If there’s a better way of spending USD $4 in Costa Rica, then we haven’t found it yet. Poza Los Coyotes is simply jaw dropping; swimming in vivid blue water right through an incredible canyon was one of my favourite experiences on our three month trip. But that’s not all that’s on offer here, there are endless swimming opportunities and even tyres you can rent for less than USD $2, allowing you to create your own lazy river experience. But this one is better than any waterpark because you’re out in nature, and you can drift downstream to the sounds of Howler monkeys and hummingbirds flitting between the trees.
We have visited countless waterfalls and swimming holes in Costa Rica, and none come close to the value offered at Poza Los Coyotes. However, it’s not all about the money as Poza Los Coyotes would have been one of my top experiences if it were five times the price. This is one spot you do not want to miss on your trip to Costa Rica.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Poza Los Coyotes.
Visiting Poza Los Coyotes
There are a couple of different parts to Poza Los Coyotes, so I’m going to start with the canyon/cave and then move onto the other swimming holes and tubing experience.
Cueva del Coyote
The walk
Distance: 480m each way
Although every part of Poza Los Coyotes was incredible, the highlight for me was Cueva del Coyote. This cave, which felt more like a canyon, is spectacular.
It would be amazing to swim though with any colour water, but the blue here was so vivid that it didn’t even feel real.
To reach the cave from the car park, you head onto the trail and bear right (it’s signposted). It’s a flat dirt track, which is in great condition and an easy walk (in the dry season, it may get a little muddy in the rainy season).
After 370m you’ll start to hear the sound of running water and you’ll see a path leading downhill. This is a slightly more rustic track, with some rocks and tree roots, but not difficult.
It was fine to do in flip flops, just watch your step on the last 110m, which are a touch rougher. You’ll arrive at the water’s edge after 110m, which is 480m away from the car park.
Swimming at Cueva del Coyote
Although you can see the entrance to the cave from the water’s edge, you can’t see inside it unless you swim out. There was no current along this part of the river in the dry season. It’s just a few metres to swim out to the cave’s entrance.
The water starts off shallow, but gets deep quickly. If you aren’t a confident swimmer, you can rent tyres and life jackets (more on that at the end of the post).
Most people will find the swim easy in the dry season, and the view you get looking into the cave is amazing. The cave walls tower over you and the shape of the rock is much more like a slot canyon than a cave.
It gets darker as you swim through (though never actually dark) which gives it a mysterious feel.
It takes less than a few minutes to swim through the main section, but it’s one of my favourite wild swimming experiences ever. It feels completely wild and incredibly atmospheric.
Whilst you can swim through the main cave quickly, you can continue upstream until you reach another narrow section of canyon and a waterfall. I didn’t have any way of measuring the distance, so at a guess I’d say 50m, but that’s a total guess!
It’s easy at first and then you will hit the current, which makes it much harder. You’ll also pass a shallow section and some big rocks, you need to keep an eye out so you don’t bump into them.
Once you get near the cascades you can’t really go any further to my knowledge - the current was too much for me anyway, and to be honest with so many swimming opportunities that are very easy in other parts of the river, there’s no need to try and get further.
If you’re visiting in the rainy season, you might not want to go past the main cave as the flow of the river could be much stronger.
I didn’t dare take my phone through this second section as I didn’t have a dry bag, so there aren’t any photos from here, but it’s definitely worth a look.
Canon y Catarata
After leaving Cueva del Coyote, you head back along the main trail and then follow the sign for Canon y Catarata. It’s 525m from the cave to the canyon waterfall.
However, you can only see it from above. It’s a narrow section of canyon with a small, but powerful waterfall. It’s not a must see as the view from above is not as good as if you were able to see it from below, but it’s barely a detour, so worth a peek.
After leaving Canon y Catarata it’s time to head to Poza Los Coyotes. Along the way we saw a big family of Howler monkeys, which made the day even more special.
Poza Los Coyotes
On leaving Canon y Catarata you’ll need to go back to the car park and then follow the sign for Poza la Presa. It’s just a few minutes walk from the car park and has very easy access to the river for swimming.
However, if you continue along the trail for a further 150m you’ll reach Poza Los Coyotes, you head slightly uphill, but then it flattens quickly (the trail bears away from the water at first).
The swimming around this section was fantastic, again very little current (I couldn’t feel any) which made it really leisurely.
There are several places you can access the water, including one with steps leading down into the river, so you can just choose whichever access point you like.
There’s a small cave beside Poza Los Coyotes, but it’s not inside the water.
The river in this area is the best for swimming as it’s deep and has fewer rocks, so you don’t need to go all the way to the end of the walking track if you don’t want to - and it does get rougher beyond this point.
However, if you’ve rented a tyre then you will definitely want to continue up the trail.
Tubing at Poza Los Coyotes
If you’ve hired a tube then you’ll probably want to walk all the way to the end of the river and float back down again. To do this continue along the walking track for around 300m. It will deteriorate as you go.
It basically becomes walking along rocks and rock ledges, which can be a bit slippery, so watch your step.
If you don’t like the look of it you could tube up river and then float back down. It’s obviously more effort to get up river in the tube, but it is possible if you don’t fancy the rocky section of the walking trail.
You’ll know you’ve reached the end when you get to the cascades. The current is very strong here, even when we visited and the rest of the river was calm.
It’s easier to get into the tube just before the cascades where it’s calm.
You can then drift all the way back to the exit point by Poza la Presa (a few minutes walk from the car park). The tubing is easy and very relaxing.
You do need to use your hands a bit as the current isn’t strong, but it’s still very chilled. There are one or two rocks to watch out for, but barely any compared to most other tubing experiences.
This is definitely a lazy river rather than a fast paced adrenaline experience (in the dry season). Although it didn’t take very long to get all the way back to the start again, it was still a lot of fun and you can always do it again if you feel like it was over too quickly!
The best time to visit Poza Los Coyotes
Poza Los Coyotes is not yet well known with international travellers, but it is popular with Costa Ricans. It’s therefore best to avoid weekends if you can.
We arrived at 8am and went to the cave first, we had it to ourselves for 1.5 hours. As we explored the rest of the river there were some people around, but I wouldn’t say it was busy. If you don’t mind a few people around then you probably don’t have to worry too much about timings, as long as you don’t come on the weekend.
In terms of season, the river will be calmest and bluest in the dry season. We haven’t visited in the rainy season, but I can only assume the flow would be a lot stronger.
Poza Los Coyotes opening hours and entry fees
At time of writing Poza Los Coyotes is open daily between 8am and 5pm.
The entry fee is 2000 colones (approx USD $3.60). You can rent a small tyre (like I did) for 1000 colones (approx USD $2) or a really big one for 4000 colones (approx USD $7.30). You can also hire adult life jackets for 2000 colones and children’s life jackets for 1000 colones.
You’ll pay the entry fee at the gate as you drive through and then hire the gear from the car park.
Getting to Poza Los Coyotes
The last 5km to Poza Los Coyotes is on a dirt road. It was in decent condition and did not require a 4WD. It’s bumpy at points, but suitable for any vehicle - in the dry season at least.
The final bit of the road between the entry gate and the car park is in worse condition, with some rocks. You don’t need a 4WD, but a car with a bit of clearance would be more comfortable, however I am sure normal cars would be ok too. If you did have trouble you could probably walk this bit and ask to park you car by the entry gate.
Poza Los Coyotes is located 16km and just over a 20km drive from Liberia. It’s around a two hour drive from Tamarindo.
Facilities at Poza Los Coyotes
There’s not yet much in the way of facilities here, so bring all food and drink you’ll need with you. There are portaloos, but that’s about it.
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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