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Bajos del Toro

The valley of blue waterfalls behind Poás volcano

Offbeat score 2 of 5AlajuelaVillageNear Bajos del Toro

Bajos del Toro is a tiny village in a deep green valley on the far side of Poás volcano. Volcanic minerals turn many of its rivers milky blue, and the steep valley walls are cut by waterfalls in every direction. Most visitors drive in for one famous fall and leave. Stay a night and you can see five or six.

Waterfalls you can visit from the village

  • Catarata del Toro: the headline fall, dropping into an old volcanic crater.
  • Blue Falls of Costa Rica: a chain of bright blue cascades and pools next door.
  • Tesoro Escondido: a farm walk to two blue falls, one of which most people never reach.
  • Cascadas Pozo Azul: a giant fall in Colonia del Toro with a steep descent and swimmable pools.
  • Poza La Presa: an easy family walk to an old dam, a jump-in pool and a second cascade.
  • Las Gemelas: twin blue falls side by side at the end of a long guided hike.
  • Finca Dos Ríos: two different-coloured waterfalls meeting in one pool, plus a cave behind a water curtain.

Plan to drive in daylight. The road from Sarchí is steep, narrow and often in cloud, while the route via Vara Blanca and Río Cuarto is easier.

Getting there

From San José take Route 126 through Vara Blanca, continue towards San Miguel and Río Cuarto, then turn south on Route 708 to Bajos del Toro. Allow about two hours. The southern approach from Sarchí is shorter on the map but steep, narrow and often foggy.

Local tips

Stay overnight to see the falls in morning light before the clouds roll in. Carry cash: many farms do not take cards.

Travel lightly

Most falls are on family farms. Ask before you enter, pay the entry and keep gates as you found them.

Photo: Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Shared by Offbeat team