Los Chorros Waterfalls: Fun and Cheap Daytrip in Grecia

Grecia is the perfect place for those looking to experience a small local town in the Central Valley, just 45 minutes from the country’s capital.

Grecia’s location up in the mountains offers a wonderful playground full of forests, rivers and waterfalls, including these two beautiful waterfalls: the Los Chorros waterfalls.

If you’re looking for a fun outdoor adventure close to Grecia, head to the beautiful Los Chorros waterfalls, the jets of Grecia.

UPDATE: Last we heard, this park wasn’t really officially open and people just hopped the fence or paid a local to let them enter through their yard for a fee. Because of this, please make sure you take all precautions as trails may not be maintained, infrastructure may be in poor condition and there aren’t any bathrooms or facilities.

Location and Directions

The Los Chorros waterfalls are in the Parque Recreativo Los Chorros, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from Grecia.

It’s about a 20 minute easy drive from Grecia. Once you enter the park, the road becomes gravely but nothing too bad that you need a 4×4. You’ll drive all the way to the parking lot and trail head.

The Hiking Trail to the Waterfalls

This is not a trail for anyone who is not physically able to walk at least 1.5 hours in the forest, please do not do this trail. It is not maintained and there are sections where you can easily slip. Those with heart problems, bad joints, mobility issues or bad knees/ankles, we recommend against this walk.

The trail is about a 15 minute walk down to the first waterfall. It’s under the forest canopy so there is plenty of shade on a hot day.

Now that people are crossing through someone’s house, the trail is longer and steeper than the one we took, which was right inside the park.

You’ll end up at a flat area with picnic tables and facilities. From here, you can go around to the right to walk across a small suspension bridge to get a view of the first waterfall. The path on the other side of the bridge was closed when we went.

After the view from the bridge, walk back up to the tables and then down to the left to reach the waterfall. There’s a small viewing area that’s great for photos of the entire fall.

We went in March, the peak of dry season but the water was flowing pretty hard still. Now you can’t visit a waterfall without at least getting your feet wet!

Once you’ve crossed the river, you can walk all the way to the waterfall. You can even stand under the water! (It’s kind of strong so I don’t suggest doing that, but you can definitely stand close to cool off).

Once you’re ready to see the second waterfall, head back to the river but veer to the left at the steps. There is a little path that goes along the river bank, which you’ll have to cross over to the left. It’s a fun walk across the river to see the second waterfall hiding around the corner but be a bit careful, there are no ropes in this area!

This is a very short walk as well, but it may take around 10-15 minutes to walk carefully across the river.

Tips for the Los Chorros Waterfalls

• In rainy season, the river may be too full to cross. Don’t try to cross it if it flowing too fast.
• I highly recommend wearing hiking sandals, hiking shoes or sneakers. Yeison wore hiking shoes and socks which he had to take off and leave on one of the benches as he didn’t want to get them wet. Luckily one of our friends hired a guide who watched their shoes while we went to the 2nd waterfall. I wore my KEEN hiking sandals and didn’t have to take off my shoes, plus they protected my feet when walking across the rocks.
• You can bring a bathing suit and change there, they have facilities.
• Though it’s not as popular as other waterfalls like Catarata Llanos de Cortes in Guanacaste or Nauyaca Waterfalls in Dominical, I recommend going early if you want it to yourself. Many locals come here on weekends since it’s close to the city and cheap.