Beautiful scenery and well worth the entrance fee. Do not let the 500 steps intimidate you. The path is entirely paved steps and steel bridges. There are landings about every 75-100 steps. At the bottom you will find the deep pool, which is pretty rocky, or you can bear left and walk down to the lower river where there is east access to the refreshing water. Bring a towel and wear shoes or sandals you can get wet. Once back at the top there is a restaurant and lots of opportunity for pictures of the view and May flowers. We took an Uber from La Fortuna and the cost was $2,200 CRC. ($5-6).

Stunning waterfall, go early to avoid crowds. We went in the morning and whilst it was busy, there was no queue and we had a lovely swim. As we were leaving (11ish), large crowds were arriving. We travelled in February which is a busy time so may be ok out of season. No need to take a tour, taxis are very cheap in la Fortuna and access is very easy.

Amazing. It is not a tourist trap. The money is to maintain this gorgeous place. It poured the whole time and there were lots of people but if you pay attention to what’s important? I can’t even tell you how many people were there. We went in to the pool next to the falls because the main area was intense with the amount of water coming down. When you swim to the middle and look up? Majestic. Ethereal. No words. I’ll never forget. However…there are 500 steps down and the same number back up. No elevator. I left my lungs and my youth on those steps. I’d still do it again.

This is the biggest waterfall I’ve ever seen and you can swim in the pool it creates. Recommend Tevas or water shoes. It’s a short walk over large rocks to get in. The walk down the 500 steps to get there isn’t bad and I’m not in shape.

Great waterfall and swimming. We took our active 10 and 7yos and they enjoyed going to the bottom, seeing the waterfall, wading at the bottom, climbing over the rocks, and sprinting back up. I might not recommend if you have children who aren’t active or won’t want to climb back up. Pro-tip:arrive as early as you can (it opens at 7am). We did not do the skip-the-line ticket. We got there at 8am. There was no line and the swimming area was not too busy (maybe 15 people at the bottom). By the time we returned to the top at 9:30am, there were lots more people down at the waterfall, the line for tickets up top was maybe 20 people long, and the parking lot was filling up. We stopped for refreshments at the little restaurant area within the park entrance (Rio Lounge). The fruit drinks (pina colada and mango daquiri) tasted fresh. Second pro tip: wear or bring water shoes. The rocky bottom isn’t sharp, but it would be uncomfortable.

I'm torn about this waterfall. It was definitely pretty, but it was highly overpriced. That's probably a result of it being right near La Fortuna and easy for a lot of tourists to get to. The walk to the waterfall is easy (just a lot of stairs). I liked doing it and viewing the falls, but if you're on a tight budget, there are other waterfalls that are also really pretty that are more budget friendly. Also we went during a time with a lot of rain so swimming was not an option. There was so much water coming over the falls it looked cool!!

We walked to the waterfall from our hotel (Tifakara) and arrived around 10am. There was no queue at the ticket kiosk and although there were plenty of people already enjoying the pool & river at the bottom, we only passed a few people on the descent of the 500+ well maintained steps. The waterfall is beautiful, as is the surrounding valley, so well worth the effort to retrace your steps back to the top and a refreshing drink !

We visited the waterfall late in the day on a Saturday. Approximately 3pm. We were able to avoid most of the crowds and even parked right in front. Keep in mind the park rangers will ask you to start your journey back up at around 445pm. The hike down isn’t bad but it’s a bit of an effort coming back up the +500 plus steps. I couldn’t imagine coming when it’s crowded as it would be tough to get in the waterfall pool. Overall I would give it a 5/5 except for the $20 a person entry fee that was a bit on the high side

We went first thing in the morning and were happy we made that choice. Being the second group down to the falls we were able to take in the beauty and serenity of the waterfalls. We swam for about an hour. There is a bench and wood hooks to hang your bag while swimming. The steps up worried me but there are many resting stops along the way. If going first thing there is no need to pre buy tickets. If you do pre buy tickets get them from the waterfall site, as it’s the cheapest option.

Waterfall enthusiasts might sneer, but if you're in the area, its a nice and fairly easy waterfall to see. Its a 5 minute taxi ride from La Fortuna and if you don't have a problem with steps (500 of them) its very accessible. As a result, expect there to be lots of people there. If you're planning on swimming in the plunge pool or the river as it exits, take as little with you as possible as there are so many people milling around its difficult to keep valubles safe. Probably the biggest down side is the cost, currently standing at $18 which is significantly more than equivalent or better waterfalls