Just outside of the large city of Liberia in Guanacaste, you’ll find an amazing river system. It’s called Poza Los Coyotes, and it’s one of my favorite places in all of Costa Rica. In this blog post we’ll detail how to get there and what you can expect at this tourism hotspot.
Poza translates to pool in English. You’ll find this word describing locations that are on rivers and have a naturally formed area where you can swim. Keep an eye out on Google Maps for other Pozas in Costa Rica, or check out our Youtube channel for more videos with locations like this one.
Visit our Shop Page for a packing list of items I find useful when travelling. Don’t forget to pick up some sunscreen before spending a day at a location like Poza Los Coyotes.
Close To Liberia
Poza Los Coyotes is very close to Liberia and the International Airport. It’s a great destination to visit if your vacation is being spent in any of the surrounding locations. Places like Tamarindo, Playas del Coco and La Fortuna are within a day trip driving distance.
To find Poza Los Coyotes from Liberia, you’ll start by driving north on Route 1. This is the main highway which runs north/south through the province of Guanacaste. Drive about 10 kilometers, and you’ll see a clearly marked sign for Poza Los Coyotes. To ensure you don’t miss the sign, you can program the location into both Waze and Google Maps.
Once you turn on right, you’ll find a long gravel road. This road is very well maintained. Aside from a couple slightly rutted locations, it’s a very easeful drive. Just about any vehicle can make the trip to the final location.
You’ll be driving about 5 kilometers along this gravel road, be sure to watch for wildlife in the trees as your driving. You never know what you’ll see in Costa Rica. You’ll eventually reach an intersection where you’ll stay straight for just a short distance further.
Arrival At Coyotes
When you arrive at Poza Los Coyotes, there’s a clearly marked gate with attendant. The cost to enter at this location is 1000 colones/person. This is about $2USD. On our arrival, we were advised to park immediately at the gate and walk the remainder of the way down to the river. This was due to it being rainy season and the road being rough. On days I’ve visited in the dry season, we are able to drive right down to the river for parking.
About 200 meters down this road, there’s a station renting out life jackets and inflatable tubes for 1000 colones. At the location where the equipment rentals are, the paths split in 3 main ways. Depending on what you’d like to see first, you can take your gear for a short hike.
Three Distinct Locations
Try out these excellent water shoes for locations like Poza Los Coyotes. They’re fully wrap your feet to stay on while your swimming. They have a sole as well so they’re great for hiking the trails.
The first area, which is north along the river, will take you to a really nice area where you can jump in the water. We tried some higher jumps from about 20 feet after testing the depth ourselves. You can float around this area with an inner tube. If you venture further upriver there’s a cool little waterfall with a shallow area to relax. When we visiting the Pozas it had rained, so the water was a bit deeper in this part.
The second branch of path will take you do a picturesque part of the river, where water has cut through the rocks over time. The result is a strong current with small waterfalls and little pools of water which leads further into this chasm. The gentleman from the tube rental assisted us with locating the path to go directly down to the water where it’s power is clearly on display. It was a very memorable experience.
The third path, which is south from the rentals, will take you about 400 meters along the water. You can’t see the river from most of the path. Eventually you’ll find a slight hill which will take you to the bottom of the cascading waterfalls. This is where the inflatable tubes would be handy, as you will be able to float into the canyon with the rocks towering above you on either side.
Add It To Your Itinerary!
On the day we came, closing time at 6pm was soon, and the water appeared to be very powerful. For young kids it, the outflow from the canyons may have been too powerful to accomplish. Of course, in dry season with less daily rain and less powerful current, I anticipate that the canyon would be a very easeful and enjoyable swim.
Consider the cost and the proximity to Liberia, I highly recommend visiting Poza Los Coyotes. The water is blue as can be, and the flora is incredible.
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