Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja — Attraction in Curubandé

Quite a hike just to get here from where we were staying, but it was so worth it! Much different than any hikes I’ve done before.

Getting there: Bring cash to pay the man at the gate once you get up the mountain (800 colones / $1.50 per person) in addition to the tickets that you need to purchase online in advance to get in. Google maps did just fine getting us on the right road. I think I read that Waze did not work well for others. Drive all the way up the road to the very end where the building is. You enter there and show your reservation number.

Trails: There are 3 separate trails from the building. 2 non-looping waterfall paths and the volcanic activity loop. We only did the volcano loop because it was already almost too late to start the waterfall trail by the time we ended (you cannot begin your hike after 12pm due to the length and time it will take to complete).

Volcanic loop was absolutely worth it, though! It was different than any hikes I’ve done before. The path is well maintained and there are little pit stops here and there with observation areas to view the mud pots and other areas where it is fuming and steaming. Some of the smells almost made me gag, but otherwise it was cool! You walk through some jungle and some open-air spots. We were able to see some monkeys in the trees playing around.

We were lucky to be able to see the seasonal fall, which is on the volcano loop. We traveled here in mid-May at the beginning of the rainy season and it was roaring (pictured). They said sometimes this one doesn’t flow much in the dry season.

Overall a fun experience! I wish we had more energy and time to get to at least one of the other falls, but we had a long drive back anyway!

Also, there is no swimming allowed at these waterfalls. I don’t know where the other pictures in some of these reviews are from (maybe a separate part of the park or somewhere else on the way up the mountain?), but they told us no...

The Rincon de la Vieja National Park includes the massif where the Rincón de la Vieja volcano is located. It has an extension of 14,083 hectares distributed in two sectors: Las Pailas and Santa María. It has nine cones and the Jilgueros lagoon.

Located in the provinces of Guanacaste and Alajuela, this protected area is important for the conservation of species of flora and fauna. Likewise, it has a system of hydrographic watersheds originating in the slopes of the volcano, supplying water to a large part of both provinces.

According to legend, the Curubandá indigenous princess, daughter of the great cacique Curubandé, fled crazily to the volcano after her father threw into the crater his beloved prince Mixcoac, head of an enemy tribe. From that forbidden love would be born a child who would also be thrown into the crater by her, in an effort to reunite him with his father. Since then, Curubandá lived near the place, aged and became the famous healer who learned the secrets of healing using medicines obtained in the vicinity of the volcano. Thus, when his patients went to look for her, they said: “I’m going to the corner of the old woman,” or “I’m going to the old woman’s corner.”

In this area, there are trees such as laurel, guanacaste, bitter cedar, naked Indian and copey, among others. The Rincon de la Vieja is also a refuge for a population of Guaria Morada in the wild. Mammals such as the saino, guatuza, tolomuco, armadillo, white-faced, howler and colorado monkeys are very common, and around 300 species of birds have been identified.

Among the attractions offered by the park are numerous trails, waterfalls, pools, hot springs, viewpoints and the Casona de Santa María, the house where the owners of the hacienda once lived, originally built in bahareque and wood, with an internal central patio.

In the vicinity of the administrative area there are health services, and areas for lunch and camping, as well as a mill...

First of all, the nature here is amazing. You won't see much wildlife but the volcanic "exhibits" are worth the trip: bubbling mud pits, steam holes and fumaroles. What's a fumarole? Well you won't find it out in the park because there is no information whatsoever. Not about what's going on underneath the surface but you also you won't find out which way to go because there are hardly any signs. The long trail to the waterfalls gets into a very poor condition once there is a bit of rain because it's not very well maintained. The shorter trail with all the volcanic activities will also get wet although it's concrete. The water will accumulate in a lot of areas because nooone thought of a drainage when constructing the trail - in a region with even more rainfall than a tropical country already has. So many other things don't make sense here: some railings of the bridges are so high and massive that an average size adult can't really see the river anymore, some steps are ridiculously wide or high or don't need to be there at all.

Also I think the price of almost $17 is a bit steep considering that one of three trails is closed.

And the best surprise is: you can't even reach the entrance to the park for free because the hotel on the way charges you CRC 800 a person to pass.

Still I think it was a nice experience to see the volcanic activities although everything else was rather...