After the first couple months of moving to Playas del Coco, Yeison and I heard about a waterfall, Catarata Llanos de Cortes near Liberia that was supposed to be absolutely beautiful.
We took one morning to go find this little oasis in Guanacaste and fell in love with this waterfall instantly. Ever since then, we’ve taken all of our friends and family for a day trip. It’s absolutely worth visiting and if you have a day to explore, definitely put this waterfall on the list! It’s a great cheap activity in Guanacaste too.
Read our guide to visiting Catarata Llanos de Cortes: how to get there, how much it costs and the secret spots you can’t miss!
Location and directions from Liberia to Catarata Llanos de Cortes
- On the Pan American Highway, head south towards Bagaces ~20 minutes from Liberia.
- On your right hand side there is a dirt road ~3 miles before Bagaces with a small sign for Llanos de Cortes. If you cross the river you went too far. You will see a sign that says “Waterfall.” It is right behind one of those pedestrian bridges so make sure you keep an eye out because the bridge is kind of in the way of the sign.
- From here, follow the signs to the parking lot and the parking lot and trail entrance is not too far. You have to pay 1000 colones for parking.
It is about a 1 hour drive from Playas del Coco and about a 1 hour and 30 minute drive from Tamarindo.
They have re-done the road and it is MUCH better than before! You don’t need a 4×4 to get to the waterfall anymore, the road when you turn off the highway is not paved but it’s not as treacherous as it used to be!
Once you get to the parking lot, there is a short path down to the waterfall. There are two paths so you can take either one but the shortest one is the one the parking guards will point you out to.
Catarata Llanos de Cortes Waterfall
It’s a short walk down from the parking lot but it can be a little difficult for those with knee or ankle problems. Be careful since there are lots of rocks and it can get slippery when wet. There are no handicapped paths.
As soon as you pass the poza (little pool) and reach the bottom, you see this big beautiful waterfall with a delicious looking pool. On a nice sunny day, there’s nothing better than to jump right in and take a swim.
The water is super refreshing and even a little cold but it feels oh so good! You can even see some little fish swimming in the pool. There is plenty of space under the trees to lay down a towel or have a picnic.
If you want to explore a bit, there’s a trail over to the left side of the waterfall that you can hike up to the top. It’s a bit of a difficult climb and you will have to use your hands a few times but the view at the top is awesome. I recommend going barefoot, we wore our flip flops and ended up carrying them since we had better grip with our bare feet instead of slippery sandals. I actually accidentally broke the strap on my flip flop since my foot got stuck in the mud!
On the way up, there is also another little pool you can take a dip in on the left which is pretty cool. Then at the top, you see the river that supplies the water to Catarata Llanos de Cortes.
At the top, you can walk across the river and there is one nice sitting area for a cool view of the top from the right side.
You could very easily stay all morning/afternoon at this waterfall and have a nice picnic, relax and swim. There is plenty of space to accommodate a good chunk of people.
Since this waterfall is located so close to Liberia, you can spend the morning at Llanos and then spend the rest of the day at one of the national parks or head to the beach. Or spend a whole day there! In dry season, we’d spend a whole day cooling off from the heat and dryness.
During dry season, the water level goes down so you can actually swim all the way up to the bottom of the waterfall and sit underneath it! Just be careful of the rocks on the side which are slippery. During rainy season the water level may be too high so be careful when swimming close as there are lots of rocks and you don’t want to cut yourself. I highly recommend if you want to climb up to wear hiking sandals or water shoes to protect your feet.
This picture was taken in March, the peak month of dry season so the water level was fairly low and we could walk up on the rocks. We have also visited in October and November when the water level was much too high so we couldn’t walk up the rocks but it was nicer for swimming in the pool.
Watch our short clip at the waterfall to see it in action!
Tips for Visiting the Cortes Waterfall
Catarata Llanos de Cortes hours: 8AM – 430 PM everyday
Catarta Llanos de Cortes entrance fee: By donation. 1000 colones for parking.
- Since it is not in a national park, there is no entrance fee but you will be stopped and asked to give a donation to the local school. We usually give 1000 colones but give as much as you’d like. It’s for a good cause as the locals are the one who keep the waterfall area clean and maintain the road.
- There is a guy who mans the parking lot but I would still not leave any valuables in your car since this is a pretty popular spot. And when you are down at the waterfall, try to always have one person watching your items. Since it’s a secluded area, theft isn’t a huge worry but it can still happen since a lot of tourists and locals visit the waterfall.
- During high season, it might be mandatory (one of our friends had to pay $10 to enter) so depending on when you visit, you can just give 1000-2000 colones ($2-$4) or as much as you want.
- It’s the most crowded on the weekend mornings. We went on a Sunday morning once and the place was absolutely packed. To enjoy the waterfall in more peace and quiet, go early on a weekday.
- In the parking lot, they sell pipa fria (coconut water) for 600 colones each and snacks.
- There is one bathroom in the parking lot.
- Sometimes on the weekend or holiday, there will be a stand down at the waterfall selling snacks and drinks but not always.
- The hike down to the fall is quite a bit rocky (I’ve fallen twice) so be aware if you have bad knees or ankles. There are no hand rails or handicap path so it’s not exactly ideal for senior citizens who have trouble walking.
What to bring: Wear your swimsuit since there are no changing facilities, sandals or flip flops (no need for hiking shoes), towel, snacks, water/drinks, sunglasses, sunscreen and mosquito repellent. Don’t forget your cameras! We used our GoPro Hero Black 3+ and DJ Phantom drone to get the water and aerial shots.
One of the things I love the most about Costa Rica is that you can be driving in the city and then suddenly one right turn later, you’re at a huge waterfall. So if you have a few hours to kill in Guanacaste, come visit a little oasis in the city, the beautiful Catarata Llanos de Cortes near Bagaces, Liberia.
If you need tour company recommendations in the Papagayo/Coco area, please email us.
Other beautiful waterfalls are the Nauyaca waterfalls near Dominical in the South Pacific, Rio Celeste waterfall in northern Costa Rica and Catarata del Toro in the Central Valley.
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I’m so happy we found your blog about this waterfall when we were staying in Playas Del Coco area. Everything in the Guanacaste region was either very dry or on fire last week. We stayed 3 nights in this region. We were getting disappointed with how dry everything appeared, thinking we made a bad decision to stay in that area three nights. Then I found your blog about this waterfall! We spent the good majority of one of our days at it. It was wonderful and so pretty! Thanks for writing the blog article. It helped our trip in the Guanacaste region greatly! After discovering your blog, I did check back to your expertise, when we stayed in Jaco and check to see if you had anything about the Sierpe area. Thanks also for the information on Nauyaca waterfall too!
Hi Angie, I’m so glad to hear! I know, Coco is a desert during March and April and isn’t very pretty during that time. We were super excited when we first visited Llanos too, that’s why we call it an oasis in Guanacaste! Glad you had a great time and thanks for reading!
Hello Jessica,
There a many companies here that can take you Cortes Waterfalls, the charge from $60 to $80 it depends of the day and company. The cheapest option to go there is if you rent a car you can get a car for 1 or 2 days and it will be cheaper that the fee for just one person, and if you like to hike you will be able to go to other places like this beautiful hike: Rincon de la Vieja National Park
If you would like to rent a car you can check our rates we have a very good agreement with a local rent a car company
Costa Rica car rental discount
Thanks for reading our blog Jessica
Hello!
Great website! I am traveling to Tamarindo in late March and would like to plan a day trip to Llanos de Cortes. Can you recommend a tour that includes transportation? Also, since my boyfriend and I are in good shape, any other details of hiking to do when we get there would be fantastic!
Jess
Hi Rosetta, sure we will be happy to help. We do offer a discount for the one day Nicaragua tour. All you have to do is fill out the form on this page here: Nicaragua one day tour discount and we will take care of all the booking for you. As for the other tours, I’ll send you an email with a company we like and help you get that sorted.
Glad the blog is helpful and we hope you have a great 2nd time in Coco!
Greetings Samantha, and Yeison,
I’ll be in Playas Del Coco, solo for the month of Feb., without a car, and plan on taking various tours. I am interested in The Nicaragua Day and/or overnight Tour. I would also like to book a Canopy Tour, possibly visit Catarata Llanos de Cortes, National Park, Hot Springs. Could you recommend a tour company for me. I do recall in your blog that Nicaraguan Tours could be booked through you, and receive a discount. I downloaded your survival Spanish pocket guide, and was wondering if there’s a standard phone contact for a taxi. and how I’d go about communicating to arrange for pickup.
Love your blog! I find extremely helpful. This is a second time visiting Playas Del CoCo. I was there last March for two weeks, and I must say after reading your blog, I feel like I’ve made a new friend, and feel much for comfortable in navigating my way around, this time.
I really appreciate how you personalize your knowledge, information, and insights to help maximize the best travel experience. Thank you!
Hi Sammi!
We are leaving from our hotel in downtown Liberia to Arenal and think this would be an awesome spot to stop!
Unfortunately, we will have all of our things with us ( carry on suitcases only). I know its never reccomended to leave belongings in the car, however do you think this would be safe enough to do that? We will be there in the morning before 9am most likely. I know its hard to judge but let me know your thoughts.
Thank you!
Kelly
The waterfall has a parking lot with a guard but it’s not an insured parking lot or anything with cameras, just one local guy watching the car so I personally wouldn’t risk it. However, since this is a pretty popular area, you can leave your carry on suitcases in your trunk, bring your valuables with you and then pay the parking guy a little extra and ask him to pay special attention to your car. If you’re going on a weekday before 9 AM, most likely there won’t be many people there but don’t leave your valuables like camera or backpack alone at the waterfall either.
Hi,
I have been following your blog for awhile.
I am staying in Tamarindo and would like recommendation s for tour grps to get to these falls and other areas worth visiting. I am staying for 5 weeks, we are a grp of 3 in our 50s.
Thank you
Anna
Hi Anna, we will contact you via email. Thanks for reading Mytanfeet
I’m in fairly decent shape. What are your thoughts on doing this hike while carrying a two year old. Let me know if you think I can do it or to absolutely not attempt it. -Thanks
Hi Todd, the walk down is very short. It does get kinda slippery if you’re wearing flip flops so just make sure to go slow but tons of Costa Rican families bring their babies and toddlers to this waterfall because it’s a very short walk down. Enjoy!
Hi,
My husband and I arrived yesterday in Playa del Coco. This is our first trip to Costa Rica and are we very excited! There is so much we want to do and see. We would love to hike the Rincon de la Vieja National Park, and we are also thinking about taking a boat out to fish, explore some hidden beaches, and or see the sunset. Unfortunately, we do not have a car so we wanted to know if you had any recommendations and prices for tours and or guides.
Thank you,
Mary
Hi Mary! We know some people please email us on our contact page and with details of what you would like to do and we can help you! Thank you for reading our blog!
Hi I am also staying Playas Del Coco and I was wondering what the details of the tour companies are?
Hi Shannon, I sent you an email
Hi,
I was wondering if we can get there by bus? If so, from where? We will be traveling in Guanacaste and we would like to visit this waterfall but we don’t have a car.
Thanks,
Roxanne Fay
Hi Roxanne, unfortunately there isn’t a bus there so you’ll have to rent a car or hire a shuttle. Most people book it with tour companies, if you need recommendations for tour companies let us know!
Yes, I would like to have recommendations for tour companies with the prices please:) We will be staying in an hostel in Liberia, but if you think it would be better to stay in Bagaces and have recommendations of hostel or cabinas please let me know!
Hi Roxanne,I just sent you an email 🙂
I was wondering the same thing and would like the name of the tour companies please. I am currently staying in playas Del coco.
Hi Reina, I just sent you an email 🙂
If you hike about three minutes to the left of the falls, there is a smaller pool where you can jump off the cliffs. You definitely want to jump in the right place. Too far to the right or left no Bueno. The local Ticos or vendors will tell you where it is. It’s a lot of fun.
We passed the pools but didn’t jump – I think I’d be too scared haha!
Thanks! Is there any restriction on when to enter the waterfall? By “morning”, what time do you mean exactly? I try super hard to visit awesome places like this at the crack of dawn or earlier to beat the crowds and get some photos ( my favorite thing to do ) 🙂
Do people jump off the top into the water? Or is it not deep enough for that?
I think around 8AM, we were there at 9 AM and I remember the man who gives the tickets for donations says he’s there around 8. If you go around that time on a weekday, there usually isn’t anyone until about 10AM when the tour buses start coming. No, the pool isn’t deep enough at all for people to jump into. You can hike up to the top but please don’t jump in!
Awesome! This is on my list of places to go so it’s great to get directions! Thanks! : D
Hi Jessica !
Perfect, if you need more directions or any information in the area please let us know !
Have a gerat day