There is a legend that recounts when God painted the sky, he washed his brushes in the waters of the Celeste River. You can easily suspect why the locals tell such a legend, and that is because the vital liquid fluid that inhabits the heart of Costa Rica is so pristine blue that seems to have been painted by the sky itself.
The Celeste River of Breathtaking Colors
In the Volcanic Mountain Range of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, the Tenorio Volcano is one of the most impressive in the region, with four cones and a maximum height of 1,916 meters. Tenorio is the heart of the national park that bears its name. The park has 184 square kilometers and has the Tenorio Mystery trail that runs about 7 kilometers round trip.
Credit: NEtrekker
It is precisely on this trail that the most adventurous visitors can find the famous Celeste River, which twists and turns in its natural habitat. Although it is very difficult to reach, those who have visited it assure that it is completely worth it, since it shines indomitably with colors between turquoise blue and cyan.
To reach the Celeste River, you must travel 1.5 kilometers into the bowels of a rainforest, an amazing landscape that allows us to reconnect with nature. Once the turquoise peeks before your eyes, you will see that the river extends into the forest and also forms waterfalls and lagoons that resemble oil paintings.
Credit: TravelThinkDifferent
Once you find the Rio Celeste Waterfall, you must go down some steep stairs to reach the base of the river, which is surrounded by thick vegetation. The waterfall has an approximate height of 30 meters through in which flows the celestial water that enchants everyone who visits it. It should be noted that this is a natural protected area and therefore, it is forbidden to access the waters.
Further along the main trail, about 650 meters away is the Blue Lagoon, a small pool of intense turquoise color that rises among the natural undergrowth. Here too, entering the water body is not allowed because both the river and the waterfalls, and therefore the lagoons, have high concentrations of natural chemical elements that are harmful to one’s health.
Credit: Maithili Narasimha
Up ahead, one can also see the imposing Tenorio Volcano through a lookout point. The volcano is responsible for the formation of thermal waters that flow through the waterfalls, its chemical components sulfur with calcium carbonate are precisely those that give an impressive color to the Celeste River in Costa Rica.
The imposing landscape is a reminder of the sublime beauty that nature gives us and that should serve as a lesson to take care of our planet.
This story was originally published in Spanish by Alejandra Martínez in Ecoosfera.
