Hiking Mountain Celaque
Day trip to a view of the waterfall: 5h, easy walk
A nature hike along rivers and streams leading to an amazing viewpoint. You are walking constantly in forest so no hot sun, take a snack, water and insect spray. You will appreciate a mixed forest with a sub-vegetation of ferns, orchids, epiphytes and bromeliads.
Take a tuktuk to the entrance of the park (0h, 1200 mts), pay the $10 entrance fee and start hiking for on the road to the visitors center. (1/2h). Continue behind the visitors center towards the river. (You might want to climb the observation tower).
Cross the river over an improvised bridge and continue to the right, following more or less the river till you get to another wooden bridge over a stream. Cross this bridge and start walking zigzag uphill until you get to a rest place with a view point (1½h).
Continue uphill until the next rest place (2h) and further to the junction (2¼ h, 1800 mts). The left is towards the summit but you go right to El Mirador a beautiful trail with lots of orchids and bromeliads with El Mirador at the end (3h, 2000 mts). The return trip takes about 2h.
You do not need a guide for this trip, it is well marked but we recommend a guide: you learn about nature, birds and history.
Short walks
There are short walks as well starting at the visitors center: Liquidambar trail is about 45 min and the
climb to La Ventana about 20 min, the observation tower is just after the visitors center.
To the summit
To the summit is a two day hike that should be done with a guide. There are tour options available for about $100 per person, the tour includes transport to the starting point in El Naranjito, guide and gear. (senderismo tours, servitours Romero).
