Bajos del Toro

Bajos del Toro sits in a high valley between volcanoes, wet, green and cool, and it has quietly become the country's waterfall capital without ever reaching the visitor numbers of Arenal or Monteverde. Catarata del Toro drops into a collapsed volcanic crater in a single long fall, viewed from a platform or reached by a steep stairway to the base. Nearby, the Blue Falls network threads a private reserve where the water runs an implausible turquoise from mineral content, with several falls and pools on one trail. Above the valley, Poás volcano's acid crater lake is one of the largest in the world, visible from a viewing platform on a timed-entry system when volcanic conditions allow.

The landscape

• Catarata del Toro - a long single drop into an old volcanic crater.
• Blue Falls of Costa Rica - turquoise pools and multiple falls on one private reserve trail.
• Poás volcano crater - the acid lake viewed from the platform, subject to activity closures.
• Cloud forest trails - cool green forest with hummingbirds and quetzals in season.

When to go

December to April is drier and the roads are easier, though this is cloud forest and rain is always possible. Mornings are far clearer than afternoons, especially at Poás, where cloud usually closes the crater view by mid-morning.

What to expect

The descents to the waterfall bases are steep, wet and hard on knees, and the climbs back are worse. Everything here is a private reserve with its own entrance fee, so a full day costs more than a single national park. Poás requires advance timed tickets and closes without warning when gas levels rise. Roads are narrow, winding and often foggy.

Nearby

La Fortuna and Arenal are a couple of hours north; San José and the airport are close.