How to Hike to Nauyaca Falls in Costa Rica
If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, you probably have your sights set on visiting a waterfall or two. Well, not to worry, Costa Rica has plenty of them! And if you happen to find yourself along the Central Pacific coast, hiking to Nauyaca Falls should be a definite contender for your Costa Rica itinerary.
Nauyaca Falls is a beautiful multi-tiered waterfall set in the jungle, yet it’s easy to drive to and there are three different ways to get to the actual falls…hiking, horseback riding, or via truck rides. While most people choose the truck or horseback riding, we chose the hike to Nauyaca Falls (of course! We’re not called Dirty Shoes and Epic Views for nothing!).
In this post, we’ll go through everything you need to know about the hike to Nauyaca Falls, including how to get there, how much it costs, when to go and what to expect. At the end, we’ll also give you some information about the other ways of getting there as well, just in case you want to keep your options open…we don’t blame ya!
Article Contents
Why hike to Nauyaca Falls
Best time to hike to Nauayaca Falls
How to get to Nauyaca Falls
How much does Nauyaca Falls Cost?
How to get to the Nauyaca Falls Trailhead
How hard is the hike to Nauyaca Falls
Hiking to Nauyaca Falls: An overview
How long does it take to hike to Nauyaca Falls
Other options for visiting Nauyaca Falls
Is the hike to Nauyaca Falls worth it?
What to pack for Nauyaca Falls
Tips for hiking to Nauyaca Falls
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Why Hike to Nauyaca Falls?
With so many stunning waterfalls in Costa Rica, why should you take the time to visit (and hike to) Nauyaca Falls?
In short, it’s a pretty epic waterfall. There are two parts, an upper falls towering 140 feet and the lower falls cascading down 60 feet. The upper falls sees significantly fewer people so it’s a good spot for a peaceful jungle setting. The lower falls gets pretty crowded, but you can swim in the pool below and sit right at the bottom of the falls. Plus, you get an amazing view of both the upper and lower falls together, which is quite a sight.
If you opt to hike to Nauyaca Falls, you’ll get to enjoy a peaceful walk through the Costa Rican countryside, surrounded by the buzzing noises of an alive jungle and the chance to see some cool wildlife.
Nauyaca Falls will take up a good chunk of your day and take some effort to visit, especially if you plan to hike to it, but we would say it’s worth it. How much effort, you ask? Let’s get into the details!
Best Time to Hike to Nauyaca Falls
Nauyaca Falls is open year round, but it’s good to note that Costa Rica has both a dry and wet season.
There are pros to visiting Nauyaca Falls in both the dry (December to April) and rainy (May-November) seasons.
Pros for the dry season:
The waterfalls are drier and less powerful, so swimming in the pool at the bottom of the lower falls is possible
The trail is dry and easy to hike
Cons for the dry season:
This is the more popular time of year to visit, and it can get pretty crowded
It is super hot and super humid. The trail goes in and out of the shade, but the heat can get very intense, especially midday
Pros for the rainy season:
Less crowded
Slightly less humidity, and rain can keep you cool and refreshed during the hike
You can witness the power of the falls in their full glory
Cons for the rainy season:
Rain means very muddy and slippery trails
Often, the current of the falls makes it impossible to swim or get too close to the falls
How to Get to Nauyaca Falls
Nauyaca Falls lies in Puntarenas Province, just about 6 miles east of the coastal town of Dominical.
The best way to get to Nauyaca Falls is by renting your own car, as taking a bus here can get complicated. However, you can book a tour to Nauyaca Falls through many hotels, or, if you book a horseback riding tour or the truck tour through the Nauyaca Falls office, they do offer transportation from Dominical for an extra fee.
With your car, it’s pretty straightforward and easy to find, with most routes taking you first to Dominical.
Nauyaca Falls from Dominical: From the Coastal Highway (Costanera Sur or route 34), turn inland onto route 243 towards San Isidro and Platanillo. This is a paved uphill road that will take you to the waterfall ticket office in about 10 km or 6 miles, taking 10 minutes or so.
Nauyaca Falls from Manuel Antonio: From Manuel Antonio, its about 54 km or 33 miles (50 minutes). You’ll take route 618 to Quepos, and then route 235 to the coastal highway route 34. Follow this highway south for about a half hour until you hit Dominical see route 234 on your left. Follow this road for about 6 miles to the ticket office.
Nauyaca Falls from Uvita. From Uvita, the falls is about 28 km (17 mi) away (about a half hour). You’ll drive the Coastal highway 20 minutes North and take a right onto route 234 in Dominical. Follow for 6 miles until you hit the ticket office.
Nauyaca Falls from San Jose: The quickest way to get to Nauyaca Falls from San Jose is to take route 2 all the way to route 234 in San Isidro. It’s about 160 km (100 miles) and a 3 hour drive.
From the direction of Dominical, the office will be on your right. You can’t miss it with all of the signs. If you put Nauyaca Waterfalls into Google Maps, it should take you here.
Park right outside the office and buy your tickets inside. This office is open for ticket sales from 7am – 2:30 pm every day except Sundays, when it opens at 8 am.
How Much Does It Cost to Hike to Nauyaca Falls?
The cost to hike to Nauyaca Falls yourself without any guide or tour is $10 USD per person. No reservation needed for this, just go right in and buy your ticket, and in return you’ll get a fancy bright green wristband to wear. Easy peasy!
Any of the tours cost a bit more. But we’ll get to that later when we talk about the other options for visiting Nauyaca Falls. For now, let’s focus on the hike!
How to Get to the Nauyaca Falls Trailhead
The office is not at the trailhead to Nauyaca Falls, it’s just where you pay. The actual parking lot for the trailhead costs $3 per car and can also be paid for at the office. Alternatively, you can leave your car at the office for free and walk to the Nauyaca Falls trailhead from there. We highly recommend paying the extra money and parking at the trailhead lot…if you can (you’ll see why when we talk about the hike in a minute…).
To get to the trailhead lot, drive just a tad bit further past the office and you’ll see a dirt road to your right that goes down a steep hill. This is the road to the trailhead.
This road is said everywhere to be 2 km to the parking lot at the trailhead, but when we mapped it, it was only 1.2 km, or about .75 miles (see our GPS route below). Either way, if you’re driving, the road literally ends at the parking lot so you can’t miss it. There are restrooms here as well if you need them.
Just a head’s up: This road is all dirt, and ALL downhill. It gets pretty steep, too. We would highly recommend a 4x4 vehicle to drive this. The lady who sold us our tickets did say we can try it out with a regular two- wheel drive sedan, so we hopped back in our car, drove to the entrance to the road and pondered. It took us all of 2 seconds to nix that plan! We drove back to the office and left our car there. And as we walked down the road, we were sure glad we didn’t try the drive. We did see one or two cars at the parking lot below, but they didn’t look like rental cars, and we weren’t about getting stuck our rental car stuck in a remote place with no cell service.
In the wet season, it is absolutely required to have a 4x4 to drive this road, as it gets rough and muddy (i.e. slippery) and 4x4 capability is crucial.
If you don’t have a 4x4 like us, you can always leave your car at the office and walk the road down to the trailhead. There were also taxis taking people to the trailhead and back for a small fee (like 1,000 colones).
How Hard is the Hike to Nauyaca Falls?
So let me just start off by saying this…the hike to Nauyaca Falls is relatively easy.
When we were researching this hike beforehand, we saw varying reviews, but most of them said that the hike was moderately difficult in places, and some even said that the hike was one of the hardest they had ever done. Maybe it’s because we had these thoughts in our head before going, giving us some crazy notions of what to expect (and we know of course, that it all depends on your hiking experience), but we thought the trail was simple and straightforward, more like just a walk up a dirt road. It was never muddy (although we can definitely see how in the rainy season, or after any rain in the dry season it can be…it is a dirt road after all). And I won’t lie, it does get steep in some places. But that’s it…there’s nothing technically difficult about this hike.
What made it difficult, at least for me, was the heat. Because you are walking through jungle, you’ll be in shade a lot of the time under tree cover, but there will be times where there is no shade on the road and you’re trekking uphill, and boy, it gets rough. When we hiked, it was between 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit with about 1000 percent humidity (ok maybe like 70%, but still!) and that kind of heat really slows you down. So just make sure you take it easy, don’t push too hard, and carry lots of water.
The Hike to Nauyaca Falls
Here are some stats for our hike to Nauyaca Falls, which includes the road from the office down to the trailhead. These numbers all represent the one way hike out to the waterfall.
Distance: 3.38 miles
Elevation Gain: 659 feet
Time: 1.5 hours
Trail profile:
The way back is mostly downhill, as you can see from the trail profile, with the exception of two sections. At the end of the hike in, you’ll drop about 150 feet or so to get down to Nauyaca Falls, so you have to hike back up this on your return. Also, if you have to walk up the road to the trailhead that will add another 600 feet of gain. So roundtrip, your total elevation gain is more like 1400 feet or so.
If you are able to drive to the trailhead parking lot, your one way distance will be cut down to 2.6 miles. And you’ll be able to cut out that final 600 feet of gain up the dirt road back to the office.
The road to the trailhead
We started our hike to Nauyaca Falls from the ticket office since we did not have a 4x4 vehicle. So we walked the dirt road down to the trailhead parking lot. We were told that this road is 2 km long, but we mapped it at 1.2 km on our Garmin watch. It was an easy and very quick walk, as it’s all downhill, but trust us…coming up is a different story! In this quarter mile section, there’s a change in elevation of about 600 feet, so it’s a pretty relentless climb. We’ll get to that later…
Once you get to the parking lot, there are some restrooms if you need any. The actual trail to Nauayaca Falls begins right at the parking lot, where you’ll walk over a short bridge over the Baru River. From there, it’s basically a wide dirt road almost the entire way to the falls.
The hike in to Nauyaca Falls
Here's a sneak peak into what you can expect during the hike to Nauyaca Falls.
Hiking to the falls, it’s overall uphill but you’ll be going over some small ups and downs to get there. It’s a really nice walk through a jungle landscape.
It’s not a crowded hike at all, and you can hear the constant buzzing of the jungle around you, which was one of my favorite things about the hike to Nauyaca Falls. We heard this area is apparently a good place to spot wildlife as well…monkeys, various birds, even sloths…though we weren’t so lucky. From our time in Costa Rica, we quickly learned that trying to find something as camouflaged as a sloth by yourself with an untrained eye is near impossible!
Although we didn’t see much wildlife along the hike to Nauyaca Falls, we did get a quick glimpse of a toucan before it flew away, and saw a few other small birds…oh and leaf cutter ants! Those guys are all over Costa Rica and were some of my favorite things to see! And of course, you can hear the loud buzzing of cicadas all around you, which is common in the jungles of Costa Rica, and they can get quite loud!
There’s nothing technical or overly difficult about this hike. It’s pretty much this dirt road the entire way up. There’s one wet patch along the trail, but there’s a footbridge that goes across it to make it easy.
As you continue down the road, you’ll weave in and out of shade and sun…so appreciate the shade when you can, because that sun is hot! You’ll also get an occasional view of the surrounding countryside.
The final part of the trail before the Nauyaca Falls entrance is the steepest portion of the hike, and of course in the sun, but it’s over pretty quick. You’ll reach the entrance to the falls, where a man will be sitting checking wristbands and, when we were there, selling some coconut water.
Here, you’ll hang a left where the trail actually becomes more of a hike on a path through the woods. This is a short downhill trail that eventually brings you to the horse carrel and then to the intersection in the trail where you can go right for the Upper Falls or Left for the Lower Falls.
Upper Nauyaca Falls
To get to Upper Nauyaca Falls, take a right at the junction and follow the trail up a narrow set of stairs that runs along the bank of the falls. It’s a short walk, and after about five minutes, Upper Falls will come into view.
You’ll come out to a view point of the falls, but you can go beyond this and explore the rocks around the Falls. Be careful though! These are wet and very slippery.
The Upper Falls is pretty quiet compared to the Lower Falls…we only had three other people enjoying the falls with us. When the water is flowing strong, these can be pretty dramatic, with several thin waterfalls coming down, but when we went it was just the one…still pretty epic in our opinion!
Lower Nauyaca Falls
To get to Lower Nauyaca Falls, take a left at the junction. You’ll immediately start a steep descent down a long set of stairs – and everyone has to do this part, no matter how you come (hike, horse, or truck).
The stairs end right at the base of the swimming hole at the bottom of the Lower Falls. It brings you out onto rocks, which can be slippery if wet. A good pair of shoes with good grips on the bottom are highly recommended here!
It will likely be pretty crowded with people, but the space is big enough for everyone to have their own spot, and people kind of just spread out around the rocks and in the pool. Just don’t expect to get any pictures of the falls with no one in it or with just yourself in it. That can get kind of impossible.
While you’re here, you can enjoy the lush jungle surroundings, get an epic view of both the Upper and Lower Falls together, take a dip in the pool (watch out for all the fish!), and swim under the falls. The water is pretty cold, but super refreshing and welcome after the hot hike in.
And, the pool gets deep enough to even jump in from the falls (it’s about 6 meters deep, and drops off pretty fast as you leave the rocks). As we were heading down to the falls, we heard people yelling and heard sounds of big splashes from people jumping into the water. As we were headed to Upper Falls, we looked down and between the trees saw people climbing up a rope that was hanging down the center of the falls and jumping off the middle tier. I thought it looked so much fun and was super excited to go down and try it out. By the time we got done exploring Upper Falls and headed down to Lower Falls, though, I was sad to see that the rope had been taken down. There were, however, some dare devils that were still climbing up the front face of the waterfall to jump off the middle tier. No way I was about to do that! And looking at it from the bottom of the falls, I’m not too sure I would climb a rope up that either…it looked pretty sketchy! We later learned that guides that arrive at the falls around 10 am sometimes put up the rope for their groups and help people climb up and jump…this lasts for about an hour…so we had just missed that. So, if that’s something you’re interested, keep that in mind, but you might rethink it once you’re there!
The good news is that there is a decent (and much safer) jumping spot off to the side of the falls. It’s an easy climb up and fun jump down, so we did that a couple of times. And there is a life guard there on duty, actually, which might make you feel a little safer.
There are also smaller pools of water downstream of the Lower Falls for a less crowded experience.
The hike out of Nauyaca Falls
The hike out from Nauyaca Falls is simply the same way you came. If you parked your car at the trailhead lot, it’s a piece of cake, as it is a mostly downhill hike, although you still have to climb the stairs up from the falls, and go over occasional rolling hills along the dirt road out.
If you had to leave your car at the ticket office, you, my unfortunate soul, still have to walk up that final dirt road from the parking lot to the office, and that is the hardest part of the entire hike. It’s pretty killer. It’s a sustained uphill walk with no break, getting fairly steep at times, but what makes it so bad, as I said before, is the heat. At midday, a lot of this road is in the sun, and it really beats down on you here.
As we got back to the trailhead, we (well, I…maybe not so much Kevin) were dreading that uphill hike. As we started up, a local kindly offered us a ride up the hill for 1,000 colones each (so, roughly $2 per person). We entertained the idea, but after a minute, we decided, nah, we can do this, it’s not that long, we can just power up this thing. So we thanked him and politely declined his offer and started up. After about 2 minutes of trudging up in the sun, I started regretting that decision! But, we just laughed at ourselves and kept on going.
In the back of my mind, I was hoping a car would drive past us, see our suffering, pity us, and offer to give us a ride to the top…and, what do you know, that actually did happen! About half way up, an incredibly nice French couple offered us a ride back to our car at the office, and I couldn’t thank them enough! Sure, we would have made it to the top no problem, but I was so glad we didn’t have to finish that.
Moral of the story…take the ride if someone offers, and, if you parked at the lower lot, be that kind soul who picks up a walker! They’ll love you for it!
How Much Time Do You Need to Hike to Nauyaca Falls?
If you are hiking to Nauyaca Falls, plan on at least a half day. Round trip, the hike itself will take 2 to 3 hours, and how long you stay at the actual falls themselves depends on you! We stayed about two hours and found that to be enough, although I was super sad to leave the cool refreshing water when I knew I had a hot sweaty hike ahead of me.
Other Ways to Visit Nauyaca Falls
It the hike to Nauyaca Falls doesn’t sound appealing to you, have no fear…there are other options! You’ll want to reserve these in advance as they can sell out, but when we were there, people seemed to easily be booking truck rides for that same day.
1. Horseback Riding: The horseback riding tour will set you back $85 USD per person, but this includes a 5.5 hour tour that includes breakfast, lunch, a guide, and the entrance fee, with about two hours of time to explore the falls and hangout You’ll ride the horse using the same exact trail as the hikers. Note: This tour does not run on Sundays.
2. The truck: If horses aren’t your thing and you don’t feel like walking several miles in the intense tropical heat, the truck isn’t a bad deal. For $32 a person, you get to snag a roundtrip ride in the back of a truck and head straight for the falls. And admission is included in the price (so really, it’s like your paying $22 for the ride… not bad!). It takes about a half hour truck ride to get to the falls, and then you get two hours of play time there. Trucks leave at 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12 every day except Sunday and includes only the ride and entrance fee…no food, water, or snacks.
Is the Hike to Nauyaca Falls Worth It?
Most people wonder if the hike to Nauyaca Falls is even worth it with these other easier options available. We would say yes! It didn’t take too long, and I loved experiencing the jungle on foot, taking in all the sounds and sights.
Here’s some pros and cons to help you decide if it’s for you.
Pros for hiking to Nauyaca Falls:
It’s a relatively easy hike that most people would be able to do.
It’s by far the cheapest way to visit Nauyaca Falls, which is great for those on a budget.
You can visit the falls on your own schedule and with more flexibility, starting when you want and spending as much time as you want at the falls.
You have the option of timing your hike in early in the morning when there are fewer people.
You get to enjoy the jungle at your own pace, taking time to spot wildlife, which may make for a better experience. We briefly spotted a toucan, a few other colorful birds, and got to marvel at the amazing leaf cutter ants in multiple spots along the trail.
Cons for hiking to Nauyaca Falls:
Trust us, it gets quite hot and quite humid. Hiking in that kind of heat can get quite intense. You have to be prepared.
It does take a bit more time than riding in the back of a truck would, so if you are strapped for time and plan on doing a lot more with your day, hiking might not be the way to go.
Potential con: the big hill at the end back to the ticket office. I say potential con because if you drove to the trailhead lot, then this isn’t even a factor in your decision.
What to Pack for the Hike to Nauyaca Falls
Some essential things to have for the hike to Nauyaca Falls include:
WATER! And lots of it. You’ll be sweating a lot and the sun will dehydrate you quickly. Bring enough for the hike out and back.
Plenty of food/snacks
Sunscreen…and be vigilant of reapplying!
Bug spray...we didn’t find it to be that buggy actually, but it is a jungle after all so it’s always best to be prepared.
A waterproof bag and/or waterproof camera…for the falls area and in case it rains.
A good pair of hiking shoes with good grip…the rocks around the falls get slippery.
A swim suit and towel…there are facilities right above the falls for changing. I actually didn’t bring my swim suit, I just swam in the clothes I hiked in, which kept me nice and refreshed for the hike out.
Be prepared to sweat a lot during the hike and wear the appropriate moisture wicking athletic clothes…not cotton or jeans!
Tips for Hiking to Nauyaca Falls
Try to get there as early as possible. The ticket office opens at 7, and truck tours begin that early as well. The waterfall gets pretty crowded, and it’s not that big of a deal since people do their own thing and sort of spread out, but if you’re looking for a peaceful secluded experience, you’re not going to get that midday. Large tours start arriving between 9 and 10 am. Start your hike in at 7 and it will be a much more peaceful experience with the falls practically to yourself with some good photo ops. You’ll also avoid midday heat by going a bit earlier.
Prepare for heat and humidity no matter what method you take to get to the falls. Bring enough water, light clothing, and sunscreen.
Most importantly, of course…have fun out there! We hope this helps you plan for an awesome hike to Nauyaca Falls. Let us know if you have any questions…we love to help!
Have you done the hike to Nauyaca Falls? How did you like it?