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Tenorio Volcano Photos

Tenorio Volcano National Park is one of our favorite places.  Clicking around Costa Rica Guide you’ll see that it shows up on the top ten list, and a dozen other categories.

The first time we tried to visit we never made it.  If we’d known what we were missing we would have tried harder.

The photos below are just a few of the literally thousands we’ve take on at least a dozen stays in the area.  We’ve walked all of the trails around the Rio Celeste, up to Lago Danta, the peak and crater from the south approach (closed to the public), the hanging bridges at Heliconias, and can’t wait to get back for more.

You can get printable versions of the Tenorio maps that appear as images in the gallery below.

Rainforest horseback
Horseback riding on rainforest trails requires concentration and a lot more skill than riding across open pasture – ducking and dodging branches without falling off
Catarata Río Celeste
Catarata Río Celeste
Second bridge Heliconias
The second bridge at Heliconias is really two bridges with a platform wrapped around the trunk of a huge tree in middle of the span
Nearly vertical climb
Nearly vertical climb out of the crater of Tenorio volcano
Clouds forming
Clouds forming on the slopes of Tenorio volcano across from Celeste Mountain Lodge
Hot spring in the rain
In the natural hot springs in the rain – alongside the Rio Celeste in Volcan Tenorio National Park
Crater in the mist
Crater in the mist
Rio Celeste
Rio Celeste
Foliage cave
Cave created by trunks and root tangle of the Cloudforest
Pasture on the approach to the trail up Tenorio crater
Pasture on the approach to the trail up Tenorio crater
Glass frog
Glass frog
Floor to ceiling glass
Floor to ceiling glass looks towards Tenorio Volcano Tenorio Lodge
Tenorio Hot Springs
Heather at the Tenorio Hot Springs
Flower
Flower
Tenorio Lodge is stylish
Tenorio Lodge is a stylish option within easy driving distance of Tenorio Volcano National Park headquarters
Heliconias Rainforest and Ecolodge has new bungalows in the forest, hiking trails through their private reserve and to Tenorio Volcano National Park, and an on-site canopy suspension bridge tour. Great for families
Heliconias Rainforest and Ecolodge has new bungalows in the forest, hiking trails through their private reserve and to Tenorio Volcano National Park, and an on-site canopy suspension bridge tour. Great for families
Celeste Mountain Lodge
Celeste Mountain Lodge offers chic style on the border of Tenorio Volcano National Park.
Iguana
Iguana
La Carolina
La Carolina – From the riverside wood fired hot pool to the fireplace in the outdoor breakfast nook La Carolina is a truly unique rustic lodge set in a 170 acre private reserve north of Tenorio Volcano National Park
Most visitors enter Tenorio Volcano National Park at the headquarters northwest of the volcano and waterfall (turn east 6.6 km north of Bijagua then follow the rough unpaved road 17.8 km southeast to the park office)
Most visitors enter Tenorio Volcano National Park at the headquarters northwest of the volcano and waterfall (turn east 6.6 km north of Bijagua then follow the rough unpaved road 17.8 km southeast to the park office)
A trail at Tenorio Lodge
A trail at Tenorio Lodge
The little lagoon at Tenorio Lodge
The little lagoon at Tenorio Lodge sits on the continental divide and attracts birds from both the Caribbean and Pacific sides of Costa Rica
Spider monkey
Spider monkey
home made bread and jam at Tenorio Lodge
home made bread and jam for breakfast at Tenorio Lodge
inner wall of the main Tenorio crater
The inner wall of the main Tenorio crater is nearly vertical and rock climbing techniques (modified to use mud, stems and roots as hand and footholds) were more useful than trekking poles in many sections.
A tiny glass frog
A tiny glass frog
Sunset behind the lower slopes of Tenorio to the left and Miravalles to the right with the Bijagua valley between
Sunset behind the lower slopes of Tenorio to the left and Miravalles to the right with the Bijagua valley between
Peak of number one crater
The peak of the number one crater of Tenorio volcano is normally covered or in and out of view as the trade winds blow across from the north Caribbean to the southern Pacific creating clouds in a phenomenon called orographic forcing along the continental divide.
Towards lago Danta
Climbing the ridge towards Lago Danta in an inactive crater of Tenorio volcano. The hills in the background fade into lake nicaragua almost 80 km away
Mist in the forest Tenorio National Park
Mist in the forest Tenorio National Park
illegal poacher's camp
An illegal poacher’s camp in the crater of Tenorio Volcano
Lago Tenorio in the mist
Lago Tenorio in the mist
The startling Azure Río Celeste
The startling Azure Río Celeste
The startling Azure Río Celeste
Celeste River
Natural hot pools
One of the natural hot pools along the shores of the Río Celeste
Steam rising off the hot springs with the turquoise Rio Celeste in the background
Steam rising off the hot springs with the turquoise Rio Celeste in the background
Teñiderios (Teñi de rios)
Teñiderios (Teñi de rios – dyeing of the rivers) the stream from the left is high particulates and the one coming in at the center through the tree roots is acidic. They’re both relatively clear and colorless, but when they meet particles aggregate to a size that scatters blue or blue-green light
The Río Celeste just after it's birth at the teñiderios
Just getting blue – The Río Celeste just after it’s birth at the teñiderios
Bridge over the Río Roble
Bridge over the Río Roble
Natural Jacuzzi borbollones
Borbollones – Natural Jacuzzi of the borbollones is created by volcanic gases escaping from the riverbed – the boiling temperatures make it very dangerous despite the tempting appearance
Laguna Azul
Laguna Azul is a natural pool in the Río Celeste which contrary to popular belief is NOT dyed blue by the low concentrations of copper sulfate and other mineral complexes. The color is due to scattering by gray clay particles of a particular size.
East entrance Tenorio
East entrance Tenorio National Park. This is not the main entrance (most visitors enter Tenorio Volcano National Park at the headquarters) but I like going in here, hiking all the way around the loop to the west waterfall mirador and hitting the hot springs on the way back.
Catarata Río Celeste
Catarata Río Celeste
Tenorio Lodge
Tenorio Lodge -Each bungalow has a great view of the slopes of Volcán Tenorio and the National Park
Lago Dantas trail
Lago Dantas trail – The trailhead to the peak of Tenorio Volcano via Lago Dantas is at Heliconas Rainforest Ecolodge southeast of Bijagua. If you reach the peak you can turn north and descend past the waterfall on the Río Celeste to the headquarters on the northwest edge of the park. You’ll need a guide for several reasons. The National Park regulations require it, you will get hopelessly lost without a guide, and you’ll need a shuttle vehicle or pickup.
Tenorio Cloud forest
Cloud forest – Although the easily accessible part of Tenorio is lower in elevation, overall it shares ecologies and most of the same inhabitants as Monteverde. One notable exception is that in Monteverde the population of H. sapiens is a hundred times larger.
Lower elevation cloud forest
The trails in Tenorio pick up where Monteverde leaves off ecologically. The main entrance to Monteverde is 1,447 meters (4,747 feet) and the trails there climb towards the lower montane zone at the continental divide. In Tenorio the west trailhead 694 meters (2,277 feet), east trailhead 655 meters (2,149 feet), Lago Danta trailhead 772 meters (2,540 feet) are at the lower limit of the premontane zone and the trails climb up to Lago Danta at 1,144 meters (3,753 feet) and Teñiderios at 767 meters (2,516)
Backlight frog
Backlight frog
Arbol de Paz
That’s a tree behind us – just one tree. Arbol de la Paz on the edge of Tenorio National Park Costa Rica
restaurant Tenorio National Park
The restaurant/soda at the entrance to Volcan Tenorio National Park
Orchid, Tenorio national park
Orchid
Map of Bijagua - gateway to Tenorio national park, Celeste waterfall & Miravalles
Bijagua
Map of Tenorio National Park Region with Miravalles Protected Zone & Celeste Waterfall
Tenorio Park

Ray & Sue

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