Rio Celeste Waterfall and Dinner in the Clouds!

We stopped by the Rio Celeste river at the Tenorio Volcano National Park on our way to Monteverde to see the absolutely gorgeous Rio Celeste turquoise waterfall. The pictures below have not been altered in any way .... that's actually the color of the river and waterfall!


 

Legend has it that the river got its magnificent color because the gods painted the sky blue and used the river to wash their paintbrushes, but in reality it's just an optical illusion. The Rio Celeste river looks blue beyond the point where the Rio Buena Vista (‘Good View River’) and the Quebrada Agria (‘Sour Creek’) converge because the water of the Rio Buena Vista river contains aluminosilicate and the water from the Quebada Agria is abnormally acidic. 


When the water from the two rivers meet, there is a reaction that makes the suspended aluminosilicate look blue to our eyes. It's particularly interesting to see where the two rivers converge because they go from being normal / transparent to being instantly gorgeous turquoise blue. 

 




Once we arrived in Monteverde, we quickly changed to our fancy clothes and got ready for a Treetop Dining Experience overlooking the cloud forest at sunset for Stephandel's 20th Anniversary. It was a delicious meal with my beautiful wife and family!

 







 

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