The Everyday Travel Guide to Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
by Rebecca Hollman
updated May 11, 2018
Introduction to Rincón de la Vieja:
Rincón de la Vieja is an active volcano located in the northwest of Costa Rica- about 40 minutes away from the city of Liberia. In Spanish, Rincón de la Vieja means "Old Woman's Corner" in reference to an old legend about an old woman with healing powers that lived on the volcano. Rincón de la Vieja is one of only three active volcanoes in Costa Rica- the other two being Turrialba and Poás. The Rincón de la Vieja National Park also encompasses the Santa María and Cerro Van Seebach volcanoes. The park has tons of wildlife, including over 300 species of birds and mammals like monkeys, kinkajous, coatis, peccaries and jaguars. Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park is the hottest and driest national park in Costa Rica with an average temperature of 80-87º F (26-31º C). The park protects over 14,000 hectares of cloud forests, tropical rainforest-uplands, tropical rainforest-lowlands and tropical dry forests.
Table of Contents
Guachipelin Hotel:
Right outside the entrance to Sector Las Pailas of the national park is a hotel called Guachipelin Hotel. This hotel owns a lot of the land around the national park and offers many other activities associated with the volcano, but NOT associated with the national park itself. To enter the national park, keep driving past the Simbiosis Spa sign, the sign that says parking for a "catarata" and the restaurant until you reach a green building where the road dead ends. This building is the official entrance into the park. Guachipelin Hotel offers trails to another waterfall- Catarata Oropendula- and to hot springs. These are also nice features but require paying a separate entrance fee to the hotel which will not grant you access to the Rincón de la Vieja trails. Read more about the activities offered by Guachipelin below in the "Other Activities Close to Rincón de la Vieja" section.
Learn more about Guachipelin Hotel, their spa and tours they offer HERE
Hiking Rincón de la Vieja:
Trails Inside the Park (Las Pailas Sector):
1. Sendero Las Pailas
Distance: 3 km (1.86 mile)
Difficulty: Relatively easy loop
Why you should do it: Las Pailas translates to "The Cauldrons" or in this case- "The Mud Pots." This trail features highlights of the geothermal activity of the park and takes only an hour or two to complete. It goes past a waterfall, boiling mud pits, fumeroles and a "volcancito," or tiny volcano. It also meanders through the dry forest and really highlights the diverse terrain of the park.
Directions: Trailhead at Las Pailas Sector entrance building ($15 USD to enter the park)
2. Sendero Catarata le Cangreja
Distance: 5.1 km (3.17 miles) each way
Difficulty: Hard
Why you should do it: It is an extremely diverse trail that goes through thick jungle, dry forest, plains and then back into jungle. It really highlights the dryness of this park and rewards you with a refreshing swim in a waterfall at the end of it. The waterfall is extremely blue, cold and pretty isolated.
Directions: Trailhead at Las Pailas Sector entrance building ($15 USD to enter the park). They will not let you enter this trail past 12pm so make sure to get here early.
3. Sendero Catarata Escondida
Distance: 4.3 km (2.67 miles) each way
Difficulty: Moderate
Why you should do it: I think this trail should be done in addition to the Cangreja trail to make a 14.7 km (9.13 mile) round-trip trail. It is another unique waterfall but I would choose Cangreja over this one if I had limited time. Be well prepared with food and sunscreen if you plan to take on both waterfalls because this trail would take you most of the day.
Directions: Trailhead at Las Pailas Sector entrance building ($15 USD to enter the park). They will not let you enter this trail past 12pm so make sure to get here early.
4. Summit
Distance: 8 km each way
Difficulty: Hard
**The Summit Trail has been closed since 2016 due to volcanic activity- it is closed indefinitely**
Trails Inside the Park (Santa Maria Sector):
The Santa Maria sector of the park is harder to reach because of the distance from the main highway and also because of the condition of the road. It is possible to reach this sector by guided horseback tour and it is also connected by a 6km trail to the Las Pailas sector.
1. Sendero El Colibrí
Distance: 500 m
Difficulty: Easy
Why you should do it: Passes through an old sugar mill.
2. Sendero Pailas de Agua Fria
Distance: 1km one way / 2km round-trip
Difficulty: Easy
Why you should do it: Interesting geological feature where the volcanic activity creates cold water pots, instead of hot water, due to carbon dioxide.
3. Sendero Catarata Bosque Encantado
Distance: 1.5 km one way / 3 km round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Why you should do it: A small but beautiful waterfall that is very seldom visited by tourists. If you want a cold, fresh waterfall to sit in and enjoy your afternoon, this is the place. Very few people make it all the way out to the Santa Maria sector, so if you are trying to escape from the crowds and have waterfalls and hot springs to yourself- this would be the place to do it.
4. Sendero Aguas Termales
Distance: 3km one way / 6km round trip
Difficulty: Moderate
Why you should do it: Lovely 3 km walk through forest leads to a very remote hot springs. There are two pools of hot springs and also a cold water river that runs nearby so you can enjoy both temperatures of water.
Trails Outside of the Park:
1. Catarata Oropendula
Distance: 1 km each way
Difficulty: Easy
Why you should do it: A very quick, easy hike to a beautiful water and swimming hole. The water here is very cold but blue and beautiful. The water trickles out into a light blue river that can be followed down over some boulders. The trail also features a suspension bridge over the river and cliff jumping into the swimming hole.
Getting There:
Hours : 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday
You don’t need a 4×4 to reach Rincon de la Vieja. The Santa Maria sector has more unpaved roads so a high car/SUV will be more comfortable but it is not necessary.
"To Las Pailas sector: Coming from Liberia International Airport, drive to Liberia city (turn left out onto the main road from the airport). At the main intersection into Liberia (Santa Rosa plaza on your right, Burger King on your left, McDonalds in front of you), turn left. Drive about 3.5 kilometers and you will see many signs for “Rincon de la Vieja National Park Las Pailas sector.” Turn right into the entrance after the Ebais clinic on your left and continue on this road for about 20 kilometers to the national park entrance and the trail heads." [1]
To Santa Maria sector: Same way from Liberia except don’t turn into Las Pailas sector. You will see more signs for “Santa Maria” on the road, follow those (very good signage). [1]
Other Activities Close to Rincón de la Vieja:
1. Simbiosis Spa- Volcanic mud baths, volcanic clay water hot springs pools in the forest, a sauna, massages and body treatments offered by Hotel Guachipelin. A private spa experience. Prices start at $35 for entry but depend on the services you want.
Find out more information HERE
2. Rio Negro Hot Springs- Another feature of Guachipelin Hotel- the Rio Negro Hot Springs is a natural hot spring pool warmed from the volcanic activity nearby. Different from Simbiosis Spa, it is a more relaxed pool area for guests to soak in for a few hours. A nice way to end the day after hiking in the national park.
Times: Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily
Duration: As long as you like; usually 2 hours
Prices: Complimentary entrance for Hacienda Guachipelin hotel guests.
Day visitors: USD $30 adults (12+ years) / USD $20 children (4-11 years)
3. Horse Back Riding Tours- Hotel Guachipelin offers many different combinations of horseback riding tours starting at $27 per person. These tours include a combination of riding to different waterfalls, hot springs and into the park itself.
Find out more information about the different tours offered HERE
4. Rio Negro Tubing/White-water Rafting- Another activity offered through Guachipelin Hotel, this is a guided tour down 5km of class 2 and class 3 rapids. Part of the tour involves riding horses from the Hotel to the start of the river.
Learn more about the tour HERE
5. Waterfall Canyoning Tour- The last tour offered by Guachipelin is a canyoning tour that involves rappeling down a waterfall, top rope climbing and a swing through the waterfall itself. All equipment and the guide is included in the tour price.
Learn more about the tour HERE
6. Llanos de Cortez- This waterfall is located in the town of Bagaces, just 30 minutes south of Liberia and right off Highway 1. It is easily accessible from Liberia, Rincon de la Vieja, Miravalles, and even Tamarindo. There is a quick 15-20 minute hike to this free waterfall where you can swim in a pool formed from the falls. Since it is easily accessible (right off the highway) and free, it is a good option for a half day trip. Stop on the way into or out of Rincon de la Vieja if you want to have a dip in a refreshing natural pool.
Times: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM daily
Admission: Free but donations to the nearby schools are appreciated
Directions: Off Highway 1, approximately 30 minutes to the south of Liberia. Search Llanos de Cortes on Googlemaps and it will bring you to the small town of Llanos de Cortes by the falls. From there, you should see signs for the waterfall that lead to a big parking area.
7. Las Pumas Rescue Center- Las Pumas is a non-profit rescue center off Highway 1, close to Llanos de Cortez. It is a great educational center for children but is also a good stop for adults. This center mostly contains animals that are unfit to be returned to the wild and provides permanent homes for them. Some of these animals include jaguars, ocelots, margays, toucans, macaws, pumas, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, capuchins, peccaries, parrots, jaguarundis and many more. There are guides willing to give anyone a tour and most speak very good English.
Times: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily
Admission:
For nationals:
Children from 4 to 12 years old: ¢ 1,000 colones
Students over 12 years old: ¢ 2,000 colones
Adults: ¢ 3,000 colones
For foreigners:
Children and students (+12 years): $ 8 dollars
Adults: $ 12 dollars
Directions: 4.5 km from Cañas, on the way to Liberia on the InterAmerican Highway (Highway 1), Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
8. Miravalles Hot Springs- There are three main hot springs located near Miravalles. These are Yoko Termales, Colinas del Miravalles and Thermomania. Yoko Termales and Colinas del Miravalles are both hotels that offer day passes to their hot springs and pools. The pools at Yoko Termales surround a restaurant and bar. The pools at Colinas del Miravalles (view of the volcano from Colinas del Miravalles pictured below) are much more isolated. I would highly recommend this location at sunset into nighttime. Watching the sunset over the volcano is amazing and then staying in the warm pools into the night gives you an incredible view of the stars in the night sky. Thermomania is more of a water park featuring water slides and lots of kids.
9. Las Hornillas and Miravalles Volcano- Las Hornillas is at the base of Miravalles Volcano and allows visitors to walk across an active crater where there are hot water pools, boiling mud pits and fumeroles. After hiking around this area, spend the rest of the time enjoying the sauna, mud baths and hot springs.
Learn more about Las Hornillas HERE
