San Luis Morete Waterfall

Twenty kilometers from San Isidro de Pérez Zeledón, in the southern area of Costa Rica, the small community of Morete is home to the main attraction of the area: the San Luis waterfall, also called Las Lajas.

Twenty kilometers from the city of San Isidro de Pérez Zeledón, in the southern area of Costa Rica, is the small community of Morete.

It is a rustic little town with dirt roads that depends on coffee, livestock and visits from tourists who enjoy a couple of unique culinary experiences. The first is a restaurant where they keep the fish in ponds, ready to catch, scale, cook and serve. This place is called Jungle Fish. The second place is just outside of town and is called La Negrita Coffee and Bar, where they grill all kinds of meats served with a cold beer or a delicious locally grown coffee.

Despite being only about 20 kilometers from the nearest beach, in this case Uvita, this community is about 830 meters above sea level. Some hills surrounding the area reach 1,150 meters and are surrounded by clouds during the green season (May to November). This guarantees a very cool climate. Some small hotels operate in the area for mountaineering and jungle lovers.

Now it is time to talk about the main attraction of the area, the San Luis waterfall (Las Lajas).

The waterfall

While the village is called Morete, the parish of the village is dedicated to St. Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint of the sixteenth century. This is why the waterfall is known as San Luis de Morete. It is also known as Las Lajas waterfall, but it is easier to locate the community of Morete on the map than to look for this wonder by its alternative name.

We have an article about another wonder of nature between Pérez Zeledón and Dominical: Nauyaca Waterfalls

The water flows down a hillside about 150 meters high and crashes against a rocky base. The water slides about 50 meters more over rocks until it reaches a small pool. Swimming is not recommended because small pieces of rock are likely to fall off the slope. Even so, from a safe distance it is a wonderful view. The best view is when the top of the slope is covered by clouds, as if the water were falling directly from the sky.

Why go to Morete besides the waterfalls?

Because it is a beautiful place, a community in the middle of pastures, jungles and coffee plantations. The trip itself is perfect for off-road lovers. Even so, the road is not too bad for a normal vehicle.

It is a forest zone with crystalline rivers where Las Lajas is not the only waterfall. A few kilometers from Morete are the Diamante and Santa Lucía waterfalls.

The first one is to the east, on the way out to the road between Dominical and San Isidro. The second one is on the road to Uvita, on Calle Río Morete. On this route you can also find another small waterfall in the form of steps called “Las Gradas”, a small wonder where you can sit while the river water runs over your back.

There are also views of the Pacific Ocean from some of the mountains in the area. You don't need to leave the road to get these breathtaking views. Going through Morete is the scenic route to get from Pérez Zeledón to Uvita!

Conclusion

You can request a visit to the San Luis Morete waterfall as part of the South Tour, the Offroad Tour or the Free Ride. We are more than willing to take you there. If you are going there on your own, we recommend an all-terrain motorcycle or a 4x4 vehicle.

The South Tour, stage by stage: South Tour

The off-road version: Offroad Tour 7 days

Or a route built around what you want: Free Ride

We visited all these destinations before recommending them to our clients and readers.