Hike to Nauyaca Waterfalls in Costa Rica

When we visited Costa Rica for a week, one of our most anticipated destinations was Nauyaca Waterfalls. Nauyaca is located between Dominical and San Isidro off of Hwy 243 near the southern coast.
The falls did not disappoint.

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We chose to hike to the falls vs taking the 4×4 or horseback tour. Initially we parked at the admission office to buy our tickets along the road. They were $8 for foreigners. Since we had rented a 4×4 we were able to drive 2 kilometers to a parking lot. Without a 4×4 rental one would have to walk the extra distance to the start of the trail at the parking lot. I was very thankful, especially on the hike back, that we had a 4×4 to cut down the hike. Once at the parking lot the trail is 4 kilometers/2.5 miles.

The hike was peaceful, but hot! We visited during May, when the sun peaked out through the clouds we felt it. The hike was rocky, muddy and full of hills. While I did some research about Nauyaca, I underestimated the intensity of this hike. I would do it again if I got a chance, but I would prepare a little differently. I would bring more snacks, more water and good hiking/water shoes! I ended up wearing cheap water shoes for the entire hike and when i got back to the car they were basically falling apart.

As we hiked closer to the falls the air became a little cooler and we could hear the calming sound of the water.

We first walked up the stairs to the larger waterfall that is 45 meters free fall.

We then made our way down to the lower waterfall that is stepped and 20 meters high. Visitors climb on this waterfall, jump off the fall and swim in the pool.

During our visit it rained significantly every day. The water flowing from the falls was intense. From 10 to 11 AM guides were there to assist visitors who wanted to climb and jump off the falls. One guide would throw an inner tube connected to a rope to visitors. He would pull them toward the fall to allow visitors to climb up the fall to jumping points. Without the inner tube it would have been challenging, even for a good swimmer, to swim to the fall. Ropes were set up to assist with climbing up the falls. Skylar, of course, was going to climb the fall and jump.

The main challenge was climbing the falls with constant water flowing into your eyes. Despite this challenge Skylar climbed the falls and jumped off twice! I was not yet that courageous. I did take a dip in the pool. Even though it was May the water was quite chilly – but refreshing after our long hike. Below is a short video of the hike and waterfall jumps from our YouTube channel Explorcation.

Since we had hiked to the falls instead of booking a horseback riding or 4×4 tour we were able to stay at the falls after the tours headed back. It was very calm and relaxing to spend time at the falls without the extra visitors. Once we were done taking in the beauty and energy of the falls we began our hike back to start our next adventure.

For additional video footage of attractions in the Dominical/Uvita area check out our Costa Rica Vacation video on our YouTube channel Explorcation. Subscribe and turn the notifications on if you enjoy our content!