Tenorio Volcano National Park
Tenorio Volcano's national park is home to the famous Río Celeste — turquoise blue river, volcanic fumaroles and pristine cloud forest.
UPL · MRUP · Costa Rica
Upala Airport
Upala — Northern Plains. 40 min to Río Celeste.
Runway
1200m
Surface
Asphalt
Elevation
78m
Hours
6am-5pm
Book your private flight to Upala
Airport at a glance
Upala — Costa Rica
Upala is not a tourist town. It is a working agricultural centre in Costa Rica's northern lowlands, 12 kilometres from the Nicaraguan border, surrounded by cattle pasture, sugar cane and bean fields, with the Miravalles and Tenorio volcanoes on the southern horizon. Almost nobody flies here to see Upala.
They fly here because of what sits within an hour of it: Río Celeste, the river in Tenorio Volcano National Park whose water turns an improbable turquoise at the exact point where two clear streams converge — a genuine optical phenomenon caused by aluminosilicate particles scattering light. And Caño Negro, a wetland refuge on the Río Frío that is among the best birdwatching sites in Central America.
Runway 04/22, 1,000 metres by 12 metres, asphalt, at 56 metres elevation. ICAO: MRUP. Coordinates: 10°53′31″N, 85°00′58″W. Daylight operations.
A thousand metres on flat lowland ground with no significant terrain in the immediate approach makes UPL an easy field by Costa Rican standards. It handles the Cessna Caravan class comfortably.
Getting there
Upala Airport — Getting there
San José to Upala is around four hours by road, over the mountains and down into the lowlands. The charter is about 37 minutes.
More useful in practice is the lateral connection: Upala to La Fortuna is a short hop by air against a winding hour-and-a-half drive, which makes a combined Arenal–Río Celeste–Caño Negro itinerary practical rather than punishing.
Connections. Upala connects by charter to San José (~37 min) and to La Fortuna, Liberia and Tamarindo.
| San José | ~37 min | ~4 h |
| La Fortuna | salto corto | ~1.5 h |
Nearby
Things to do near Upala
Río Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park are roughly 45 minutes to an hour southeast by road. The park's trail runs about six kilometres return, past the teñideros — the confluence where the colour appears — a waterfall, hot springs and a blue lagoon. The colour is genuinely startling and genuinely fickle: after heavy rain, sediment can dull it for days, which is worth knowing before committing.
Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge is about an hour northeast. In the wet season it becomes a vast shallow lake; in the dry season it contracts to channels that concentrate wildlife dramatically. Boat trips regularly produce jabiru storks, roseate spoonbills, anhingas, caimans, Nicaraguan slider turtles and howler monkeys. Serious birders rate it alongside anywhere in the country.
Miravalles and Rincón de la Vieja volcanoes are within reach to the west and southwest, with geothermal hot springs and mud fields on both flanks.
Upala also functions as a back door to La Fortuna and the Arenal region, roughly an hour and a half southeast by road.
Tenorio Volcano National Park and Río Celeste. Caño Negro wildlife refuge. Llanos de Cortés waterfall, southwest towards Bagaces. The Miravalles geothermal field and its hot springs. Rincón de la Vieja National Park. And, for anyone interested in a Costa Rica that has nothing to do with tourism, Upala itself — a border town with a large Nicaraguan-Costa Rican community and a Saturday market that is entirely unposed.
Upala's Saturday market draws growers from across the northern lowlands and is the best place in the region to see what the land actually produces.
Río Celeste
Río Celeste is one of Costa Rica's most photographed natural wonders — a bright turquoise river running through Tenorio Volcano National Park.
Luxury Lodge — Tropical Forest, Upala
Exclusive jungle lodge experience near Tenorio — total immersion in pristine tropical forest, far from mass tourism circuits.
Birdwatching — Tenorio & Miravalles
The Northern Plains' wetlands and forests host exceptional birdlife — jabiru storks, toucans and resplendent quetzals in a single day.
Nature Photography — Northern Plains
The Tenorio and Miravalles volcanic region offers extraordinary nature photography opportunities — dramatic volcanic landscapes, wildlife and Río Celeste.
Pre-Dawn Birding Expedition — Caño Negro
Private 4am departure from Upala to Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge — spotting jabiru storks before dawn, roseate spoonbills in first light and the rare sungrebe in the reed beds. Private boat, expert guide and guaranteed species encounters.
Night Kayak — Río Frío & Caimans
Night kayak expedition on the Río Frío from Los Chiles — spotlighting spectacled caimans, fishing bats and the impressive riverside wildlife of the Nicaragua border region. Private guide, safety equipment, headlamps and cold drinks included.
Helicopter — Northern Plains Aerial Survey
Private helicopter circuit over the Northern Plains from Upala — aerial views of Caño Negro's flooded lagoons, the Tenorio Volcano Río Celeste watershed, and the vast wetland system stretching to the Nicaraguan border.
When to fly
When to fly
The northern lowlands sit on the Caribbean-influenced side of the divide and are wetter and less seasonal than the Pacific. Rain is possible in any month. The relatively drier stretch runs from roughly February to April; the wettest from about September to November.
Because Río Celeste's colour depends on sediment load, and because the road to the park deteriorates in heavy rain, the drier months are meaningfully better for this specific itinerary — not just for flying, but for the thing you came to see.
From $1,628
Fly from UPL to
Cóbano · 39 min · $2,066Drake Bay · 73 min · $2,821Golfito · 81 min · $3,083La Fortuna · 25 min · $1,665Liberia · 25 min · $2,268Limón · 63 min · $2,689Nosara · 37 min · $2,251Palmar Sur · 71 min · $2,724Pérez Zeledón · 59 min · $2,316Puerto Jiménez · 81 min · $3,109Quepos · 51 min · $2,077San José (Pavas) · 41 min · $1,628San José · 39 min · $1,896Tamarindo · 34 min · $2,276Tambor · 38 min · $2,005Tortuguero · 47 min · $2,152
FAQ
Upala Airport — Frequently asked questions
What is the runway length at Upala (UPL)?
1,000 metres by 12 metres of asphalt, runway 04/22, at 56 m elevation. ICAO: MRUP.
How long is the flight from San José to Upala?
About 37 minutes, against roughly four hours by road.
How far is Río Celeste from Upala Airport?
Roughly 45 minutes to an hour by road to the Tenorio Volcano National Park entrance.
Why is Río Celeste blue?
Aluminosilicate particles at the confluence of two clear streams scatter light, producing the turquoise colour. Heavy rain can temporarily dull it.
Is Caño Negro worth the trip?
For birdwatching, yes — it is among the most productive wetland sites in Central America, roughly an hour from Upala.
When is the best time to visit this region?
February to April is the relatively driest window and the most reliable for both flying and for Río Celeste's colour.