Blue River Resort & Hot Springs

Blue River Resort & Hot Springs sits on the Caribbean-facing side of Rincón de la Vieja volcano, in Gavilán de Dos Ríos, Upala — reached by a road that crosses Costa Rica's continental divide. The property draws on one of roughly a dozen thermal vents scientifically documented in this sector (Guillermo E. Alvarado Induni, ed., "Las aguas minerales y termales de Costa Rica," Editorial UCR), where waters emerge between 48 and 68 °C and mix with rivers tinted blue-white by volcanic sediment. A 2026 laboratory analysis of the resort's own source measured 54.8 °C water at pH 6.3, rich in sodium, calcium and potassium with a distinctive iron content. Three natural hot spring pools and two freshwater pools (one with a waterslide) sit among 700 species of botanical garden, alongside a butterfly sanctuary, hummingbird gardens, a natural mud bath and sauna, a spa, and a life-size Dino Park — about 90 minutes from Liberia International Airport.