Rincon de la Vieja, whose name “old woman’s corner” comes from an indigenous legend about a reclusive medicine woman, is the largest of Costa Rica’s volcanoes. The Las Pailas Sector of the National Park provides an intriguing and exotic mixture of geothermal features and the unique flora and fauna of the high dry tropical forest.
Rincon de la Vieja encompasses a variety of ecosystems due to differing altitudes, rainfall and the effect of volcanic eruptions. Flora includes a large population of the Costa Rican national flower, the Guaria Morada orchid, as well as the national tree, the Guanacaste, and others such as Strangler Figs, Tropical Cedars, Naked Indian trees and Copeys. Some 300 species of birds have been identified in the park, among them the turkey-like Crested Guan, the Motmot with its tick-tock tail wag and the Emerald Toucanet. The park is also home to deer, coatis, peccaries, skunks, coyotes, pumas, armadillos, tayras, agoutis, pacas, sloths, monkeys, anteaters and rattlesnakes.
Rincon de la Vieja, whose name “old woman’s corner” comes from an indigenous legend about a reclusive medicine woman, is the largest of Costa Rica’s volcanoes. The Las Pailas Sector of the National Park provides an intriguing and exotic mixture of geothermal features and the unique flora and fauna of the high dry tropical forest.
Rincon de la Vieja encompasses a variety of ecosystems due to differing altitudes, rainfall and the effect of volcanic eruptions. Flora includes a large population of the Costa Rican national flower, the Guaria Morada orchid, as well as the national tree, the Guanacaste, and others such as Strangler Figs, Tropical Cedars, Naked Indian trees and Copeys. Some 300 species of birds have been identified in the park, among them the turkey-like Crested Guan, the Motmot with its tick-tock tail wag and the Emerald Toucanet. The park is also home to deer, coatis, peccaries, skunks, coyotes, pumas, armadillos, tayras, agoutis, pacas, sloths, monkeys, anteaters and rattlesnakes.
As the watershed for northwestern Costa Rica, Rincon de la Vieja is the ‘water factory’ for much of Guanacaste with 32 rivers and 16 intermittent streams starting on its flanks.
We pick you up at your hotel at about 7:30 am (depending on your location and plans for the day), making a stop in Liberia to buy water and a picnic lunch if desired.
Las Pailas (Mud Pots) Trail – a relaxed-paced, three-hour walk to see giant strangler fig trees, coatis, gas vents, boiling mud cauldrons and sulfur ponds.
La Cangreja (Crab) Trail – a four-hour round trip hike through savannahs and forest, with a refreshing swim in the Cangreja waterfalls.
Crater Hike – a rigorous, eight-hour round trip hike to the active crater. Enjoy spectacular views of Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean, experience the unique ecosystem above the tree-line and see the murky waters and hissing steam vents inside the crater. Note: this hike is only available at certain times of the year due to weather conditions and volcanic activity and requires an early departure from Liberia. Please inquire in advance if you’re interested in this hike to determine availability and confirm times.
Picnic in the park or enjoy lunch in a local restaurant.
In addition to park activities, guests may stop at the Negro River spa to enjoy a relaxing and therapeutic mud bath and soak in the natural hot springs. Or if desired, cool off after a day of hiking in Costa Rican family-style in the natural, cold-water “jacuzzi” and local swimming hole on the Blanco River (January to May only).
Return to your hotel between 4:00 and 5:00 pm depending on the selected activities.
Shorts, hat and hiking or running shoes. Wear your bathing suit under your clothes if you plan to swim in the waterfall or in rivers.
Hiking boots and rain gear required for the crater hike.
Camera, insect repellent, sunscreen, sunglasses, drinking water, snacks and picnic lunch (if desired), bathing suit and towel if swimming in the park or Blanco River (towels are provided at the Negro River hot springs however) and cash for entrance fees and restaurant lunch (if preferred instead of bringing a picnic lunch).
Full-day tour – pick-up approximately 7:30 am and drop-off between 4:00 and 5:00 pm. The tour operates every day except Monday when the park is closed.
Able to walk trails for three to four hours. The crater hike requires a good level of physical fitness.
Santa Rosa présente plusieurs types d’écosystèmes allant de la forêt sèche, aux marécages, à la savane, à la plage, avec faune et flore correspondante. La végétation se présente sous toutes ses formes, allant du massif Guanacaste, aux chênes de taille moyenne jusqu’aux humbles herbes. Comme plusieurs des arbres du parc perdent leurs feuilles durant la saison sèche afin de conserver l’humidité durant cette période, le paysage de janvier à mai devient tant surréaliste que varié!
Santa Rosa est également le refuge de centaines d’animaux, dont au moins 115 espèces de mammifères qui incluent plus de 50 sortes de chauves-souris. On compte aussi plus de 250 espèces d’oiseaux, une centaine d’espèces d’amphibiens et de reptiles et plus de 10 000 espèces d’insectes dont le tiers sont des papillons et des mites!
At Santa Rosa National Park enjoy the flora and fauna of one of Central America’s most important dry forest regions while relaxing on a virtually untouched Pacific beach as the sun sets over the famous surfer’s haven, Witch’s Rock.
Santa Rosa offers something for everyone with a variety of ecosystems within its borders including forests, mangrove swamps, savannahs and beaches with a correspondingly wide-ranging variety of flora and fauna. Vegetation comes in all sizes from massive Guanacaste trees to mid-sized Oaks down to humble grasses. Since many of the trees in the park lose their leaves in the dry season to conserve moisture, from January to May the landscape is as surreal as it is varied!
Not surprisingly, Santa Rosa is host to hundreds of types of animals with no less than 115 species of mammals in attendance, of which more than 50 are bats! There are also some 250 species of birds, 100 species of amphibians and reptiles and more than 10,000 species of insects of which no less than a third are butterflies and moths!
Le nom du plus large volcan du Costa Rica, Rincon de la Vieja (Coin de la Vielle) provient d’une ancienne légende indigène à propos d’une guérisseuse solitaire. En plus de ses qualités géothermiques intrigantes et exotiques, le secteur La Pailas du Parc National, au piémont du volcan, permet l’observation d’une riche flore dans cette forêt tropicale sèche.
El Rincón de la Vieja presenta una variante de ecosistemas etiquetada en altitud, las precipitaciones y la actividad volcánica. La flore de cette région incluye las orquídeas Guaria Morada, fleur nationale costaricaine, le Guanacaste, l’arbre national du Costa Rica, y d’autres arbres tels le cèdre tropical, le ficus étrangleur, et le copey. Quelques 300 espèces d’oiseaux ont également été dénombrés notamment, le motmot, le guan crêté, y le Toucanet Émeraude. On y retrouve aussi le cerf, le coati, le pécari, la moufette, le coyote, le puma, le tatou, le tayra, l’agouti, le paca, le paresseux, le singe, le fourmilier y le serpent à sonnette.
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