Pozas Celestes is like something out of a fairytale. The turquoise water is surrounded by silvery cliff walls and dense jungle. As I swam in the pool, I watched shimmering Blue Morpho butterflies flit between the trees and across the water. To say it was a magical morning is an understatement, this is a little patch of paradise.
Unlike many of the other pools in the area, there’s no current at Pozas Celestes, so it makes for a much more relaxing swim.
We’re sharing things you need to know before visiting, as well as details on the walking trail, and what it’s actually like to swim there.
8 things to know before visiting Pozas Celestes
1. It can get very busy
Whilst still relatively unknown by international travellers, Pozas Celestes is much loved by Costa Ricans. It’s not a huge pool, so it can get very crowded, and even reach maximum capacity on busy weekends.
It’s an absolutely magical place, but some of the special feeling you get here would be lost if it’s really busy. Our recommendation is to visit midweek and before 9am.
We opted for 8am and had it to ourselves for an hour. in the second hour we shared it with just one other couple. After this, more and more people began arriving.
2. Only one pool is swimmable
Although there are several blue pools next to each other, only one is swimmable. There are two very small pools above the main pool, and one beneath it. The lower pool is big enough for a dip, but not a swim, and it’s quite rocky.
The main pool is sensational and though not huge, you can definitely have a proper swim. It’s almost entirely free from rocks, so it’s very relaxing. It narrows as you get towards the cascade and does become rocky here, but otherwise it’s pure bliss.
3. The water is very cold
This might come as a surprise if you think of Costa Rica as being a warm tropical destination, but as Pozas Celestes is up in the mountains, the water is surprisingly cold. I’d say it’s not much different to swimming in the UK in the warmer months.
For me this was fine as I don’t mind cold water swimming, but if you’re not used to it, be ready to brace yourself.
It’s also why you want to swim in the bigger pool, as it’s a bit cold for lazing around in the small one. If you’re lucky enough to visit on a really sunny day, then the air temperature will help a bit, but we rarely saw the sun in Bajos Del Toro!
4. You need to book your pick up from the pool
The walk to Pozas Celestes begins about 850m down the road from Dinoland (where you park and buy the tickets), so unless you want to walk back up the road to the car park, which is quite hilly, then you will need to ask the driver of the shuttle to pick you up.
If you have a Kolbi sim card you can actually ring them and ask to be collected when you’re ready, but if not, you’ll have to prearrange the time, as no other carrier has signal here at time of writing.
We had no idea how long we’d need at the pools and asked to be collected after an hour. This was a mistake and we ended up walking up to the bus only to ask for another hour! If you only want a quick dip and to relax by the pool briefly, an hour might be enough, but for us it felt too rushed. I wanted a bit of time to soak it all in, it’s a truly special place.
You also want to factor in around 10 minutes to walk to and from the bus to the pools, so that takes up around 20 minutes of your time - you could do it in less, but to be safe allow 10 minutes each way.
5. The water can run brown
If you’re really unlucky and there’s been a lot of heavy rain, the water can run green, or even brown. It can also be a less vibrant shade of blue if the rain is heavy, but not torrential.
If you are visiting following a lot of rain, you can always ask if the pools are still blue before you buy your tickets, or check out some of the river systems as you drive past - a good one that’s easy to see from the road is the bridge by Tobogan, you can see it on Google Maps by clicking here.
This is the same river that runs into Pozas Celestes, so if it’s discoloured here, it likely will be discoloured at the pools too.
6. Sunny days make for bluer water
We rarely saw the sun in Bajos Del Toro, but we did get a little sun for a short time at Pozas Celestes, and it made for the most beautiful shade of turquoise water. If you love photography, a lot of sun can mean that the pools may look a bit dappled though, so it’s a bit of a trade off.
You will also want to get a polariser for your camera lens to get rid of all the reflections and ensure your photos are still a deep blue (just make sure you check the size of your lens before you buy to ensure you get one that fits).
Personally I think the early morning light on a clearish day is perfect. In the midday sun the water will be at its most blue, but the light can be very harsh on a clear day.
To be honest though, the colour is stunning even in cloud (as it did cloud over by the time we left) so you can’t go wrong as long as it hasn’t been too wet.
7. You don’t need a guide
Happily for us as we always prefer to do things independently, you don’t need a guide to visit Pozas Celestes.
Many (but not all) of the other waterfalls and swimming holes in the area do require a guide, so it was nice to be able to do this one at our own pace and get the whole place to ourselves.
8. You get a discount if you visit more than one attraction
The people that own Pozas Celestes also own Rio Agrios Waterfall, the Tobogan swimming hole and Dinoland. If you visit any of these as well as the blue pools, then you will receive a discount.
We’d definitely recommend checking out the waterfall because it’s absolutely gorgeous. You can’t swim in it as the water is acidic, but the whole area surrounding it felt like Jurassic Park - totally different to any other waterfall we visited.
The Tobogan swimming hole also looks incredible and we’re already planning our return - when we went to visit it, it was absolutely pouring with rain.
The walk to Pozas Celestes
The stats
Distance: 350m each way
Elevation gain: 30m
Difficulty: Easy, but not flat
From where the shuttle drops you off you’ll begin heading immediately downhill on a concrete staircase. For us this wasn’t slippery, but there is a handrail in place if needed.
A few of the steps are slightly worn, but it’s still a fairly easy descent.
After 150m you’ll cross the river on a metal bridge. The walk from here, though very short, is stunning. You’ll head through the rainforest with dense vegetation on either side of the trail.
The dirt path is flat and has some gravel to stop it getting too muddy - although we were visiting in the dry season, it may be a whole other ball game in the rainy season.
There are a few rocks and tree roots, but nothing challenging.
Just 50m from the bridge you’ll reach the toilet and changing area. It’s a western toilet and there was toilet paper too, which I hadn’t been expecting in the forest!
From here you need to head downhill again. This time it is rocky and uneven, but not slippery when dry. After 50m you’ll reach the river and cascades and it looks pretty wild - you wouldn’t think there was a tranquil swimming hole mere metres away!
But just 30m later you’ll be standing at the rocky area beside Pozas Celestes. You can also continue a further 30m beyond the main pool to a higher vantage point by hopping across the rocks.
It wasn’t slippery when dry, but definitely would be when wet.
Swimming at Pozas Celestes
Entering the water is really easy at Pozas Celestes, as there’s very little in the way of rocks to negotiate.
There are a few small ones to get over once in the water, but nothing compared to most of the other swimming holes in the area.
The water gets deep really quickly, so you have far less rocks to negotiate. As mentioned, there’s no current in Pozas Celestes, so it’s really relaxing to swim here.
Most of the waterfall swimming holes have quite a strong current, so it was a real treat to find somewhere so serene.
There’s a little cascade at the far end of the pool which you can slide down, but personally I stuck to leisurely laps!
The water is cold, but if you’re swimming you warm up quickly, and we visited on quite a cold day.
The lower pool is beautiful to look at and to take a quick dip in, but too small and too rocky to actually swim in.
Pozas Celestes opening hours and entry fee
At time of writing, Pozas Celestes is open every day between 7am and 5pm. If you want to visit only Pozas Celestes, the entry fee is 3,000 Colones (approx USD $5.40). If you want to visit with Rio Agio Waterfall you’ll pay 6,000 Colones for both, which is a 1,000 Colones discount.
Parking is free and the shuttle to the trailhead is included in the entry fee. The shuttle takes around five minutes and runs on demand. You can then arrange a pick up time.
Getting to Pozas Celestes
Pozas Celestes is located down the road from Dinoland in Bajos Del Toro and this is where you’ll park your car. There’s a cafe and toilets here.
The drive is roughly 69km and 2 hours 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 pools, so you really do want your own car unless you are going to hire a driver.
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