If you’re planning on visiting the enchanting Rio Celeste, Costa Rica then here is everything you need to know about the sky blue river inside Tenorio Volcano National Park.
In this guide, we will help you plan the perfect visit to Rio Celeste.
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IMPORTANT: Since mid 2025, the trail down to the Rio Celeste waterfall observation point is closed. You can only go down the stairs a little bit. You can still see the waterfall, but you can’t go all the way down. Check the official Tenorio Volcano National Park Facebook page for updates.
Purchasing Park Tickets
Tenorio Volcano National Park entrance fee for adults is $12 USD and $5 USD for children (ages 2-12) plus tax.
Park tickets must be purchased online beforehand on the SINAC website (official government run national park website). They do not sell tickets at the door.
Visitors must present the bar code of their park ticket reservation (can be a screenshot on your phone) and their passport (for foreign tourists) or Costa Rican ID to enter.
Passport can be a photocopy or photo on the phone of the passport ID page.
If you did not purchase park tickets beforehand, there is an area with Wifi next to the ticket office so you can buy tickets.
However, it is not a guarantee there will be availability, as it’s first come, first serve.
This means you may not get park tickets at the time you are there. All the entrances are divided into 40 minutes increment groups.
You will have to purchase the next available time slot, so you may have to wait if the time slot when you are there, is full.
Tenorio Volcano National Park
The national park is open every day from 8 AM to 4 PM.
First entry at 8 AM, last entry at 1:45 PM. Everyone must exit by 4 PM.
- Single use plastics are not allowed in the national park so bring an insulated reusable water bottle.
- No facilities inside the national park. Only bathroom is at the park entrance.
- No paper maps available.
- No pets allowed in the national park. No strollers allowed.
- ~6 kilometer walk total (~3.7 miles)
Do You Need a Guide for Rio Celeste?
No, a guide is not required or necessary for Rio Celeste, you can perfectly visit Rio Celeste on your own. It’s a straightforward linear trail with plenty of signage.
However, if you would like a guide, there are usually naturalist guides for hire at the entrance.
There may be 2 or 3 hanging out by the national park entrance, offering their services. They charge around $55 USD for a group and $10 USD per person for larger groups.
Their guiding services are usually for 3 hours. You can negotiate with them prices and times.
Ask them for their carnet or Costa Rican guide certification with an ICT number to prove they are official guides, and not illegal guides.
Why is the River Blue?
The story as told by the locals is that Rio Celeste got its stunning color when God dipped his brush in the river as he was painting the sky.
Scientifically, the color appears when two separate clear water rivers meet and a certain type of mineral coated in silicon, oxygen and aluminum remains suspended in the river.
The size, suspension and reflection of sunlight creates this vivid blue color in the water.
The national park land used to belong to the Maleku people, an indigenous group in Costa Rica. The waterfall and river were sacred places to them.
This park is very busy
Tenorio Volcano National Park is one of the five most visited parks in Costa Rica.
Since they limit the number of visitors per day, expect crowds if you are visiting during December through April, as that is the busiest time of year. July is also another busy month.
Another reason why this national park feels crowded is because it’s only one linear trail. The trail is not a loop so everyone has to walk back on the same trail they came in.
Weather
Rio Celeste weather is hot and humid being the tropical rainforest. Average daytime temperatures are around low to mid 80s° F (26°-28° C). It is very humid.
Tropical dry season is typically December through April and rainy season is typically May through November.
This area doesn’t strictly follow the dry-rainy tropical seasons and it can rain any time of the year, even in the dry season.
What to Wear to Rio Celeste
- Shoes: No flip flops, no high heels, no open toed sandals. You need to have good sturdy closed toed shoes. Yeison wore his waterproof KEEN hiking shoes. I wore my water repellent On Women Cloudtrax hiking boots.
- Clothing: Shorts or lightweight hiking pants and tee shirt or tank top. Whatever you wear, wear clothes that dry fast and wick away moisture due to the humidity.
- Mosquito repellent: We got bit bad during our last visit. I like to use the wipes.
- Gear: Bring waterproof rain gear, especially if you’re bringing camera equipment. We brought a heavy duty poncho, our North Face rain jackets, Aqua Quest waterproof backpacks and a backpack rain cover.
- Hat or visor.
- I like to bring a small microfiber towel to wipe away the sweat.
Optional: hiking poles for those who need help with steps. We saw many seniors using hiking poles or a big walking stick as the trail has lots of rocks, steps and some mud.
Rio Celeste, Costa Rica hiking difficulty and time
The Rio Celeste trail in Tenorio Volcano National Park is roughly 7 kilometers or 4.34 miles total, it can take you around 3 hours.
The trail to the Rio Celeste waterfall is around 1.8 km or 1.1 miles one way, so around 4 km total (2.5 miles). 1.5 km is on a trail to the waterfall entrance, then it is 253 steep steps down to the waterfall.
The Rio Celeste trail is not terribly long or difficult but for inexperienced hikers, some sections may prove a little challenging.
The waterfall steps and the section going to the Laguna Azul with more steps and big rocks are the trickiest parts.
The trail isn’t handicap friendly nor is it stroller friendly.
If you are not in good condition to walk the whole trail, or you have bad knees or ankles, I recommend going to just the Rio Celeste waterfall.
The trail to the waterfall takes around 30 minutes and is on a mix of concrete and dirt, crossing one short suspension bridge and a couple of small creeks.
To the waterfall, the stairs have handrails so you can stop and rest.
The river may not be blue if there is a tropical storm
The river may not blue when it has been storming a lot, usually during October, November, December and January and sometimes February.
However, if it is just the normal on/off rains, do not worry as it turns back to blue quickly. We have seen the blue color every time we have visited Rio Celeste, even during rainy season.
If you’re visiting during the rainier months, we recommend staying a couple nights in Bijagua. You’ll have more opportunities to see the blue river just in case it rains during your visit.
Sometimes, if there has been a terrible tropical storm, the national park may close as the trails may get too muddy.
Check the official Tenorio Volcano National Park Facebook page to see current conditions before your visit.
Swimming is prohibited in the park
Swimming in Rio Celeste is strictly prohibited inside the national park.
However, there is a free public entrance by the bridge 1 kilometer (~.6 mile) past the park entrance. You can walk down to the river and swim in it.
It’s one of the best free things to do in Costa Rica.
On Google Maps, it is called “Rio Celeste Danta Free Pool.” There is a dedicated parking spot on the side of the road for this free Rio Celeste swimming hole. Parking 1000 CRC.
There are also some other private properties that also have access to the Rio Celeste river that allow their guests to swim and bathe in it.
We went to Cabinas Piuri for lunch and a visit to their own private access to the river.
Visiting Rio Celeste with kids
You can definitely visit Rio Celeste with kids, especially if they have a lot of energy or are outdoorsy.
If you bring your baby, infant or toddler, I highly recommend a baby carrier so that you can have your hands free, in case the trails are muddy.
Make sure you have enough stamina to carry them up and down the steps to the waterfall and the rest of the trail.
Strollers are not allowed inside Tenorio Volcano National Park.
How to Get to Rio Celeste in Tenorio Volcano National Park
The closest town near Rio Celeste is Bijagua de Upala. Rio Celeste is inside Tenorio Volcano National Park in the Alajuela and Guanacaste province.
Rio Celeste is 95 kilometers (59 miles) from Guanacaste Airport, a 1.5 hour drive and 173 kilometers (107 miles) from San Jose International Airport, a 3.5 hour drive.
GPS
If you are renting a car and using Google Maps or Waze, do not type in “Rio Celeste.” This will take you to a wrong place or say no results found.
Enter Parque Nacional Volcan Tenorio, Parque Los Pilones or Parqueo del Parque Nacional Tenorio as your destination. This will take you to the parking lots right outside the Tenorio Volcano National Park.
There is no cell phone signal up near the park with Kolbi so make sure you download Google Maps offline.
Tenorio Volcano National Park Parking
You will know when you’ve reached the park entrance because you will see a lot of signs for parking.
There will be locals wearing yellow vests waving flags, trying to get you to park in their lot.
We prefer to park at the parking lot right at the entrance (left side in the photo above). Parking costs 3000 CRC per car and you need to leave the slip of paper in the dash of the car. Pay in Costa Rican colones, local currency.
Even though you’re paying for parking, don’t leave valuables visible in the car. This parking lot is not owned by the national park.
These parking lots are manned by locals who charge for parking, but they will not take any responsibility if something happens to your car or belongings.
There is a “free” parking lot across the street near the mini market, but we recommend to park in the paid ones, just in case.
How to Get to Rio Celeste from La Fortuna
The drive from La Fortuna to Rio Celeste is about 1.5 hours.
Planning tip: If you are driving from La Fortuna – Guanacaste (like Tamarindo/Playas del Coco), you can stop by Rio Celeste on your way.
We recommend to leave La Fortuna around 7 AM to get to the park around 9 AM, hike around 3 hours, have lunch and depart Bijagua by 2 PM to drive 2-3 hours to your final destination in the daylight.
Leaving Luggage in the Car
If you have to leave luggage in the car, we recommend to park in the paid parking lots as close to the office as possible. We have seen a lot of tourists leave their luggage in the car. Put it all in the trunk if you can.
If you have an SUV, get a luggage cover from your rental car agency. Take your valuables (passport, phone, credit cards, wallet, ipads, etc.) with you.
*These are our tips but we are not responsible if something happens to your car or belongings as everyone needs to take extreme caution when leaving things in the car in Costa Rica.*
High Clearance Car Highly Recommended
We recommend a 4×4 in the rainy season and in the dry season, a high clearance SUV.
The road to the entrance of Tenorio Volcano National Park (Rio Celeste) is paved. However, from Bijagua, it is a very curvy and narrow road without street lights or raised pavement markers.
Some sections are concrete and can get very slippery when wet. There are also a couple of very small narrow bridges.
Also, the speed limit is not really respected or well displayed here. If someone tailgates you, don’t try to pull over as there are no shoulders. Just go the speed you’re comfortable with.
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Shuttle or Bus
There are no public buses or a local shuttle that go directly to the Tenorio Volcano National Park entrance.
I have never seen Uber in this area. A taxi to the entrance from Bijagua costs around $40 USD, prices may not reflect the current day. You can also ask your hotel to help you call a ride.
Rio Celeste, Costa Rica Map
Here is a map of Tenorio Volcano National Park. They no longer provide paper maps. You can take a photo of this exact same laminated map at the office entrance.
The orange square where it says Puesto Pilon is the entrance to the national park and start of the trail. Entrada a Catarata is where the steps are down to the waterfall.
Catarata is the waterfall. Laguna Azul is the blue lagoon, Mirador is the view point.
Borbollones is the area where the water is hot and bubbly (like a hot spring) and Tenideros is where the the two rivers join together to create the one sky blue river.
Entering the National Park and Facilities
Before you can enter this area, you will go through the security check and ticket check. The park officer asked me for my park ticket which I showed on my phone.
They need to see the barcode and email receipt.
Then he asked me if I had any cigarettes or knives and quickly checked my backpack. They checked for a drone as drones are not allowed in the national park.
After we passed the first checkpoint, we used the bathrooms and entered the national park to start the hike.
Waterfall Trail (1.5 kilometers or .9 miles to waterfall steps from entrance)
The beginning of the trail is mostly concrete surrounded by a verdant primary and secondary rain forest.
The first part of the trail is to the waterfall, about a 30 minute walk.
There is a very nice Tenorio Volcano National Park sign that makes for a nice photo.
There are a couple of water faucets here in case you need to wash off your shoes or wash your hands.
A little after, you’ll cross a suspension bridge. We saw white face monkeys right by here!
After walking through two very small creeks and the rest of the trail, you’ll come to an area with a couple large signs and the stairway arch to the waterfall.
You’ll reach a cross section to go to the waterfall or continue onto the trail.
As you walk down, you get glimpses of bright blue through the trees. It is 150 meters or 490 feet down to the waterfall – there are 253 steps!
There are some great spots on the stairs to take very nice photos of the stairs and waterfall.
Once you reach the bottom, there is a nice viewing platform for photos.
The waterfall greets you at the bottom and it is an incredible sight. I could’ve spent all day at this enthralling waterfall. You can’t help but stare at the bright blue water!
Here is an aerial photo of Rio Celeste waterfall. We took this back in 2016 when drones were allowed. Drones are NOT allowed in the national park anymore.
After you’re done looking at the waterfall, head back up to continue on the rest of the trail.
Mirador (550 meters, .3 miles)
This spot has a nice view of the jungle. There’s nothing else at this view point.
Laguna Azul (Blue Lagoon, 200 meters, .1 miles)
The Laguna Azul, or blue lagoon is the next stop. There are some steeper steps and large rocks going down to the blue lagoon.
You can really see how blue it truly gets at this point!
50 meters past the laguna azul are the bubbling thermal springs.
Borbollones (50 meters, 164 feet past blue lagoon)
Here you can see the boiling water section of the river.
You can really smell the sulfur at this point so you can imagine just how hot that water is!
The last 300 meters or so of the trail are not to be missed. You’ll see where the two clear water rivers meet to create the sky blue river.
You may see animals on the trails like pizotes, armadillos and monkeys.
Teñideros (last 300-400 meters, about 900-1000 feet)
There are two bridges to cross before you reach Tenideroes. The first goes over the normal river (no blue color).
The second bridge goes over the blue river and it is absolutely gorgeous.
On the other side, there is a small area past the trees to the right where you can get some photos of people on the bridge.
Cross the bridge and walk a tiny bit further to see where two different rivers meet to create one blue river.
This is the coolest part of the hike, seeing where the color starts. There is a billboard in Spanish and English that explains exactly where the blue color comes from.
And that’s the end of the trail.
Head back the same way you came and enjoy the rest of the hike.
Outside the park entrance are a couple of good local restaurants.
We went to the restaurant right outside, Los Pilones which had good food and smoothies. It was not that expensive either.
We also highly recommend getting some yummy fruit or cold coconut water (pipa fria) at the fruit stand across the street.
They had a good selection of fruit and he also cracked open my coconut for me so I can eat the yummy meat inside.
Rio Celeste Tours
You can visit Tenorio Volcano National Park – Rio Celeste as a day trip from La Fortuna or Guanacaste.
The day trips include roundtrip transportation, bilingual guide, lunch, national park fee and refreshments.
Interested in this tour? Contact us and we’ll be happy to assist from both La Fortuna and Guanacaste.
Rio Celeste Hotels
A beautiful, luxury hotel right by the park entrance is the Rio Celeste Hideaway Hotel. This hotel has their own private entrance to a section of the Rio Celeste river.
Read about other waterfalls hikes in Costa Rica!
Catarata del Toro: Amazing 270 foot waterfall in an extinct volcano crater in Bajos del Toro
Catarata Llanos de Cortes: Beautiful waterfall near Liberia, Guanacaste
Blue Falls of Costa Rica: Two small, sky blue colored waterfalls (similar to Rio Celeste) in Bajos del Toro
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LIzzy says
For the Rio Celeste Tour with Jacamar tour groups, is lunch included in that tour? How is visiting here in April usually ? Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Lizzy, yes lunch is included in the Rio Celeste day tour with Jacamar. April is quite busy since it’s our busiest month in high season as North Americans have spring break, it’s generally our hottest month so weather is nice and hot. Since Rio Celeste is up in the mountains, it can rain during April though, when we first visited in April it rained the first couple days we were there but it was off and on.
Emily Harper says
Hi Yeison and Samantha,
You guys have no idea how important it is for me to prepare for my travels and this blog entry helped me a lot. 🙂 Thank you.
I have been hearing about Rio Celeste from friends and relatives and it got me curious. That is how my Google search led me to this post. Booking a trip real soon!
Sammi says
Hi Emily, I’m glad the post is helpful and that you enjoy Rio Celeste, it is beautiful!
Emily Harper says
Indeed, can’t wait to see for myself! 🙂
Stephanie says
Hi Sammi, My husband and I will be renting a car at Liberia Airport, staying in papagayo. We plan to leave around 7am and go from there to Tenorio/Rio Celeste (arrive around 9am) and then around 11:30/12pm hop back in the car and drive to Miravalles. (Google maps is telling me it’s about an hour and 15 minues from Bijagua to Las Hornillas so I’d think it would be about an hour and a half total from Tenorio.) 1. Is Las Hornillas the correct entrance for Miravalles? 2. Is there a more direct route from Bijagua to Miravalles than rt 6 to rt 1 to 164/165? Thank you! I appreciate your help. Stephanie
Sammi says
I know there is a section called Albergue to Miravalles that goes to the trails and you can go through Upala or back down to the InterAmericana highway.
Sammi says
Hi Sam! The cold fronts are currently still going through the country and it has been raining quite a bit up in the park. I recommend following this facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PNVolcanTenorioACAT/ which is the park’s official facbeook and they post updates on the conditions of the park and status. There were several earthquakes last week that closed the park, it is open again but the color hasn’t been super blue lately due to the hard rains. If the earthquakes come back or if it rains too hard, they will close the park so I recommend following that facebook page to keep up with the park and river status. Hopefully the weather will start drying and clearing up in the next couple weeks and the cold front will pass. It doesn’t take the river too long to turn back to its blue color once the rains stop, but if it is raining continuously, it turns this kind of brown/dark green color.
Sam says
Thank you very much for your help, and that facebook page is extremely helpful I didn’t know about it, I’ll be checking their updates. You’re the best.
Sammi says
You’re very welcome! That FB page is the best for keeping up with park conditions, looks like it’s back to a nice blue color today. Hope you get to see Rio Celeste, it’s spectacular!
Sam says
This post is very informative thank you! Do you think it’s a good idea to go now?
Like next month in February? I know the weather is unpredictable but are the cold fronts the country is going through affecting that area since the river lost its color recently? I’ve heard about a swarm of tremors there too could the park close unexpectedly? Sorry for all the questions you seem to be an expert any advice would be helpful.
milosz says
As I just read the park is temporary closed due to seismic reason and the rives became brown. Hope it will change soon!
Sammi says
Yes! The park was closed a few days ago (it is open now) and the river turned brown for about a day, but it’s back to blue now thankfully!
Joe says
Thank you so much for your informative post!
Is one required to have a guide? Or can I do it alone?
Sammi says
Hi Joe! You’re very welcome, it is not required to have a guide, you can perfectly do a self guided hike at Rio Celeste.
Christina says
Hey there! Thanks for your blog. We just go to the town of Rio Celeste but unfortunately the park is closed due to tremors. Is there anything you can recommend doing that is outside of the park? Thanks in advance!
Sammi says
Hi Christina! You can visit Heliconias Bridges to do a hike and there is the Bijagua waterfall (hike to a small waterfall). Those are right around in Bijagua.
Luke S says
Thank you very much! Your post has made me so excited for this adventure. I would REALLY appreciate your advice on a few questions.
1. We are renting a car in San Jose. Do you have any recommendations of who to rent from and can you please comment on “hidden fees”. I would really like to know the full price. I’ve heard the price can be significantly higher once you get there for insurance and other fees.
2. What time should we plan on leaving La Fortuna for a DAY TRIP to Rio Celeste waterfall? I believe you said it will take about 2 hours. When is a “safe” time to start driving? What time should we leave the park to get drive back to La Fortuna before dark?
3. Does WAZE really work to get us from La Fortuna to Rio Celeste? If so, do you have any recommendations on a cellular plan to purchase for our trip?
4. We are two couples that are considering doing this without a tour guide…can you confirm that is doable?
I really appreciate your feedback as you are clearly an expert of the area. The other couple that we are traveling with are nervous for plan details and I know this info will be very helpful for all of us.
Sammi says
Hi Luke! I’m glad the post was helpful. Here are the answers to your questions.
1. For renting a car, we recommend Adobe Rent a Car who we actually have a partnership with to give our readers up to 20% off the car rental and lots of extra benefits like 2 free extra drivers, free cooler, cell phone, etc. You can check rates here: Costa Rica car rental discount and one of the reasons why we partnered with Adobe because they are 100% transparent and they don’t have any hidden fees or last minute taxes. Some other car rental companies, particularly the large international chains who have an office in CR tend to add these hidden fees and taxes which give the customer a bad experience so that is why we partner with Adobe. They are an excellent company with cars that are less than 2 years old and are 100% transparent, what you see on your reservation is exactly what you will pay.
2. For your day trip from La Fortuna to Rio Celeste, personally for me I would leave by 6-6:30 AM. This is because the river has gotten pretty popular and it can get crowded in the park and I prefer less crowds so the earlier you go, the less people and the park opens at 8 AM. But if you don’t mind crowds or don’t want to wake up early, you can leave around 8 AM. I would give yourself a good 3-4 hours for the entire hike and then another hour for food and getting ready to drive back to La Fortuna. This will get you back to La Fortuna before 6 PM when it gets dark. So I would recommend the very very latest you leave is 8 AM. You’ll get to Rio Celeste let’s say around 10 AM, take 4 hours for the hike so you will get out by 2 PM, you get some food and start driving back to La Fortuna around 3, 3:30 PM. You should get back to La Fortuna right around 530 PM – 6.
3. Waze will take you all the way from La Fortuna to Rio Celeste. When you go to type in your destination, type “Rio Celeste” and you will several pop up. Choose the one that says ONLY Rio Celeste and it was put in by EduardoCarvajal, last updated by juankx. There are a bunch of options but some of them are do not work but that one works. It will take you to the Tenorio Volcano National Park entrance. You’ll know you’re close when you pass a bridge, turn left around a corner and see a large parking lot ahead on the left and the park station on the left. You can buy a pre-paid sim card for your unlocked phone, we recommend using Kolbi as that company has the most service in Costa Rica. I also recommend downloading Waze and opening up the app to download all the languages on Wi-Fi before you leave so you can save time and data.
4. You can definitely do this hike without a tour guide. We did it twice without a guide and a guide isn’t really necessary because the trail is all straight. There are a ton of signs, maps and other people and the park rangers have done an excellent job roping off restricted areas, putting up signs and maps. I actually prefer to do it self guided because then you can spend as much time as you want at all the view points.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Diana Yanez says
I love your blog! It’s been really helpful during my 4 month stay in Costa Rica.
A girlfriend and I want to visit Rio Celeste, Barra Honda, and Cataratas Llanos de Cortes. Is it possible to do this with public transportation?
We’re trying to save money by not renting a car. She arrives in San Jose on Jan 31st and leaves from there on Feb 9. I was hoping to also visit Puerto Viejo at the end of our trip, but it may be better to stay in the Guanacaste region so that we don’t end up traveling the entire time she’s here.
Thank you!!
Sammi says
Hi Diana! There are no public buses that go directly to any of those places unfortunately. For Rio Celeste, the closest you can get to is Bijagua and then you will need to taxi or hitch a ride because it takes about 30 minutes driving so it’s not in walking distance and there is no bus that goes directly to the Tenorio Volcano National Park where the river is. For Barra Honda, there are no buses that go directly to the park entrance either, you can take the bus down to Nicoya but then you will need to get a taxi to the park entrance. And for Llanos de Cortes, there is no bus that stops there right off the InterAmericana highway 1. The closest you can get to is to Liberia and then take a taxi from there. It’s about a 20 minute drive from Liberia to Bagaces where the waterfall is.
You will need to coordinate with the taxi driver when to get picked up because there are no taxis waiting at the national park entrances or you can ask one of the park rangers to call one for you. Unfortunately all three of those destinations are not easy to get without a car and require a taxi for part of it since no buses go directly to the entrances.
I highly recommend staying in Guanacaste because by bus, you need two full days of traveling to get from Guanacaste to Puerto Viejo so you will be wasting a lot of time for such a short trip.
The best way to get around Guanacaste is by renting a car, especially to those destinations. A taxi from Bijagua to Rio Celeste alone is like $40-50 one way. Liberia to Cortes waterfall is also around $40-50 one way so in the end, you will probably be saving money by renting a car and you will have way more freedom to go wherever you guys want to. and for only 9 days, you want to maximize your time, not be waiting around for buses and trying to figure out taxis.
Let us know if you have any questions about renting a car, we do have a partnership with Adobe to give discounts to our readers which you can check prices here: Costa Rica car rental discount
Diana Yanez says
Thank you so much for your quick reply!! Yes, it looks like a car will make the most sense.
Sammi says
Hi Diana! Yes, for those destinations I definitely recommend renting a car or paying money for tours (but in the end, you’ll pay the same price or even more for individual private tours). With a car you can spend more time at the attractions and it’ll be easier to get around Guanacaste, especially for only 9 days. Let us know if you have any questions about renting a car, we’ll be happy to help and get you a discount and all the extra benefits with our Adobe partnership.