La Leona Waterfall Adventure

La Leona is a waterfall you have to earn. It sits at the end of a narrow rock canyon on the Río Blanco, about 20 minutes from Liberia, and the only way to stand in front of it is to hike up the river and swim the last stretch between the canyon walls.

The Río Blanco is born on the slopes of the Rincón de la Vieja volcano. Its water is clear, not milky, and in the deep pools it turns a bright turquoise blue. The trail follows the river through tropical dry forest: you walk over rocks, cross the river, pass small caves and climb a few short ladders and ropes. It is an intermediate hike, and you will get wet from the start.

At the end, the canyon closes in. You leave your things on the rocks, put on your life jacket, get in the water and pull yourself along a rope into the slot canyon. Around the last corner, the waterfall drops into a deep blue pool with rock walls on every side. On the way there are two more small falls: one hidden between the canyon walls and another with a spot to jump into the blue water.

Along the river, your bilingual naturalist guide helps you look for wildlife. White-faced and howler monkeys are seen on most visits, along with iguanas, motmots and other forest birds. With luck, a spectacled owl is resting in the trees above the trail.

Locals say the name comes from a puma, a “leona”, that used to roam this river in the days of the cattle ranches. This is a private tour, so the pace is yours: we stop to swim, rest and take photos whenever you want.