If you’re looking for a 1-day tour from San José, the Barranca River waterfalls in San Ramón, Alajuela, can be a great option. The tour starts at Restaurante Senderos, on the road to Piedades Sur, and the hike follows the river through the forest and ends with lunch at the restaurant.
In this article
Before I tell you about my experience, here’s everything you need to know and bring:
How to Get to the Barranca River Waterfalls in San Ramón and What to Bring
How do you get there? Enter “Restaurante Senderos” in Waze and follow that route. The restaurant is 200 meters west of the Barranca bridge, on the road to Piedades Sur. You book by WhatsApp at 6350-8100, and the restaurant also lists the phone number 6235-5715.
Do you need a 4×4? No, it isn’t necessary. You can get to the Barranca River waterfalls in any vehicle.
If you leave early, the outing fits into one day from San José, but if you’re coming from farther away and would rather not get up so early, it’s worth spending the night before in the area and looking for hotels in San Ramón.
How much does it cost? In 2021, admission was 1,000 colones, and the 10,000-colón package included lunch, a guide, a trekking pole, and parking. Ask about the current price and what’s included when you book.
What should you bring? Water, sunscreen, repellent (I use OFF!® Active® because it lasts up to 6 hours and repels the mosquito that can transmit Zika, dengue, and chikungunya), snacks for the trail, and clothes that can get wet.
Is It Safe to Go in the River If It Rains?
If it starts to rain or you see heavy clouds upstream, the sensible thing is to get out of the water. The Costa Rican Red Cross warns that a flash flood doesn’t always turn the river brown and murky, and that the flow can surge with great force in one or two minutes, so it recommends figuring out, as soon as you arrive, where you’d go in an emergency.
Keep in mind that this risk is real at Costa Rica’s waterfalls: in September 2025, three people died when a flash flood swept them away at a waterfall in Curubandé de Liberia.
The Adventure of Finding the Waterfalls (April 2021)
A couple of weeks ago I made it out to San Ramón, in Alajuela, and found a spectacular paradise. I’m talking about the Barranca River waterfalls, which I honestly didn’t know existed.
You can do this tour in just 1 day, and I really liked that because it means it’s pretty affordable. Plus, you don’t have to spend the whole day on the outing.
I left San José around 5:30 a.m. to get to San Ramón early, and first I stopped for breakfast at La Duquesa bakery, near the area’s central park.
After that I kept going and put “Restaurante Senderos” into Waze to reach the little-known Barranca River waterfalls. That’s where the tour begins.
I paid for the 10,000-colón tour to take advantage of the lunch and the local guide. That way you don’t have to think about lunch.
The hike, which is normal to intermediate in difficulty, goes through a striking forest. You walk alongside the mighty river, and little by little the waterfalls start to appear.
Keep in mind that you can get in anywhere along the river, but on the way you reach one of the calmest pools, where you can take a quick dip. The water, honestly, isn’t that cold, and after that long hike it’s incredibly refreshing.
The last waterfall is the most incredible, an impressive 90-meter drop that you can see from both the top and the bottom.
For my taste, without taking anything away from the other 5, this one is the most spectacular. It’s absolutely worth all the effort and the whole trek. The tour wraps up around 2:00 p.m., with lunch at the restaurant. I’ll leave you some photos so you get the urge to go!
