Sitting at the base of a volcano, the Turrialba Valley is primed with waterfalls. One of the most famous is the Aquiares Waterfall, located in the small town of Aquiares, a few minutes outside of the city of Turrialba.
The falls is technically on the Rio Jesus Maria, however, just immediately downstream of the waterfall the river meets the Turrialba River which continues down through the town of Turrialba.
Getting there is straightforward. While many people drive as close to the falls as they can, parking on the main road and walking down offers a pleasant walk through coffee fields and rainbow eucalyptus groves, which are the directions we give below.
First, navigate and park near this pin. It’s impossible to miss because you’ll be next to one of the prettiest and largest ceiba trees in the area. Just downhill of the ceiba tree, you’ll see a small road with a foot trail jutting off from it almost immediately to your left. Take this path and you’re on the correct track. The path will shortly meet with another road, turn right here which will point you “upstream” of the canyon. Soon the road/path will intersect with the Rio Turrialba, which you will need to cross to continue heading up the river. By this point, you should have the Aquiares Google Map pin loaded so you know not to miss it. All in, the hike with a careful creek crossing takes about 20 minutes from the ceiba tree to the waterfall.
Pay careful attention to the forecast and high water. Flows can come up very quickly which would make this typically slippery-but-not-challenging creek crossing very dangerous. And of course, if you come across any trash, help everyone out and pack out what you can. Fortunately, this area tends to be pretty clean. Have fun and enjoy Catarata Aquiares!