Costa Rica River Dip in Rio Jesus Maria

This weekend my boyfriend took me to a beautiful river where he and his family would often go when he was a little boy.  The river is known as Rio Jesus Maria and is located in the canton of Esparza, Costa Rica in the town of San Rafael.  As we parked our car and walked downhill to get to the river, I was surprised to see so many locals picnicking and sunbathing along the it's banks.  There were so many people,in fact, that we had a hard time finding an open spot to lay down our towels and blankets.  We finally decided to cross the river, where very few people dared to venture, using the huge protruding rocks as stepping stones to get across.

My Boyfriend Crossing the River

Safely across on the other side, we laid out our blankets and sat quietly enjoying the sound of rushing water all around us and admiring the beautiful scenery.  I especially liked the quaint brick bridge that framed the river to the right of us.  The bridge (captured below) reminded me of one that I've seen in so many famous photographs and movies.

Brick Bridge on Rio Jesus Maria

 

Me, Climbing the Large Rocks on the River's Banks

The water, cool as it was, was a refreshing break on this hot day.  Little fish could be seen in the clear river water swimming all around us.  Sometimes they'd even peck gently at our legs and arms.  Everyone else seemed to pack up and leave at about 3pm, which left me and my boyfriend to enjoy this surreal natural setting all to ourselves.

Access to Rio Jesus Maria was free, except for having to pay $1.00 for parking.  You can find the river by turning right off of Hwy 1 onto Hwy 131 (at the intersection that the locals call the "Cruces a Nances"), and following the road up the hill for about 5 km.  The parking lot is on the left side in a Bar-Restaurant called "Las Damas".  All in all, my experience at the Rio Jesus Maria was a great adventure.  And definitley one that I hope to repeat often.