If you’re looking for a fun adventure in Drake Bay that doesn’t require a guide, then Naguala Waterfall could be it. The walk to the falls takes you through the emerald river, past tapir tracks and dense rainforest. You spend a good portion of the trail walking through shallow water, which was pretty much the only time in Drake Bay we actually felt cool - reason alone to do this hike!
When you’re not in the river you’ll traverse a wild jungle track, before arriving at the falls.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Naguala Waterfall hike.
The Naguala Waterfall hike
The stats
Distance: 4.7km return
Elevation gain: 80m
Difficulty: Moderate
Summary: In the dry season (or early wet season, which is when we were hiking) the water levels in the river are low. This means it’s rarely above the knee and only twice went higher (but still below the hips) and for a short distance.
There is little current and the bottom of the river is almost always gravel, not rocks, which means it’s one of the easiest water walks we’ve ever done.
A short portion of the hike is in the jungle and it’s very muddy (perhaps less so in the height of the dry season) so I would recommend wearing proper shoes. Apart from one hill and a couple of short gentle undulations, the walk is flat.
Note that there is alternative access to this trail which is on private land. This cuts off a portion of the river walk, but incurs an entry fee. The route we describe below is free. There is no signposting whatsoever, but we describe exactly where to go in the trail notes.
Do not attempt this walk in the rain, or when rain is forecast as flash flooding is a real risk.
Starting the trail: reaching the river
Although you could start the walk from town, this involves walking along a road and a fair bit of uphill. Given the intense heat and the fact a taxi was less than USD $5, we chose to catch a ride to the official trailhead (full details at the end of the post).
From here you’ll head immediately downhill on an uneven staircase. The stairs last for 250m and are a mix of normal steps and sandbags, which help keep the mud at bay. It’s uneven, but ok if you tread carefully. After the stairs you’ll see the river ahead.
You need to cross the river (don’t head left). It’s not worth taking your boots off here because although the crossing is just a few steps, you’re going to get wet a few minutes later anyway.
In May the crossing was very easy, there was no current and the water was shallow.
Heading into the river
You’ll walk briefly along the stony riverbank before arriving at a junction on the river. Directly ahead you’ll see some steps and a sign for the Rio Agujitas Eco Farm, don’t head this way as this is private land.
Instead turn left and head into the river. We’ve done loads of water walks before, but none have gone straight through a wide river that feels like it should be a kayaking route rather than a hiking trail! We’re used to creeks and canyons, but not proper rivers, so this felt quite novel!
The water level was low, well below the knee, and there was no current. The bottom is gravel, not rocks, which meant it was really easy and you didn’t have to worry about slipping.
You’re surrounded by rainforest on either side and it gets more dense the further you go. There were plenty of little kingfishers flitting across the water, which was so lovely to see.
Things get wilder
As you continue heading up river there are sometimes sand banks on either side of the water. You can use them, or continue through the water depending on your preference.
If you ever feel the water start to deepen significantly, you can usually hug one side or the other and find shallower sections.
Using this method we never had a water level much above the knee. There were a few steps where it almost hit hip height, but it was brief and as mentioned, it’s so hot that it wasn’t even a concern!
We spotted fresh tapir tracks on one of the river banks, but alas not the animal itself - it was cool to see the tracks, so I can only imagine how amazing it would have been to come across one, especially without a guide!
As you continue through the water, the forest gets denser on either side of you, and it feels very atmospheric. The only sounds are you sloshing through the river and the various birds and insects.
Finding the jungle track
The only time I’d say it’s possible to go wrong on this walk is if you miss the jungle track. This will be on the left side of the river, and it’s not that obvious.
For this reason we took the coordinates for the path: 8.6688537, -83.6645363.
The jungle path to watch out for
We missed it on the way out and walked for 250m longer than we needed to through the river, this wouldn’t have been a problem, but this section of river is much harder to traverse.
You get to a point where you either have to swim (not possible with camera gear) or bushbash through thick foliage. Don’t miss that turning!
Though it’s easier just to use the coordinates we took, you can also see the path when you get to a point where the river suddenly looks quite different. It becomes rocky on the left and a bit murky on the right.
There are also cascades. The track on the left looks like an animal track, not a hiking path, which is why we dismissed it. It’s also very muddy, but trust us, it’s much easier than sticking to the river.
The jungle track
Once you’re on the jungle track, you’re just 400m from the small beach and upper lookout over the falls. The narrow path takes you through dense jungle and was incredibly muddy on our visit (it has rained loads the previous few days though).
Go carefully as patches can be slippery.
You’ll then pass some stairs that head up to a lodge that sits above the river.
Continue on straight and you’ll find a few staircases and a bridge. The path is far less muddy here and though narrow, it’s easy enough.
You’ll then reach a junction. Just a minute along the path heading uphill on the left takes you to the lookout over the falls. There’s also a trail down to the falls, but it was slippery, and the falls were too powerful for swimming on our visit. In the height of the dry season it would no doubt be fine to go down.
Reaching Naguala Waterfall
The lookout offers a great view, so you definitely don’t have to go down the slippery path to enjoy the falls. It was a bigger and more powerful waterfall than we’d been expecting.
As the river had been so calm, we thought it would be a little trickle! The pool beneath the falls is tiny, so it’s never going to be a proper swimming spot, but you could take a little dip.
After visiting the lookout, return to the junction and take the path leading downhill. In less than a minute you’ll arrive at a tiny beach. This offers very easy river access for a dip and it’s a gorgeous spot, surrounded by a foliage covered cliff wall. This is a much nicer swimming spot.
Sadly for us the water was a little cloudy due to the rain, but it would normally be very clear. This was easily my favourite spot on the trail and a great place to sit and relax.
Once you’re ready to leave, you retrace your steps back to the trailhead again.
Getting to the trailhead
The walk via the public free access route begins at these coordinates: 8.6796394, -83.6657508.
This is a short five minute taxi ride from town, or a 20 minute walk. If you need a ride we used Gato, his Whatsapp is +506 6213 8278.
Where to stay in Drake Bay
There are so many options in Drake Bay, from the town (close to the trailhead), to various beaches up the coast. We stayed in the town and the beach, but for the purposes of this walk, the town is better.
Drake Lapus
We stayed at Drake Lapus. We would only recommend booking the Deluxe Bungalow. We had to move to the other room after one night as the bungalow was fully booked and we missed the Deluxe bungalow!
It’s basic, but nice and private and has views directly into the forest. It’s lovely and quiet at night and has a kitchen and hammock on the balcony. They also have filtered water as you can’t drink the tap water in Drake Bay. The internet even worked pretty well by Drake Bay standards!
There is no AC, so it’s hot in the day, but at night it’s relatively cool as the windows are screened, so they are open all night. There’s also a fan if needed. It’s just a few minutes walk to town.
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