be for everyone. Despite the fact it’s very deep, the water is really warm. We heard one guide refer to it as the hot tub!
I have to say that after swimming in Llanos de Cortes, it wasn’t really a must do, although as it’s a little way through quite thick forest, it does have a nice secluded vibe. There were also lots of red dragonflies and Blue morpho butterflies, which I absolutely loved.
When it comes to accessing the pool (and the lookout on top of the falls) there’s a bit of a racket going on. There is a little piece of tape across the trail and locals will try and charge you to take you there, we were told it was ‘muy peligroso’, very dangerous.
The proposed guide then asked for USD $20 to take us! Now this is a one minute walk along a well maintained path! It was madness.
Instead, we used the muddy overgrown jungle path to the left of the tape (this route takes a couple of minutes more as it’s not in great shape).
This one we were apparently allowed to use free of charge! It’s not awful, but it is muddy and a bit unpleasant in flip flops! When we arrived at the pool another local told us to take the nice path back and not to worry, so we did!
It’s honestly not worth paying more than a few dollars at most to see the pool and upper falls. I would just take the muddy path and then take the nice path back like we did, we weren’t bothered at all when going to the upper viewpoint after visiting the small pool.
The upper viewpoint
Just 50m from the hidden pool, you’ll see a well made staircase with handrails off to the left.
Climb these stairs and you’ll be at the upper viewpoint, it’s another 50m away, so 100m from the pool. It’s quite an obscured view, but worth a look.
I actually enjoyed paddling my feet in the pool above the falls more than I did the view itself. You can also cross the pool on the little bridge and view the falls from the other side of the river.
Again the view is nice enough, but it’s not unobstructed. We did see several big iguanas up there though, which was fun!
I definitely enjoyed relaxing by the top pool, but I would not have been happy if I’d paid to see it, as it’s nowhere near as good as the waterfall itself - which ironically cost less than this supposedly dangerous trail to the pool and viewpoint.
Although it looks like you can continue to the car park from the other side of the river, when we visited it was blocked off, so you do have to retrace your steps back to the main waterfall and then up to the car park along the main trail. We saw some tiny micro bats in the tree on the way back down to the falls, so keep an eye out if you’re also a bat fan : )
The best time to visit Catarata Llanos de Cortes
This waterfall is wildly popular, and I mean wildly. We came at opening time, 8am, and we had it to ourselves for 30 minutes. After that a few people arrived, and by 9.30am there were over 100 people. And as most people had come in buses, the car park wasn’t even half full, so I can imagine it only gets worse. For reference, this was a weekday, I dread to think what it would be like on a weekend!
Having said that, we were visiting in February, dry season, so it’s probably a lot quieter in the rainy season.
I’d recommend coming for opening, or coming much later in the day. Whilst we haven’t been to Llanos de Cortes in the afternoon, our experience in Costa Rica so far is that things get quieter again in the late afternoon. However, there’s no guarantee, and the waterfall closes at 4pm, which is probably not late enough for it to be significantly quieter.
Opening times and entry fees
At time of writing Catarata Llanos de Cortes is open from 8am to 4pm. I had read online it opens at 8.30am, but we were let in at 8am and the sign also says 8.
The entry fee for non residents is 4000 colones (approx USD $7.10) and you’ll pay as you drive through the security gate, which is 1km before the car park. The security gate did not open until 8am.
Getting to Llanos de Cortes
Currently there are two markings for Llanos de Cortes on Google Maps. One is correct and one will take you down a long bumpy dirt road, which I wouldn’t want to do in a small car. The bumpy road has constant signs saying ‘catarata’ and perhaps there is alternative access this way, but the easiest route is to head to the place marked “Llanos de Cortes Parking Lot” on Google Maps, you can find it by clicking here. Don’t just head to “Llanos de Cortes” on Google Maps, as this will take you the dodgy way.
From the entrance you have a 1km dirt road to drive, but it’s in good condition and you don’t need a 4WD. There’s a large car park when you get there, which is included in the entry fee.
Catarata Llanos de Cortes is a 30km and roughly 30 minute drive from Liberia. It’s 105km and 2 hours from Tamarindo.
Where to stay in Liberia
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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