We went to Sabalito de Coto Brus to discover one of the most wonderful waterfalls we have seen in recent years. It is El Salto del Ángel and it is a simply spectacular place.

How to get there?

You have to get to San Vito de Cotobrus, you can get there by the Costanera Sur or by the Interamericana passing through Perez Zeledón.

Waze:

I use Waze to go to Sabalito: https://waze.com/ul/hd1t41kfyt

Hotel La Riviera Sabalito: https://waze.com/ul/hd1t41m98f

Los Amigos Bar Restaurant https://waze.com/ul/hd1t4ed13e

Distance: 8km

Difficulty: high

Accessibility: Not accessible

What to bring? Comfortable clothes for walking, swimsuit, repellent, trail tennis shoes or boots with good heels, towel, dry clothes to change into, snacks, at least 1 liter of beverages.

Vehicle: Automobile

Parking: YES

Pets: No

Camping: No

Contact:

Discovering Coto Brus 8985-7939 instagram.com/descubrandocotobrus/

Hotel La Riviera 27840305 facebook.com/rivierahotelcr

La Chelita Cafeteria: 85192118 instagram.com/lachelitashop/

Los Amigos Bar Restaurant facebook.com/Rest-Bar-Los-Amigos

Cost: ₡ 15,000 includes transportation, food, and a guide. Without transportation ₡ 12500

We left San José on Friday towards San Vito. We lasted about 6 hours because the weather was not the best. After passing San Vito we continued to the town of Sabalito Coto Brus, which is about 10 minutes away from where the hotel called La Riviera is located.

This lodging is perfect since it is in a very central place, there is a pharmacy, a supermarket, all the waterfalls and attractions in the area less than an hour away.

The next day we got up very early to have breakfast at the hotel and got ready to go for a walk. Around 7:30 in the morning our guide and friend Jostin passed by with his wife Fer.

The street towards Las Lucha de Sabalito has a view of the Talamanca mountain range, it is very beautiful, then you have to take paths between coffee plantations making a transition to the forest until you reach the starting point of the trail.

The walk is all under the shade of the trees, the forest is tremendously beautiful with giant trees and slightly technical parts. Between them there are a couple of very slippery slopes as there are descents so you might have to hold on to something.

One of my favorite parts was that with half an hour to go to get to the waterfall, we came across a source of totally pure water. And that's how we realized that this path was part of the route made by the water pipe that supplies the entire Sabalito area.

After 4 km of walking uphill, downhill in the forest, we began to hear the sound of the river that little by little warned us that we were approaching the waterfall. It was at this time that we managed to see the riverbed of crystal clear water and we began to go down to cross a somewhat technical part since a flood caused by the last Hurricane Eta damaged the original path.

Once here we are super close to the waterfall and when we least expect it Boom! Salto del Angel appeared before our eyes, one of the most beautiful waterfalls that we had seen. When we arrived we took thousands of photos, before approaching the base of the waterfall, and then when we were there we sat on giant rocks to eat our classic picnic snacks. 

Something particular is that this waterfall, despite having such a high drop, does not have a large pool but it does have a lot of space to sit and enjoy (which was exactly what we did). After spending almost an hour in the epic spot we decided to take our things and return since it was going to take a bit. When we got to the car, we went to have lunch at the Loss Amigos restaurant and ended up having a specialty coffee at La Chelita.

• DATE OF HIKE: July 2021