Swimming Below La Fortuna Waterfall, Costa Rica

Taken February 2019

A swimmer floats in the turquoise pool beneath La Fortuna Waterfall in Costa Rica's tropical forest.
A swimmer floats in the turquoise pool beneath La Fortuna Waterfall in Costa Rica's tropical forest.

La Fortuna Waterfall drops roughly 70 meters into a pool fed by the Río Fortuna, near the base of Arenal Volcano in northern Costa Rica. The site sits within a privately protected reserve of tropical forest reached by a steep trail from the parking area. Swimming is permitted in the plunge pool, though park rules keep visitors a set distance back from the base of the falls due to falling rock and strong currents. The waterfall formed where the river cuts through a lava terrace tied to the Arenal volcanic system, which has shaped much of the surrounding landscape over the past several thousand years.

Taken February 2019

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