Rincon de la Vieja National Park lies in the northwest corner of Costa Rica in the Guanacaste province, harboring a great deal of natural resources. With 32 permanent rivers and 16 intermittent streams, this area provides a large portion of water to Guanacaste and houses a myriad of wildlife.
It’s a fairly large national park at 14,127 square hectares (35131 square acres) so you can spend a couple days in the park hiking the trails and experiencing the gems inside. If you only have one day, you can do a combination tour so you get a taste of all the park has to offer.
We’ve done a few combination tours but hiking Rincon de la Vieja National Park is truly the best activity for those who want to see the park in all its glory and beauty. With 7 different trails all leading to different viewpoints, waterfalls and other wonderful natural attractions, there’s no doubt that this is one of the top for experiencing the tropical dry forest.
If you’re planning on visiting or hiking Rincon de la Vieja National Park, here are our tips.
What would you like to read about first? Click the section to skip to it.
- About the park
- Hours and fee
- Location
- The hiking trails
- Where to sleep
- Combination tours
- Tips for visiting
Rincon de la Vieja National Park Facts
Rincon de la Vieja, or Old Woman’s Nook is a huge volcano at 1,895 meters tall and active with nine identified volcanic cones. It is 1 of 5 of the Cordillera de Guanacaste (Guanacaste mountain range), being the most easily accessible.
It was created back on May 10th, 1974 and is the Protected Wildlife Area is divided into 2 sectors: Santa Maria and Pailas. This national park is especially famous for its large geothermic activity and secondary volcanic activity. The ICE company even has plants in the park, studying and using the natural gas as energy.
Though it is one of the driest national parks in Costa Rica, it still has many rivers and plenty of flora and fauna such as monkeys, agoutis and birds call this area home.
Rincon de la Vieja National Park Entrance Fee and Hours
Rincon de la Vieja National Park hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 7 AM to 3 PM (Pailas Sector). The Santa Maria Sector is open every day from 8 AM to 4 PM.
The Rincon de la Vieja Natoinal Park entrance fee is $15 for adult foreigners and $5 for children ages 6-12.
Location and Directions to Rincon de la Vieja National Park
How to get to Rincon de la Vieja National Park: 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.
There is a parking lot where the administration office is, which is where you’ll buy the entrance tickets.
Rincon de la Vieja National Park Map and Hiking Trails
There are 7 hiking trails in Rincon de la Vieja National Park. Depending on your group’s physical condition, you can do an easy 3 kilometer (1.86 miles) loop around the boiling mud pots, walk a little further to Catarata Escondida/La Cangreja at 4.3 kilometers (2.67 miles) or climb 8 kilometers (4.97 miles) to the volcano summit.
*The trail to the crater summit is currently closed as of March 2016 due to volcanic activity. Call the national park information center before you go to check if it’s open.*
Sendero Las Pailas (Boiling mud pots trail) – 3 kilometers loop
For our first trip, we did the easy 3 kilometers loop to the Rincon de la Vieja boiling mud pots.
This trail leads to several different interesting things to see: volcancito (little volcano), a seasonal waterfall, water pools, mud pools and the mud pots.
This trail is very easy, no steeps paths, no switchbacks, just lots of forest and a small hanging bridge.
Excellent option for those who aren’t interested in hiking more than a mile or so or with those who can’t. It won’t take more than an hour to hike the whole loop, even with stopping here and there.
The first half of the trail was under the cool forest canopy with a nice breeze and fresh air. It’s normally very hot in Guanacaste but at the park you’re a few hundred meters up, so it’s a bit cooler normally with a breeze.
Once you walk out of the forest, you encounter this everlasting landscape. All you see is the the mountain range, forest and clear skies ahead of you. It’s amazing how polar opposite the landscape is like in dry season, since most of it is so yellow!
Near halfway of the loop, you encounter the seasonal waterfall. They aren’t joking when they named this waterfall, as you can see it’s barely a trickle! This was taken in February but during rainy season this waterfall is completely flowing.
There are two areas where you could observe the mud pots on the trail, one of which looked like a little lake (laguna fumarolica). The sulfuric smell isn’t too overwhelming and the bubbling wasn’t very intense but starting at it, you realize that this is just one small ingredient to a powerful volcano’s recipe of existence.
Further down the trail, we reach Volcanito (little volcano). This is a great option for those who can’t/don’t want to hike to the summit. You still see a small volcano and this one is really bubbling!
It’s boiling so much that they reach up to at least a foot and you can hear the splattering of mud meters away when the sulfuric smell slowly penetrates your senses. Watch the video to see the mud!
Boiling mud pots may not seem like the most exciting things, but it’s something you definitely don’t see every day and you don’t see in other national parks in Costa Rica. During our hike we encountered several different animals such as coatis and lots of birds so do keep your eyes and ears open.
Sendero Catarata La Cangreja (La Cangreja waterfall trails 5.1 kilometers)
If you’re in the mood for a tougher hike and want to see a gorgeous waterfall in the desert, head the opposite direction of the mud pots trail to the Sendero Cataratas.
It starts off as one trail and branches off to two different waterfalls. If you want to visit both, make sure to get there early and you have plenty of food and water because combined, the trails are 10.4 kilometers (6.5 miles) one way.
We chose to hike the Rincon de la Vieja waterfall as it has a nice pool to swim in. Catarata Escondida is smaller and isn’t quite as “sparkly” (the Cangreja waterfall is known as the blue lagoon).
We set off towards the east (walk up to the left from the entrance office, past a gate) and headed into the forest. For the first half of this trail, you’re under the forest canopy so it was nice and shady.
You have to cross a few small rivers and some parts of the trail under the forest is a bit hilly. Be prepared for when you go back, the last few hundred meters of this trail is very steep!
Soon you’ll notice less and less trees until you get to a clearing. This part, besides the waterfall is the most spectacular part of the hike. You’re in the middle of the national park with the volcanoes, rolling hills and various layers of yellow grass and green forests around you. It took my breath away as soon as we entered the open field.
It’s hard to imagine that there is a waterfall in the middle of there somewhere!
The last part of the trail past the sign gets quite steep and I had to get down on my hands and knees to balance myself. As soon as that part is over, you reach your reward. A tall, sparkling waterfall crashing down into a bright blue pool. We wasted no time jumping into the water, after a very hot and sweaty 2 hour hike!
The water is so refreshing and there are many rocks around to relax on. We spent an hour or so at the waterfall, cooling ourselves off and re-energizing for the walk back.
If you can only hike to one waterfall, I recommend the La Cangreja one over the Esecondida. However, this trail is longer. It’s easy for most of it, but there is a difficult section near the end that is quite steep and has tall steps with lots of rocks so it wouldn’t be wise for senior citizens or those with disabilities.
It took us 2 hours to get to the waterfall since we stopped a lot to take pictures and videos. It took us 1 hour and 25 minutes to get back without stopping. The trail is a total of 10.2 kilometers, which is 6.33 miles. We didn’t see much wildlife during this hike but we saw spider monkeys on our way back!
Rincon de la Vieja Hotels
There are several lodges and haciendas in the Rincon de la Vieja area for those who want to stay close to the national park. The closest one is Hacienda Guachipelin and Canyon de la Vieja (Las Pailas sector). Buena Vista Lodge and Hotel Borinquen are further away. Hotel Borinquen is the most luxurious of all of them, situated deep into the forest on a huge property with very nice, rustic rooms.
Rincon de la Vieja National Park Tours
Many of the lodges offer adventure tours such as Buena Vista, Guachipelin, Borinquen and Canyon de la Vieja.
Most of them include a canopy tour, horseback riding, hot springs and a mud bath. Guachipelin has a 5 km white water tubing and Buena Vista has a waterslide. All of them are super fun!
There are also a couple other waterfalls worth a visit in/near the park such as Catarata Oropendola (at the parking lot right below the main parking lot of the admissions office). The Guachipelin tour takes you to another set of waterfalls that you can jump off of!
Tips for Visiting and Hiking Rincon de la Vieja National Park
- You don’t necessarily have to have a 4X4 for driving in the park. It is not paved but it is not terrible.
- Bring plenty of water and snacks as there are no places to buy either. There is a hose with drinkable water at the admissions office but bring at least 1 liter for each person if you plan to hike the waterfalls trail.
- I highly suggest bringing an insulated water bottle to keep your water nice and cold. It gets very hot so water in a plastic bottle will get hot enough to make soup in a short time!
- A hat, sunscreen and sunglasses are an absolute must. Because it’s much drier in this park, mosquitoes aren’t very bad.
- As for shoes, the Las Pailas 3 trail is very easy and hiking sandals will be fine. For the waterfall trails, it’s necessary to wear socks and closed toed hiking shoes.
- The only bathrooms are near the entrance office.
- There are no changing areas at the waterfalls so wear your swimsuit.
- They give you a map and there are usually volunteers who explain the park and trails.
- If you want the waterfall to yourself, go as soon as the park opens. Once it hits around 10-11 AM is when most people get there.
- If you’re staying at one of the hotels near the park, I highly recommend renting a car. You need to go to Liberia for restaurants, supermarkets and banks and a taxi will cost around $20 one way depending which hotel you’re at. With a car, you can drive to various parts of the national park since it is huge.
Read about other national parks in Costa Rica!
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Hi
Amazing blog, I really liked to read it. A question, I’d like to go to Rincon de la Vieja this Sunday and do the crater hike, but is the crater trail already open again?
xx
Hi Amy, I’m not sure, last time we checked was last year and it was closed, I haven’t heard it being reopened again but you can call the station and ask, this is their #: 506 2666 0630
Hi there! I am really enjoying your blog as I am planning my CR vacation for April. How do you suggest we dress to hike Rincon de la Vieja? It looks like you are wearing shorts and t-shirts. Also, do you know if everything in Coco shuts down for Holy Thursday and Good Friday?
Thanks!
Shorts and tank top or short sleeve – it is VERY hot there! Bring tons of sunscreen and lots of bottles of water. All government institutions are closed for the Easter holiday but many businesses in Coco are still open since it’s very touristy.
Do we pay the entrance fee in American dollars or Colones?
You can pay in either, if you want to pay in colones they will do the conversion for you.
I know the summit is roughly 6200 feet. What is the starting elevation of the summit hike? We will be there next week.
I am not sure, I know the trail itself is not very long, only 8 kilometers but the trail to the summit has been closed for awhile so I would check with the park office first before planning on doing that trail.
Hi, do you know how far the Las Pailas entrance (approx distance and time) from the Vida Aventura nature park? We are booked there for 3 nights but really not sure how far to get to the park entrance. We’d also like to the Gauchinpin (sp?) river tubing. Any idea how far that is too? Or can your recommend a better place to stay?
Hi Mindy, I’m not sure where the Vida Aventura nature park is exactly, looks like it’s around Bagaces. You can ask the park to book you a tour to Guachipelin, from Bagaces to the national park entrance is around 30 – 45 minutes.
Hi, do you know if the mud pot trail is currently open? We arrive on the 27th of Dec. Also-do you know where I can get a park map, like the one on your website? I can’t seem to find on online anywhere. thanks!
Hi Mindy! The mud pot trail is open, the other one up to the volcano summit isn’t. The maps are available only at the national park, they give one to every visitor when you pay for the ticket.
Hi Sue! Yes the national park is closed Monday. You can take a combo tour though as those are still open, it’s just the hiking trails in the sectors that are closed but the haciendas are actually right outside the park. Guachipeln is super fun and so is Buena Vista if you’re up for a bit of adventure for your last day. If not, then you can also check out Catarata Llanos de Cortes for a waterfall: Catarata Llanos de Cortes.
We are heading to CR in March. Our flight out of Liberia is at 7 AM, so we are planning to spend the last night at the Hilton airport hotel. I was trying to come up with a great last day activity. We were thinking of driving up to Rincon from Playa Flamingo (where we will be staying), but it will be a Monday, so I am guessing we won’t be able to do anything at the park?? Any suggestions for our last day when we need to be back at the airport hotel that night. We have a car rental, but have heard not to drive at night, otherwise we would watch the sunset at Playa Hermosa and then head to the Hilton.
Hello
I just wanted to tell you that your blog is excellent on the Rincon de la viega park. We are planning to go there in 2 weeks and we found a lot of helpful infomation. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Sylvie
Canada
Hi Sylvie, thank you so much! I’m glad the post helped. We love that national park and I’m sure you will too! Have a great time in CR! 🙂
leaving on monday 4/3/16 for two weeks in Costa Rica, going to spend a day in Ricon , however Ive been reading that most of the trails are closed , how accurate is this and is it worth the drive from Tamarindo.
Also I would like to hike the La Cangreja falls, what entrance and apporox how long wil i be hiking round trip?
Please advise & Thanks for the great info youve been sharing.
Regards,
The trails to the mud pots and the crater are currently closed to increased activity.
All the info for Cangreja falls is in the post 🙂 It’s about 5 hours walking round trip.
We are flying to Liberia from Seattle on April 16, renting a car and will have 4 days to spend in the area before we drive to St Elena area for 4 days and then flying to Drake Bay for five days. Suggestions? –hotels?? in the Guancaste area. We are not very interested in beaches. Hiking and birdwatching are the main interests. Perhaps a visit to El bosque nuevo–butterfly farm. It seems that there is new eruption at Rincón de la Vieja .
Where are you from in the NW? We used to live in Seattle, but now live in the Methow Valley.
I recommend staying in the national park then if you want hiking and birdwatching. There are several like Hacienda Guachipelin, Buena Vista Lodge, Borinquen and Canyon de la Vieja.
I’m from Olympia 🙂
Do you have any more info about hikes in Rincon? About how long did the mud pot hike take? Is there a trail marked for the hidden waterfalls? We will be there in a few weeks – do you think the waterfalls will still be active?
The mud pot hike is pretty short, you can walk the whole thing in probably 30 minutes but we did the short one. The longer one may take an hour or so depending on how long you linger and take to look at stuff. There aren’t really any “hidden” waterfalls in Rincon, they are mostly all marked and you’ll see signs for them. However, it is a huge national park so you may need to drive to the various waterfall entrance. There is one near the Hacienda Guachipelin called Catarata Oropendola where you can jump off of, and then there are a few more in the national park that you can horseback ride to as part of a tour. The waterfalls are always active, in dry season it just has less water.
This park is roughly 2 hours from Tamarindo. There are no buses to this national park, you can take the public bus to Liberia where there you need to get a taxi or a shuttle. I’d get a shuttle, because it’s a bumppy road into the national park and it might be cheaper than a taxi (I’m not sure how much a taxi will charge). You don’t have to do the combo adventure tours, at Hacienda Guachipelin you can choose which activities to do from the ones they offer. So you can do just the river rafting, and not the horseback riding and ziplining. Here is our Tamarindo guide: Playa Tamarindo
Hello,
Just wondering how far is this park from Tamarindo? We are staying in Tamarindo from Jan 15-29, 2016. We are very excited as we have never been to Costa Rica. I don’t really want to spend a bunch of money on tours, I would rather do it on our own. We don’t know yet if we are renting a car or doing buses or shuttles?? what do you suggest? I just want to do all the main hikes there and some river rafting or the springs but not into horseback riding or reppeling. What do you suggest? Any info you can gives on Tamarindo and places to see and do would be greatly appreciated. Oh and one last question, is there any gluten free food there? I have celiacs.
Thanks!
I was just at Rincon de la Vieja – loved all of the hiking there. Also got to lather some volcanic mud at Blue River Eco Resort!
Ooh that sounds lovely. Mud baths are so fun! Glad to hear you liked Rincon, it’s a really nice park for hiking!
I was not expecting those mud pits to be bubbling so loudly! Amazing how you are so close to desert-like land, rainforest, and beach…in some ways that’s the same reason WA is such a wonderful state 😉 Nature is amazing…
It is isn’t it?! The Pacific NW is really beautiful in it’s own way too. Beautiful mountains, lakes, and great places to hike.
Hi am I Costa Rican citizen and I would like to do the hiking this Saturday, where or how I can arrange a trip with you?
Hi Hector! If you have a car, you can drive to the national park and go from there, the hike doesn’t require a guide. Have fun!