Catarata Del Toro is one of the most impressive waterfalls in Costa Rica. It thunders into an extinct volcano and then down through a narrow canyon. I initially wondered whether I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as other waterfalls in the area, as it lacked the blue water and swimming opportunities found at most other falls close by. However, what it lacked in water colour, it made up for with sheer power and majesty.
It’s an awe-inspiring waterfall and a must visit when in Bajos Del Toro. Although reaching the base of the falls does require a steep hike down, and then back up, it was actually easier than I was expecting it to be.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Catarata Del Toro.
The walk to Catarata Del Toro
The stats
Distance: 2.7km partial circuit
Elevation gain: 150m
Difficulty: Moderate
The walk to the bottom of Catarata Del Toro doesn’t have any tricky terrain, but it does involve a steepish climb down, and then back up again.
The very last section (which you don’t have to do) has a less well maintained path and can be a touch slippery. However, you will have seen several amazing lookouts by this point, so you don’t have to go to the very bottom if you don’t want to.
You don’t need a guide like you do at some of the other waterfalls in the area, and you can’t swim in the pool.
Starting the trail
The walk begins at the cafe and heads up a couple of steps and straight to the first lookout. You’ll be following the white trail and any junctions are signposted. The lookout offers an incredible view of the waterfall from a distance and allows you to take in the dramatic setting, with huge cliff walls that are surrounded by dense vegetation.
As you continue along the trail you’ll soon come to a gigantic fig tree, with hanging vines and moss covered roots that make it look like something out of the movie Avatar. It’s amazing.
The path is all gravel and relatively level at this point.
After you’ve been walking for 150m the track will begin to gently undulate. A further 50m later you’ll come to another view of Catarata Del Toro and there’s a bench seat to enjoy it from.
Through the rainforest
It’s from this point on that the walk gets even more beautiful. You’re heading through primary rainforest and the trail is easy, so you can really soak in the atmosphere.
After another couple of hundred metres you’ll see yet another incredible view of the waterfall, each lookout offers a slightly different angle, and this one gives you a glimpse down into the narrow canyon. It seems very far away at this point, but it honestly doesn’t take that long to get to.
After this you’ll reach a junction and follow the sign for the catarata (waterfall). On the way back you can take the alternative route (the green trail) to add a bit of variety to the walk.
Just 50m from the junction you’ll begin the descent to the waterfall.
The descent
The start of the descent is all on a well formed concrete staircase. It’s not the prettiest of trails due to the concrete, but it does make descending quite easy, as you don’t have to worry about mud or slippery terrain.
Roughly 250m later the path will change to uneven steps, but it doesn’t last long before it turns into an undulating dirt track - it’s still in very good condition though.
The steepest part of the walk is now behind you and the trail is back to being really pretty again.
There are plenty of benches along this next stretch of the track, so you could easily take a break if needed - probably more on the way up than the way down!
After you’ve been walking for 1km you’ll come to another viewpoint, you’re now much lower down, so you feel a lot closer to the falls.
Just below this is a large viewing area with several benches, and this is where a lot of people stop as it’s the final lookout before the more rustic track to the very bottom of the falls.
Reaching the base of Catarata Del Toro
The last part of the walk to the base of the falls takes less than five minutes.
The first part is still on stairs and then there is a short patch of uneven track, which is usually damp, and can be a touch slippery - however, it’s not very steep, so with care it’s easy to pass.
You’ll then enter a large rocky area which you can walk across to reach the base of the falls. Little bits of this area were muddy and the rocks were a little slick in places, but actually, I think it looked worse than it was!
Again it only takes a few minutes to get to the foot of the falls - or as close as you can go - as there is a little fence there to stop you getting too close to the edge.
Pretty much as soon as you reach the rocky area you’ll feel the spray of the falls, which only adds to the dramatic scene.
Catarata Del Toro
It’s definitely worth the little extra effort to reach the bottom of the falls.
It’s when you get this close that you can really appreciate how tall and powerful the waterfall is, and you can also peer into the narrow canyon to the right of the falls.
The cliffs are imposing and if you’re visiting on a cloudy day, it’s especially atmospheric.
There are lots of large boulders in front of the falls where you can sit, relax, and take in the scene.
Just don’t fly a drone here because we almost lost ours when there was an unexpected gust of wind - it had been as still as anything up to this point!
Luckily one of the staff members - Victor - scaled the cliff to get it back for us. He’s a true legend and we’d highly recommend taking the Blue Falls tour with him if you can (which is what we did the next day).
The climb back up
We were not feeling fit at all at this point in our trip, so I was surprised that the climb back up from the waterfall was easier than I’d been expecting.
It’s broken up nicely with a little steep bit at first, then some flat track, before the longest and steepest part of the climb. Even then, it doesn’t take long to go up this part and the good track conditions make it a lot easier.
You can then head back to the junction with the green track and follow that route to see some different scenery on the way back. It only adds on an additional 250m and it’s flat and easy.
There’s one viewpoint of the river snaking through the rainforest and then you’ll reach some gardens. It’s not as spectacular as the route you came in on, but it’s nice to see some different scenery.
Just before you reach the cafe, you’ll pass a feeder with loads of gorgeous hummingbirds, there’s also a second feeder right by the cafe.
Beating the crowds at Catarata Del Toro
Catarata Del Toro is (along with the Blue Falls) the most popular attraction at Bajos Del Toro - it’s sometimes referred to as Bajos Del Toro Waterfall. If you can, it’s best to avoid Saturdays when lots of people drive up from San Jose (it’s closed on Sundays).
Your best chance of getting the waterfall to yourself is a weekday, either first thing in the morning, or in the late afternoon. We went in the late afternoon (around 3pm) and had it to ourselves for well over an hour.
We were actually down there for a couple of hours trying to rescue the drone and in our experience, most people only stay for a very short amount of time, or stop at the lower viewing area - so even when people did come along, it never felt crowded.
However, I do feel like this area is yet to become really well known by international travellers. Costa Ricans know and love it, but we barely met any foreigners. Once word gets out that this is one of the most spectacular areas in Costa Rica (and all of Central America in my opinion) you’ll definitely want to come early or late.
In terms of photography, we almost always prefer cloudy days for waterfall photography, and Catarata Del Toro is no different. It will ensure you get even light and avoid harsh shadows which are hard to edit. It’s not hard to find cloudy weather up in this area as you’re up in the mountains! We actually had a clear forecast for most of our visit, but in reality we barely saw the sun!
A note on swimming
Catarata Del Toro is one of the few waterfalls in the area you can’t swim at. When I first heard this I was disappointed, but when I saw the raging pool at the bottom of the falls, I knew why! It would be way too dangerous to swim.
Luckily, there are dozens upon dozens of other options for swimming in the area, and Catarata Del Toro is well worth visiting despite the fact you can’t swim.
Opening hours and prices
At time of writing Catarata Del Toro is open Monday to Saturday from 7am until 5pm. In reality the close time is relaxed. We finished around 5.15pm, but no one was rushing us out and there were people behind us too.
There is a cafe and toilets on site.
The current costs are:
Adults: USD $14
Children: USD $7
Seniors 65+: USD $7
If you visit the Blue Falls on the same day then you get a discount and the prices are as follows:
Adults: USD $25
Children: USD $12.50
Seniors 65+: USD $12.50
Getting to Catarata Del Toro
Catarata Del Toro is located in Bajos Del Toro, roughly 71km and a 2 hour drive from San Jose. There are some very steep and windy mountain roads, with no safety barriers, so drive slowly - you pretty much have to anyway due to the gradient! There are many potholes along the way.
It’s a similar distance, but a little quicker to drive to La Fortuna, the roads are not steep and there are less potholes (but still plenty as you arrive at or leave Bajos).
Both these roads are paved and you do not need a 4WD, but you do need a car with a bit of grunt to make it up the super steep hills from San Jose.
There is currently no public transport to the waterfall, so you really do want your own car, or to organise a driver.
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