Unfortunately, I don't have my own personal photos of my 2012 trip to Costa Rica but I will do my best to depict my experiences to the fullest extent and use other images.
I don't even remember when this interest came to me of visiting Costa Rica. Perhaps it came to me during my first oil and gas internship after I finally started making decent money and thought maybe now I should start traveling to cool interesting places. I also started dating a guy around the same time which seemed like a serious boyfriend as opposed to the erratic relationships I had before him. As for my engineering internship, I made a wave of reactions when I decided to quit. Technically as part of the university internship program, you're not supposed to quit your internship. However, I was getting paid significantly lower compared to my peers also working in Downtown Calgary so within my first month at the company, I protested the injustice to my manager. After multiple appeals, I saw the situation was hopeless so I found another internship and then quit this one. Damn they were pissed...but it's kinda their fault they didn't do anything about it.
So during the small break in between my jobs, I went on an adventure to Costa Rica.
I meticulously obsessively planned every detail of the trip. I searched and read endless blogs about Costa Rica and decided to do a tour that touches the best highlights of the country. At that time, Rio Celeste was in a quite remote place and hardly even heard of but I was determined to make it there. After I saw the pictures of this place, I couldn't even believe a place like this could exist on earth.
Rio Celeste is located in Tenorio Volcano National Park which is about 1-2 hours drive from La Fortuna Arena Volcano area. The drive to get there is quite horrendous with more potholes than hair on my head. We drove and drove and then found ourselves at the top of a muddy hill facing a river crossing with a rickety walking bridge...Did we come to the wrong place? So I called the boutique hotel we were planning to stay at and they came to the rescue. We left our car there and crossed the bridge with our luggage, terrified at every step that it was going to break at any moment. This place was a 5 star luxury rainforest boutique hotel in a natural reserve nestled at the foot of Tenorio Volcano National Park. I am not usually such a big spender but from time to time when I come across something as unique as this, I don't mind splurging. I met the owner of the place, which if I remember correctly, was an American lady.
We rested and the next morning we were up bright and early to start our adventure hike into the park. The girl who never once ever wore a backpack throughout 5 years of engineering school all of a sudden put on a backpack and was ready for a hike. I did it for Rio Celeste.
The park was densely populated with trees and tree vines that twisted and twisted, colors so richly green, the air smelled heavily of vegetation. Even the ground wasn't a smooth trail. Some areas muddy, some you had to be careful not to trip on tree vines and others were just flat earth. I am not sure if the park has been landscaped or changed since I was last there but that's what made Rio Celeste so special. It was untouched.
Deeper and deeper into the park we went. Good thing we brought some snacks. Although, it was the organization and preparation skills from my ex, I was personally such a clueless girl about these things. Skills I eventually learnt from him. The forest was so thick with trees but every now and then, you get to stop and admire the blue lagoons.
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Local legend claims the river turned blue because God dipped His paintbrush in the water while painting the sky. A cool story. In reality, the river turns color at "El Tenidero" which translates into the "dye point". The intersection that happens between the two rivers, Rio Buena Vista and Soul Creek . This unique phenomenon occurs due to the mixture of the minerals from the two rivers. The Buenavista river carries a high concentration of aluminosilicate particles with quite small diameter. On the other hand, Sour Creek has a high acidity level due to the constant volcanic activity. When these two water streams mix to form the Rio Celeste, the intense drop of pH causes the aluminosilicate particles to enlarge the diameter. These suspended particles produce a dispersion of Mie that gives the river a strong turquoise coloration (especially when it receives more sunlight). I stared at it for a long time because I couldn't quite believe what my eyes were seeing.
After what seemed like hours of hiking, we finally reached the stairs that descended into the Rio Celeste waterfall. Wooden and rugged but I was finally here. After weeks of planning, I WAS FINALLY HERE!!! The waterfall was grand and nothing short of majestic. The only non majestic thing about it was the strong smell of sulphur from the chemical mix in the water.
Are you planning your trip to Rio Celeste yet? Please start, you will not regret it! An adventure into the depths of Costa Rica. I ran back to my hotel feeling so satisfied, heart so full and quite obviously until this day, the impression that Rio Celeste left on me has not dampened. Costa Rica is a country of vast landscapes and has so much more to offer and it really is such a unique destination. Not the cheapest I would say but definitely very cool. From mountains, to rainforests, to beaches, to banana fields, to rasta vibes on the eastern coast. There is something for everyone.
Now I will leave you with this song because I was listening to it as I was writing this post.
Costa Rica holds a special place in my heart because it was the start of my adventurous travel journey. It was the first time I stepped out of my princess high heel wearing box and decided to do something really different and discover a different aspect of my personality. The rest is history. Zero regrets!
#costarica #rioceleste #travel #writer #blog #sura #adventure
