If you’re looking for a quiet rainforest getaway, we highly recommend Bijagua, Costa Rica As the gateway to Rio Celeste, this little town has a very natural and rural feel with stunning mountain scenery, fantastic bird watching and charismatic locals.
In this guide, you’ll read all you need to know about visiting Bijagua.
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Location
Bijagua is located right at the border between Alajuela and Guanacaste, up in the Guanacaste mountain range.
Bijagua is 86 kilometers (53.5 miles) from Guanacaste Airport and 190 kilometers (118 miles) from San Jose Airport. It sits right in between the Tenorio and Miravalles volcano.
How to get to Bijagua, Costa Rica
Driving
From Guanacaste Airport, the drive to Bijagua is all on paved roads and takes about 1.5 hours. The route goes on Interamericana highway 1 for a portion of it. Bijagua is a 4 hour drive from San Jose International Airport (191 km/118 miles).
You can use Waze or Google Maps as your GPS and set your hotel as your final destination.
You do not necessarily need a 4×4 for Bijagua but we highly recommend a high clearance car in dry season months like January through April or a 4wd in the rainier months like May through December. Especially if your itinerary goes to other mountain towns or more remote places.
Check out our two week itinerary that goes to Rincon de la Vieja, Monteverde, Bijagua and Tamarindo.
Read our renting a car in Costa Rica tips and get our Costa Rica car rental discount and freebies!
How to get to Bijagua from La Fortuna
From La Fortuna, the most popular way is to go through Guatuso and Upala. This takes about 2 hours and the road is in decent condition, no 4wd required.
There is a lot of signage on this route, follow the ones for Parque Nacional Volcan Tenorio/Bijagua de Upala.
Bus
The bus you will take is to Upala and you will get off in the town center. For the most up to date schedules, we recommend to check the website Rome2Rio.
- From Canas: There is a bus every day from Canas at 4:30 AM, 6 AM, 8:30 AM, 11 AM, 12:45 PM, 3:30 PM, 4:30 PM and 5:30 PM.
- From San Jose: There is a bus from San Jose every day at 6 AM, 10:15 AM, 3 PM, 3:45 PM and 5:15 PM. There is an extra bus on Saturdays at 5:45 AM.
- From Liberia: There is a bus from Liberia Monday to Saturday at 12:30 PM and 2:15 PM.
Shuttle
For private shuttles which is the most convenient option, they are available to and from anywhere in Costa Rica. Contact us to for a private shuttle quote to Bijagua!
Otherwise, renting a car is the best option for Bijagua as the attractions are spread out throughout this small town. Additionally, most hotels in Bijagua don’t have a fully operating restaurant and are not within walking distance to the supermarkets or restaurants.
Get our Costa Rica car rental discount here!
If you do not rent a car, you will need to walk, hitch a ride or ask your hotel to call you a taxi to get to town or the national park.
The Town of Bijagua, Costa Rica
As soon as you enter Bijagua, you can feel the small town vibe. Dairy and cow farming are the backbone of this community but thanks to its close proximity to Tenorio Volcano National Park, tourism has increased with more visitors discovering the beauty of Bijagua.
Bijagua is also becoming more popular thanks to its lush rainforests, home to sloths. For visitors staying on the Pacific coast in Guanacaste who want to see the rainforest or sloths, Bijagua is the best place to visit as it’s about a 2-2.5 hour drive from towns like Tamarindo and Playas del Coco.
It’s a lot closer than driving to La Fortuna (3-4 hours) to see sloths.
It’s common to see farmers out and about, horses and cows roaming the streets and chickens running around. The main street in town is only a couple kilometers long with a few restaurants, banks, supermarkets and pharmacies.
There are wonderful views of the Tenorio and Miravailles volcanoes from town.
Most of the Bijaguenos live in the outskirts of town and many of them still farm (dairy and cow). Years ago, a good number of Bijaguenos were given for free, large pieces of land from the government to help grow the local economy with farming.
However, during the past decade, the locals decided to plant trees and grow back the forest in hopes of increasing eco-tourism to boost the local economy.
Thanks to the new forests, the bird and mammals population in Bijagua have increased drastically and is an excellent place for nature and wildlife lovers.
Weather
Since the town sits about 500 meters (1640 feet) in elevation, the weather is typical tropical rainforest climate. Average year round temperatures are around 80s° F (27° C) for most of the year during the day and cools off at night to low high 60s° F (19° C).
However, since it is up in the mountains, it does tend to rain a bit more. It can even rain a good amount during Costa Rica’s dry season (December – April).
We have visited many times in different months.
When we visited in September, it was hot and dry in the mornings and rained early afternoons and nights.
In April, it poured for 2 days straight. Got clear skies and sun on our third day. Was very hot and humid.
In March, it rained a lot on March 1st. It was off and on the whole day. My second visit was in mid-March. That day was very hot and dry, no rain at all.
We drove through Bijagua 4 times in February. Each time was foggy, rainy and cloudy.
In January, we had on and off rain with clouds and sunshine, but showers in the morning which stopped around 11 AM.
In June, it was cloudy, sunny and humid with rain in the afternoon.
Weather in Bijagua is not black and white, as it’s tropical rainforest, it can rain even in dry season. The best tip I can give you is to bring your waterproof rain jacket or lightweight poncho no matter what time of year you visit!
Things to do in Bijagua
The most popular thing to do is to visit Rio Celeste inside Tenorio Volcano National Park (read our detailed guide to hiking Rio Celeste here and how to visit the Rio Celeste Free Pool here).
However, there are many other wonderful activities to enjoy in the area!
Bijagua Actvities
Heliconias Hanging bridges: Heliconias Rainforest Lodge has 3 hanging bridges that runs through their private reserve of primary rainforest. It’s an easy 2.2 kilometer trail and is one of the first private rainforest reserves in Costa Rica. Highly recommend visiting this trail with a guide.
Finca Verde Lodge: This locally owned lodge offers short nature walks to see animals like frogs, sloths and birds. Also has some modest cabins.
Read about our experience visiting the Heliconias Hanging Bridges + Finca Verde on a day trip from Guanacaste and request to book! (Those who require transportation only). If you have your own transportation, you can contact the parks directly to make your reservations and drive there yourself.
Horseback riding to Rio Celeste: Explore the rain forest by way of horseback and ride to the public area of Rio Celeste to go for a dip.
Tubing down Rio Celeste: Float down small rapids on Rio Celeste on this fun water tour
Rio Celeste Hanging bridges: this private park has hanging bridges over Rio Celeste, outside the national park
Bird watching: Because of the primary and secondary forests around, there are more than 300 types of birds. You can see three different types of toucans, hummingbirds, mot mots and more.
Bijagua, Costa Rica Tour Companies
If you are staying in Guanacaste and want to do a day tour to Bijagua, please contact us. We can help arrange a day trip to Rio Celeste or to the rainforest for nature walks and sloth watching!
If you are already in Bijagua, ask your hotel to see if they can help arrange activities as there are very few tour operators in this area. Onca Tours is the main one.
Bijagua, Costa Rica Hotels
Mostly lodges, small B&B’s and boutique hotels. Not a ton of selection but that’s what makes this little town a great “off the beaten” path destination as most people just pass by Bijagua for the day to visit the national park.
Check out Heliconias Rainforest Lodge, Rio Celeste Hideway Hotel (luxury), Origins Lodge (luxury), Sueño Rio Celeste, Casitas Tenorio and Rio Celeste Backpackers (Hostel).
Restaurants in Bijagua, Costa Rica
There isn’t a lot, but there are some good places to eat in and around Bijagua and the Tenorio Volcano National Park.
- Pizza El Barrigon: God pizza with a yummy vegetarian option. Also has traditional Costa Rican food. Big portions.
- El Sabor de Doña Carmen: Nice local restaurant with a butterfly garden. Typical Costa Rican food.
- Soda Doña Eli: Typical Costa Rican restaurant (soda). Nachos, casados, rice dishes, fruit juice, soup.
- La Choza del Maiz: Typical Costa Rican restaurant with local dishes, like the name says, the corn dishes like chorreada are great.
- Soda El Pilon: Right outside the Tenorio Volcano National Park. Typical Costa Rican food with yummy fruit smoothies and juices.
- Restaurante Y Marisceria Poro: Seafood, traditional Costa Rica.
- Restaurante Cafeteria y Heladeria Dulce Amor: Nice little place for coffee, food and sweets. Pesto chicken sandwich was our favorite.
- Restaurante y Pizzeria Terraza Bijagua: Has a very nice view, serves traditional Costa Rican food. Can sometimes be very slow though.
- Cafe y Restaurante la Semilla: Very nice cafe in town with coffee, tea and food like empanadas and sandwiches.
- Blue River Brewery: Nice craft beer and good place to stop for cold beer and snacks.
- Colors Brewing Co: Another brewery with craft beer, food and some cool art.
Tourist Amenities
There are large supermarkets, a bank, a pharmacy, a veterinarian clinic, a laundromat, gas station, a couple souvenir stores and a couple small clothing stores in town. You can find all the basic needs here.
The road is paved the whole way through town and up to Tenorio Volcano National Park and beyond. It becomes unpaved on the neighborhood roads stemming from the main street.
How to Visit Bijagua, Costa Rica
Renting a car will be the best way to visit due to the small town nature of Bijagua. It is very difficult to get around without a car if you are staying outside the tiny town center.
However, you will need to figure out your own transportation to the national park. A round trip transfer from your hotel to Rio Celeste entrance is around $55 USD for 2-4 people or $30 one way. Having a car will be the most efficient and flexible way to get around.
Get our Costa Rica car rental discount to save $$ on your car rental and get our extra freebies.
If you stay in a hotel outside town or near the national park without a car, you will have to taxi back and forth which will add up in price.
Furthermore, not all the hotels have a restaurant so keep that in mind when looking for hotels if you don’t rent a car.
How Many Days Should You Visit Bijagua?
Bijagua is not the destination that visitors use as their main home base. It’s too small and there are limited things to do.
Most people stay one night in Bijagua. However, I highly recommend at least two, if you enjoy small quiet towns with lots of nature. You can get a very good experience and feel of the town in just a couple of days.
I wrote a couple of itineraries that visit Bijagua that you can read here: 10 days in Costa Rica chasing waterfalls and 14 day itinerary.
We also have a dedicated Costa Rica family itinerary for Guanacaste Airport that goes to Samara and Bijagua.
I highly recommend staying a couple nights to experience rural tourism in a gorgeous area of Costa Rica. Everyone who visits falls in love with the town and it’s the perfect destination for some R&R in the mountains.
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica.
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels and our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
Nicole says
Can you recommend a night tour to view animals in the area of Bijagua?
Sammi says
Finca Verde Lodge offers a night walk on the property
Erin Elford says
Great blog and information! We used the discount for our car rental, thanks! We are booked in Samara (family of 4; kids 9 and 10) for 6 days in February. We are flying out of Liberia and so I booked hotel Guachipelin for 4 nights for some jungle and animal spotting time after Samara, before we fly home. Bijagua sounds very cool! I’m wondering if I should switch to there or stick with Rincon de la Veija. Or maybe do 2 nights in each spot? We aren’t planning to do a bunch of tours in Rincon but mostly hiking, hot springs, and looking for animals. Any recommendations on the above? Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Erin, you can do either but just so you know, Hacienda Guachipelin is not located in the tropical rainforest, it is dry forest so there are different animals. In Dry tropical forest, there are no sloths, and less tropical birds and monkeys, you can still see howler monkeys, sometimes white face and very rarely spider monkeys. In tropical rainforest which is Bijagua, you can see sloths (both types), toucans, howler monkeys, red eye tree frogs. If you want to see more wildlife because in Samara, which is also dry tropical forest, you will not see as much wildlife either, than I would pick BIjagua. In fact, I wrote Guanacaste family itinerary specifically going to Samara and Bijagua, so that families can get beach, rainforest andn wildlife. Guachipelin is nice and is really fun with their activities, but it does not have as much wildlife. Here is our One Week Costa Rica Family Itinerary For Guanacaste Airport
Rachel says
Hi! Can you speak to the quality of tours/abundance of wildlife around this area compared to La Fortuna? I’ve decided to add this area to our trip so we don’t have to drive all the way from LIR to La Fortuna the evening we arrive but am unsure how long to stay. The tours are quite a bit less expensive (some even allow our 5 year old for free) than those in La Fortuna. So I am wondering if we want to add another night and do more guided activities in this area.
Thank you!
Sammi says
Hi Rachel, this area has primary and secondary tropical rainforest so you can see a lot of similar wildlife in Bijagua compared to La Fortuna such as sloths, toucans, howler monkeys, white face monkeys, hummingbirds. There are not as many tours in Bijagua and it is a bit cheaper because it’s a very small rural town. Most people who decide to stay overnight in Bijagua stay for average 2 nights. One day they’ll do Rio Celeste and then another day they’ll do like a nature walk or birdwatching since birdwatching is very good in that area and there are less people. If you decide to do a nature walk in Bijagua, I would recommend Finca Verde. There is one in Bijagua that offers a “nature walk” but they are not exactly on the up and up…
Mick Jagger says
Hello!
Will the surrounding areas of Bijagua be lush during March?
If we want to see a lush forest in the dry season this March, is there a place thats an hourish away from Liberia that you would recommend? We were hoping to stay overnight in this spot too.
Thank you!
Sammi says
Hello, this area is always green since it’s tropical rainforest
Grant Taylor says
Hi Samantha. I have been an avid follower of your blog for years, and have found it about the most useful source of Costa Rica information that there is. I wonder if you have any up to date info on the road between Bijagua and San Rafael de Guatuso. Is it paved, and can you drive it in a sedan? We hope to visit Sarapiqui from Coco in February.
Sammi says
Hi Grant, you should be able to go in a sedan, I remember there were a few sections that the road isn’t paved but it’s not horrible, just go slower for the potholes and around the national park as there are some hills that may get slippery when wet
Kristy Longman says
Hi Samantha. We booked a night in Bijagua on our way to LA Fortuna after flying into Liberia to see Rio.
Celeste. I made the mistake of booking this and not researching when the park closes (2pm is last entry). We should be getting to the area around 3pm. Do you know of any other trails to get in to do a self guided hike? Is there a trail from the free pool?
Sammi says
You can visit the Rio Celeste free pool
Also Piuri has their own private access, they may be open at that time and you can visit their restaurant and see their own private access
Carolyn M says
I had Bijagua saved as a place to visit on one of my many flights into Costa Rica. It didn’t disappoint! I lived the small town feel and took your recommendation for staying at Finca Verde. My stay was awesome. Finca Verde has trails to hike, sloths to spot, night hiking (guided or not), and a good restaurant. The employees were awesome showing us frogs and sloths and enlightening is to the creatures habits and ways.
We will definitely return to Bijagua and Finca Verde.
Angela Easter says
Hi Sammi,
We are going to be in Costa Rica in December and want to book a guide for a 1 day excursion in Bijagua to include rainforest walk/hanging bridges and sloths! We have rented a car (through your affiliation w/Adobe) so do not need transportation. I am having trouble figuring out how to hire a guide that does not include transportation. Can you help with this?
thanks,
Angela
Sammi says
hi Angela, you will have to contact the properties directly to set up your visits if you do not want to book a full tour
Sammi says
Hello Liza, I would personally not go to Tortuguero. If you’re staying a week in Flamingo, you will literally have to cross the entire country to get to Tortuguero but as it’s boat/plane access only, you will have to take 2 days to get there as the drive is just way too long in one day. You would need to stay a night in San Jose and then the next day, leave to Tortuguero because the drive from Flamingo to La Pavona boat dock is just too long, especially with kids.
Caño Negro is way closer and that area has a ton of wildlife. I would even check out the town of Bijagua, Costa Rica to stay a few nights as you can do a tour to Caño Negro from there and then hike Rio Celeste.
Liza says
Hello Sammi,
I want to thank you for your amazing help in planning our first trip to Costa Rica. We visited the popular spots of La Fortuna, Monteverde, Playa Hermosa, Manuel Antonio, along with your many recommended stops in between, including Catarata del Toro, which was amazing !
We are now planning our second trip for next December and cannot decide between Tortuguero and Cano Negro. We would like to experience the jungle, waterfalls, and viewing many animals.
We have 10 days in total, and would love to spend one week at the beach in the Playa Flamingo area, so we are left with about 4 days. We are traveling with two teenagers who love adventure. (We would rent a car for our trip, understanding that we would have to leave it in a parking if we go to Tortuguero. We can fly from either international airports.)
Which would you recommend between the two ?
Thanks so much and keep up the awesome work!
Liza 🙂
Katie Deboer says
Hi Sammi!
We are thinking of trying to visit Rio Celeste on our way from La Fortuna to Playa Hermosa. We will have a rental car but I wasn’t sure if that is too much to do in one day with doing a tour/stop at Rio Celeste and driving. I know driving would be about 3 hours from La Fortuna to Bijagua and then Playa Hermosa. I was figuring we would spend about 4 hours doing a hike at Rio Celeste. What are your thoughts? Thank you in advance!
Sammi says
HI Katie, La Fortuna to Bijagua is about 2 hours and then Bijagua to Playa Hermosa is around 2.5 hours. It is definitely doable, just get a good nights sleep and I don’t know when you are visiting, but I recommend to check the national park FB page for weather conditions: https://www.facebook.com/PNVolcanTenorioACAT
Mary says
Hi! Thank you so much for your blog. It has proven to be very helpful!
I am looking to take a bus from Liberia to Bijaqua in a few weeks. I am curious if you know where the bus station is in Liberia? Additionally, I am going to Nosara from the Rio Celeste area, and was curious if you know any buses that go that way. I am adventurous, but safe.
Thanks!
Sammi says
There are buses with the Pulmitan company in Liberia so you’d need to go to the Pulmitan station in Liberia downtown.
From NOsara to Rio Celeste, I think there is a bus from Liberia to Nosara, I’d recommend to check the Moovit app to see.
Terri says
My husband and I will be in Alajuela on mon Jan 13 and want to catch a bus that morning to Bijagua. Do you think we should go to San Jose or will we be able to get a seat if we board in alajuelah? I also want to confirm that the schedule you gave is still accurate and ask which station we need to go to in San Jose and where to catch the bus in alajuelah. Whew that’s a lot of questions. Any answers would help. Thank you
Sammi says
Hi Terri, I’d recommend to check the Costa Rica by Bus Facebook group but I know that the bus company is Pulmitan and there is the main office in San Jose downtown, I don’t know if it passes by the airport.
Krista says
Hi Sammi,
I just wanted to thank you for your blog! I really think you need to publish a travel book!
I have just returned to Canada after 2 fabulous weeks in Costa Rica. I planned the majority of my trip based on your blog, and was able to fit in lots of highlights, including driving almost 2000km on my own (Puerto Viejo, Tortuguero, Ujarras, Quepos, Monteverde, La Fortuna)!
My last night in Costa Rica was spent at Casitas Tenorio, based on your recommendation, and WOW, I was not disappointed! It was my favourite B&B I stayed at! Pippa told me you will be visiting next week! 🙂
Thanks again and keep up the wonderful job!
Krista
Sammi says
Hi Krista! Thanks for the nice comments, I’m glad you had a great time!
Yolanda Bodine says
Hi There,
Do buses run on Easter Sunday? We need to get from Bijagua to La Fortuna on April 21, 2019 and we won’t have a car. Shuttles are kind of expensive so hoping to take the bus.
Also, Just FYI, I noticed you said Rio Celeste Backpackers was not taking reservations. We have a reservation to stay there in April that we made on booking.com
Thank you for this post! It is very helpful!
Sammi says
Hi Yolanda, yes they do run on Easter.
Thanks for the update, last year they were updating their rooms so they weren’t taking any new reservations. Will update it!
Nina says
We are in Bijagua for two nights and unfortunately the playground is in very bad conditions 🙁 You cannot let a kid play there.
The tour on Finca Verde is highly recommended! We had a great guide (Brendon) an saw 3 sloths 🙂
Jon Hoffnagle says
My wife and I stayed at Celeste Mountain Lodge and absolutely fell in love with Bijagual. We have a place in Playa Jaco and have been travelling to CR for over 15 years and this was our first visit to Tenorio and the surrounding area. Amazing, amazing, amazing…even with all the rain. We saw Rio Celeste at 80% clarity and it was still fascinating to see mother nature at its finest. The locals were so friendly and inviting. We found some great little restaurants even though there aren’t many around. It was a great change of pace from the beach life we are used to.
Thomas O Petrin says
We were in Bijagua last year ( stayed with Donald and Pipa at Casita Tenorio….what a joy!) The highlight of our month long tour of Costa Rica was being invited to the concert performed by the Costa Rican National Orchestra as a benefit for the town after they were damaged by the hurricane. What a spectacular evening with the most enthusiastic, wonderful local community members!
Sammi says
Hi Thomas, glad you had a great time with Casitas Tenorio, it’s such a wonderful hotel. What a great memory! I remember when they put that on, sounds like it was a special night.
Sammi says
Thanks! I actually do say “some of the recommended hotels” not all 🙂