Take a hike to this spot that is less than an hour distance from San José, it has incredible waterfalls and pools of crystal clear water and perfect for a Sunday day trip without too much hassle.

How to get there? Take Route 27 for approximately 30 min (if you get up early and there is no traffic) and then exit at km 41 of Escobal de Atenas and continue towards San Pablo de Turrubares until you get to the sign that says Malakita Green on the right, continue there until you reach the parking lot of the place.

WAZE: https://waze.com/ul/hd1gbmsns0

Distance: 300m Difficulty: Easy Accessibility: Not accessible

What to bring? Repellent, towel, swimsuit, change of clothes, bring cash, snacks, water bottle (reusable), sunscreen and an excellent attitude.

Vehicle: Preferably high car because the last 100 meters are a little rough (although we saw several automobiles, if you go slow maybe you can reach the top)

Parking: Yes Pets: No Camping: No Contact: Charlie 8391 7918 Cost:¢ 3000

We left at 7:30 am from San José and stopped at a grocery store to buy food, we had snacks at Turrubares in front of the plaza and then returned to the entrance of Verde Malakita until we reached the parking lot where there were only two cars. We got our stuff ready and went down to meet Charlie (the owner of the place).

We came across a fancy dining room with a wood stove where Charlie welcomed us, he explained a little about the place and his interest in sharing it with more people, then we started walking down the little path towards the river (it's super close).

We arrived at the first waterfall (not so big), the beauty of this place was something else, the water is a paradisiacal green color delicious splash-perfect crystal-clear, there is also a rope tied from a tree to swing yourself like Tarzan. Since there was a waterfall above, we preferred to continue to the other one (bigger) to check it out ...

The path that leads upwards was a bit more technical but there is still a stable rope to hold on to, so in less than 5 minutes we were standing in front of the other waterfall and it was even more epic (because of the size) but the water was obviously the same color. Then we got out of our clothes and dove in the water for a long time. It’s incredible that the water of this waterfall stays so yummy during the summer, that means it comes from springs that come from the mountain and for this reason, it is so pure. Honestly, the water was delicious and the place perfect. The waterfall is not huge but it is big and it is between some nice sized stones.

After that, we went to the one below where only Glori and Tavo got into the water, while Karla and I took pictures and videos of their foolishness. After a little while, more people arrived, some local Vikings jumped from a height of 10 meters.

Around noon we went to see the other pools that are downstream, all under the shade of trees where you can chill, and they’re actually pretty decent for kids since they are not very deep. One tip though, get there early, they open at 830am so it’s empty then but at around 11am people start arriving.

After seeing the pools we went to the dining room of Verde Malakita to devour a typical meal with fresh guanabana juice prepared by the ladies, then we went to the car and back home.

March 2018