Nauyaca Waterfalls
Highlights
- Horseback riding
- Wildlife watching
- Cliff jumping
- Swimming at waterfalls
- Lunch included
Facts
- Location : 6 miles from Dominical
- Hours : 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Price : $80 per person; transportation not included
Spring water tumbles down the falls, over 140 feet, crashing into the plunge pool below. Underneath the first waterfall, whitewater clatters down the steps of a second, 60-foot cascade into a deep pond. It's the perfect spot for a swim after the horseback ride through the rainforest on the Nauyaca Waterfall Tour.
read more closeYou'll find the entrance to the waterfalls just 5 miles from Dominical, on the way toward Perez Zeledon. Trek to the falls on your own for a $10 entrance fee or join the Jimenez family horseback tour for a more engaging experience that includes breakfast, lunch, wildlife watching and cliff jumping.
The Jimenez family, owners and tour operators of the falls, protect nearly 50 acres of secondary rainforest surrounding the falls. Erick Jimenez leads the tour while his aunt and grandmother prepare breakfast and lunch at their home hidden among the surrounding flora.
After a mile-long ride into the forest, guests sit down for breakfast underneath an awning beside the family house. While eating, Erick shows off the family pets; a pair of scarlet macaws and a group of peacocks. Every morning Erick's aunt tosses a bunch of banana out to feed a troupe of capuchin monkeys that play in the trees above the house.
At the falls, Erick searches for blue-jean poison dart frogs while guests change into their bathing suits. Afterwards, Erick leads guests to the falls. At the bottom of the cascades, guests can swim while Erick prepares for the cliff jump.
In an amazing display of skill, Erick dives under the falls, climbs up the center and ties a rope 30 feet above the water. He then invites everyone to follow, helping guests climb to the top for a once in a lifetime chance to cliff jump into the falls below.
Departure & Return
- Departure point : Tour starts at the administrative offices of the Nauyaca Waterfalls. Tour departs from all major hotels in Manuel Antonio, Dominical, Uvita, Ojochal for an additional transportation fee
- Departure time : Hotel pickup is between 30 and 60 minutes before tour start time depending on hotel location
- Return details : Tour returns to original departure point between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.