This is a list of rivers in
Costa Rica.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Caribbean Sea
*
San Juan River
**
Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...
(distributary)
***
Chirripó River
**
Sarapiquí River
***
***
Sucio River
**San Carlos River
***
Arenal River
**
Pocosol River
**''Lake Nicaragua (Nicaragua)''
***
Frío River
****
Sabogal River
****
Celeste River
Celeste River () is a river in Tenorio Volcano National Park of Costa Rica. 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 ...
(Buenavista River)
***
Zapote River
***
Niño River (Pizote River)
***
Sapoá River
*
Suerte River
*
*
Reventazón River
The Reventazón River, , (), is a river in Costa Rica.
Geography
Reventazón River forms part of the Reventazón-Parismina drainage basin, it is long and flows into the Caribbean sea. It starts at the base of the Irazú Volcano, passing t ...
**
Parismina River
***
Jiménez River
**
Atirro River
**
Pejibaye River
**
Orosí River
*
Pacuare River
The Pacuare River, or the Río Pacuare, in Costa Rica has its source in the Cordillera de Talamanca and flows approximately to the Caribbean. It is a popular location for white water rafting, whitewater kayaking and riverboarding. The rain ...
*
Matina River
**
Chirripó Duchi River (Chirripó Atlañtico River)
*
Banano River
*
Estrella River
The Estrella River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 15, 2011 tributary river in eastern San Luis Obispo County, California. The river forms at the confluence o ...
*
Sixaola River
**
Yorkin River
**
Uren River
**
Lari River Lari River is a river of Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to th ...
**
Coen River
The Coen River is a river located in the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia.
The headwaters of the river rise at the confluence of Pandanus Creek and an unnamed creek near Bend along the Peninsula Developmental Road in the Great ...
**
Telire River
Pacific Ocean
*
Tamarindo River
*
Nosara River
*
Tempisque River
The Tempisque River, or Río Tempisque, is long, located entirely in Costa Rica flowing from the Guanacaste Cordillera near the Orosí Volcano and emptying into the Gulf of Nicoya. It passes through the Palo Verde National Park and is an impor ...
**
Bebedero River
Bebedero River is a river of Costa Rica. The length of the Bebedero River is and originates from Tenorio Volcano.
Fauna
Bebedero river's fauna consists of the boat billed night heron, American crocodile, green iguana, little blue heron juveni ...
***
Cañas River
***
Piedras River
***
Corobicí River
The Corobicí River, or the Rio Corobicí, in Costa Rica is a tributary of the Tempisque River. Originating from the southern slopes of the Tenorio Volcano in the Guanacaste Mountains, the river flows southerly, descending through tropical dry ...
****
Tenorio River
The Tenorio River in Costa Rica rises near the Tenorio Volcano where it becomes a fast moving river, with some areas of rapids popular for white-water rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use ...
**
Cañas River
**
Salto River
**
Liberia River
**
Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...
*
Abangares River
*
Lagarto River
*
Guacimal River
Guacimal River (Spanish: ''Rio Guacimal'') is a river of Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North Am ...
*
Aranjuez River
The Aranjuez () is a river in Costa Rica that has its source in the mountains and crosses the Guatusos province of Puntarenas. Its basin is about in area. It empties into the Gulf of Nicoya, in the Pacific Ocean. It takes its name from the ancien ...
*
Barranca River
*
Jesús María River
*
Tárcoles River
*
Pirris River
*
Naranjo River
*
Savegre River
*
Térraba River
Térraba River ( Spanish: ''Río Grande de Térraba''), in the southern Brunca region of Costa Rica, is the largest river in that country.
The indigenous Boruca language name is ''Diquís'' which means "great river". Its basin is and it is ...
**
Coto Brus River
**
General River
***
Chirripó Pacifico River
*
Sierpe River
*
Coto Colorado River
*
Río Ceibo[Case area in Costa Rica: The Terraba River basin](_blank)
LiveDiverse, p. 33. Retrieved: 2012-11-05.
*
Chacuaco River
*
Claro River (Costa Rica)
*
Colón River
*
Conte River
*
Diamante River (Costa Rica)
*
Jaba River (Costa Rica)
*
La Palma River
*
Limón River (Costa Rica)
*
Negro River (Costa Rica)
*
Rincón River
*
Riyito River (Costa Rica)
*
Síngrí River
*
Tigre River (Costa Rica)
*
Volcán River
Volcán River is the river tributary to the Maipo River. Its course lies completely in the Andes of the Santiago Metropolitan Region. The river and its tributaries drain, among other areas, the Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chil ...
See also
*
Water resources management in Costa Rica
*
List of rivers of the Americas by coastline
This list of rivers of the Americas by coastline includes the major coastal rivers of the Americas arranged by country. A link to a map of rivers with known coordinates is listed at right. The ocean coasts are demarcated as follows:
*Arctic O ...
References
* Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993.
*
CIA map, 1987.
Instituto Costarricense de Turismo map 2007.
*,
GEOnet Names Server
The GEOnet Names Server (GNS), sometimes also referred to in official documentation as Geographic Names Data or geonames in domain and email addresses, is a service that provides access to the United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ...
{{North America topic, List of rivers of
*
Costa Rica
Rivers
Costa Rica