Villa Serenidad sits atop a gorge overlooking the River Cacao. The private access road to the river runs right next to our house and makes for an enjoyable morning stroll. The road is only traveled by the local farmer in his tractor and not really designed for cars or trucks making it an ideal place for a hike.
The photos shown were taken in March during the dry season. If traveling during the wet season, you will notice a lot more green and likely a lot more water. Let common sense and your hiking experience dictate your travels. The hike covers about a 75 meter (245′) elevation change from our house down to the river. It’s a pretty gentle slope.
What to bring? I’d recommend shoes or boots, a bottle of drinking water, sunscreen as needed, a towel, a walking stick and proper attire if you want to take a dip in the river. You are venturing into the wild a little bit, don’t be surprised if you see monkeys or other animals, lizards, snakes, birds and more. A camera is a nice addition and if you get some good photos, share them on our Facebook page!
Leaving from the house, you may come upon a fence just a short ways into the hike. The neighborhood farmer uses it to corral his cattle. It may be electrified, I have not tested it 😉 If it needs to be opened, use the insulated blue handle!
Just beyond the fence post the road is cut into the side of the hill and makes for some nice views over the coffee plantations across the river.
A little further down, you will find a T in the road. The easier path is to the left on the main road. For our adventure, we went to the right and off the beaten path a little bit.
The road to the right gets pretty rough with loose rocks and some deep ruts. Once at the bottom, take a left and there are some beautiful wide open spaces. Picnic time anyone? It’s highly unlikely you’ll come across anyone down here. Relax, unwind, have some water, enjoy beautiful Costa Rica.
When taking the earlier path to the right, there isn’t a “trail” that meets back up with the road to the left but if you’re a little bit adventurous and the river isn’t too high, you can make your way along the river and hook up with the road from the left. In between, you’ll come across a beautiful little waterfall. There are a number of small waterfalls along the river in this area. So peaceful and serene, we love it here. A great place to cool off on a hot sunny day.
Traveling further along the river and the small bluffs, you will come around to the road that went left earlier. You can follow it further down the river or head back up the hill to the house. If heading back to the house from here, it was about an hour long journey our first time. Your mileage may vary 🙂 
Not ones for a lot of selfies, it hard to pass up getting a photo in such a gorgeous location. It gets warm in Costa Rica, plan on sweating a little bit when getting off the beaten path. We plan on exploring considerably more on our next trip and will share our adventures. In the meantime, when you visit Villa Serenidad, let us know how you enjoyed the river walk. Pura Vida!
For those interested, here’s the GPS map of our hike. I can’t say for sure how accurate the map or readings are but you get the general idea.
Villa Serenidad 