Breaking the routine: Del Toro Waterfall, Bajos del Toro
Last updated on June 13th, 2019
We love exploring Costa Rica during weekends (that’s why this blog exists), so we thought it would be fun to invite people to join us. We met up with some friends on a Saturday at 5:00 a.m and headed to the Bajos del Toro area.
Bajos del Toro is about 1 hour and 40 minutes from San José, so it is a perfect distance to break the routine during a weekend without getting too exhausted. You could go there for the day and still having energy to go to a concert that evening. Bajos del Toro is close to the Poas Volcano, so it is a great area to visit on the same day as Poas. Or if you are going to the Sarapiqui area, you can pass through here.
Getting there
1.By car: We came from San Ramón, so here are the directions:
- Take the highway and take a left at La Radial, Naranjo, route 141.
- Turn right and take route 118 to Sarchí.
- Drive to Sarchí. Follow the signs to Botanical Garden Else Kientzler.
- When you pass the garden, keep driving for 45 minutes. The route will be higher and higher.
- Then the road will go down again and you will see the valley of Bajos del Toro.
- From there, drive 6 more kilometers. After you pass 3 bridges, you’ll find Catarata del Toro to your left.
2.By bus: It’s a challenge, but it’s possible.
- From San José, take the bus from the Tuan station in Barrio México to Grecia.
- From Grecia, take the bus that goes toward Río Cuarto. Be aware: One bus leaves from Grecia daily at 3 p.m. To return, the bus from Río Cuarto passes by the cabinas at 6:15 a.m.
About Bajos del Toro
After insane hills and curvy routes, you will get to a small village surrounded by mountains called Bajos del Toro Amarillo. They have various waterfalls in the area as attractions, local restaurants and a famous hotel without technology.
Catarata Del Toro
We decided to visit Catarata del Toro. It’s a private reserve owned by a Dutch/Costa Rican couple, and it protects 250 acres or 100 hectares of forest in-between two national parks.
The entrance fee is about 4,000 colones for locals and $10 for foreigners.
Besides a breathtaking waterfall, the reserve also has rooms, a restaurant, a hummingbird garden, trails and one of the highest rappels that I have seen.
After taking some pictures, we went down through the trail, which includes 500 steps. The atmosphere there is awesome. You get the breeze from the waterfall and forget about everything. You explore the rocks and get to see the different textures of the moss in the rocks. The little canyon is great.
We went back before before it started to rain. Our fitbit said we had taken around 11,000 steps. My legs were so sore the next day, but it was definitely worth it.
Highlight of the trip
From the bottom of the waterfall we looked up and saw next to the waterfall begins some sort of “window” or open space that make us wonder what it was. After we went back to the restaurant, our friend Jafeth asked about that “window” that we saw downstairs. The owner quickly handed us a key to a gate and told us that we could check it out as long as we made sure to close the gate. To our surprise, the “window” ended up being a rappel platform. Jafeth was the brave one who took the challenge to sit down and take an epic picture. Don’t do it! I felt dizzy just being on the edge of the platform, but it definitely was cool and lifted up our adrenaline for the day.
They accepted reservations for expert rappellers to use the platform. Only the most adventurous ones!
Can you swim?
No. The current is too strong, so it could be dangerous.
Recommendations
Comfortable clothes, tennis shoes, rain jacket, granola bars and water.
I’d love to see that epic photo Jafeth took!