This was an incredibly muddy hike to a gorgeous waterfall and rivers that had turquoise blue water.

Being that this the muddiest hike we have ever been on, plus 253 steps up and down from the base of the waterfall, it was a challenging expedition to find the waterfall and rivers.

I was so proud of the kids for making it all the way.

Why is the water so turquoise? The source of the river’s distinctive turquoise color is not a due to a chemical species but to a physical phenomenon known as Mie scattering.[3] Celeste River is fed by two colorless rivers, the Buenavista River and Sour Creek. Buenavista River carries a large concentration of aluminosilicate particles with a small diameter. Sour Creek, as its name implies, has a high acidity due to volcanic activity. When these two streams mix to form Celeste River, the drop in pH causes the aluminosilicate particles to aggregate and enlarge to a diameter of about 566 nm. These suspended particles produce Mie scattering which gives the river a strong turquoise color.

#costarica #tenorio #turquoise