Celeste River

Celeste River (Spanish pronunciation: [seˈleste]) is a river in Tenorio Volcano National Park of Costa Rica.[1] It is notable for its distinctive turquoise coloration. The Celeste River also borders several hot springs and has one large waterfall. It takes about an hour to hike to the waterfall from the park's entrance.[2]

Origin of color

The source of the river's distinctive turquoise color is not 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.

See also

Tubing in the Río Celeste

Tubing has become a popular outdoor activity near the Río Celeste, a strikingly blue river located in the northern region of Costa Rica, within the area of Tenorio Volcano National Park. This activity allows visitors to float down the river on individual inflatable tubes, surrounded by tropical forest and the area's unique biodiversity. Tubing tours take place outside the boundaries of the national park, in permitted sections of the river near the town of Katira.

Local tour operators offer guided tubing experiences with safety equipment and transportation. One such provider is Rio Celeste Experience, based in Katira, which specializes in tubing tours through calm and scenic parts of the Río Celeste.

References

  1. ^ Instituto Costarricense de Turismo map Archived 2009-01-26 at the Wayback Machine, 2007. (in Spanish)
  2. ^ Stater, Adam. "The Celeste River".
  3. ^ Castellon, E.; et al. (2013). PLoS ONE, vol. 8, p. 1-10. Article


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