Costa Rica: El Tigre Waterfalls

If you've read even a handful of my blog posts, you have probably figured out that I am perpetually behind. Well, I'm about to reveal exactly how far behind I am.  Brace yourself.

Abby went to Costa Rica for a Spanish language immersion program back in September 2021.  I shamelessly took advantage of her being there and invited myself along.  I let her finish her three-week program first, of course.

After a nerve-wracking layover in LAX (where Delta initially refused to issue me a boarding pass because I didn't have my physical COVID vaccination card even though it wasn't required), I finally made it to Costa Rica around 6:30 in the morning.  Abby had warned me to stay in the airport to avoid all the taxi touts, but the airport was so small that I inadvertently stepped outside without meaning to.  I wormed my way through the touts to a quieter waiting area where Abby eventually found me.

We hopped on an Uber and away to Monteverde we went.  The drive took around two and a half hours.  Even though we arrived at our B&B well before check in time, they were kind enough to let us check in early.

The next order of business was to figure out what to do.  We had a tour booked for the next day, but since we weren't sure what time we would arrive in Monteverde, we kept the first day free.  Though it was very last minute, we managed to book a hike at El Tigre Waterfalls.

El Tigre Waterfalls is private property, so if you wish to hike there, you need to make reservations for a time slot.  Before COVID, you would do the hike with a tour group, but because of the pandemic, you can now do the hike on your own.  There are two packages to choose from.  You can book the full package ($59), which allows you to hike 5 km and then either complete the last 3 km on horseback or in a safari car.  The second option is The Big Hike ($29), which is where you hike the entire 8 km on foot.  Lunch is included in the full package, but not in the other.

Abby and I weren't too keen on getting on a horse, so we opted for The Big Hike.  We walked past four waterfalls:

And across ten bridges:

The last stretch was pretty steep.  As we watched other people pass us on horseback, we questioned whether we'd made a mistake.  Ultimately we made it back to the starting point.  The El Tigre headquarters included a dining area and a little gift shop:

We originally didn't plan on eating there, but we really wanted an excuse to sit and rest inside.  Abby and I decided to split a casados plate ($10):

Thank goodness we shared because that was a lot more food than we expected.  The casados plate came with rice, beans, picadillo, salad, fried plantains, cheese, and a meat of our choice.  We went with fish.  It was lightly fried and super delicious.  The meal also came with unlimited coffee, hot sugar cane juice, and fruit juice.    

While $10 might be a bit expensive by Costa Rican standards, for a tourist place, that's not bad at all.  I didn't have high hopes for the food, but I was actually blown away by how good it was.  Even the veggies were tasty.

As my first meal in Costa Rica, El Tigre Waterfalls certainly set high expectations for the rest of the trip.  If you're ever in Monteverde, I highly recommend checking out El Tigre Waterfalls.  It's really a lovely hike.  Just strenuous enough to whet your appetite.

El Tigre Waterfalls

Monte de los Olivos, Los Olivos, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

+(506) 8391-9625

https://www.eltigrewaterfalls.com/