RINCóN DE LA VIEJA NATIONAL PARK
After an interesting ride through towns and hills, you'll arrive at one of Costa Rica's most comprehensive national parks. Rincón de la Vieja houses an active volcano and a variety of ecosystems that include everything from the rainforest to dry forest, passing through cloud forests along the way. The park's biodiversity creates one of Guanacaste's most important attractions. An active hike will take you right into the thick of the forest, where you'll experience nature at its purest form.
You'll see volcanic activities such as fumaroles and the famous “little volcano,” which is a miniature volcano that shows complete volcanic activity. The search for wildlife is important as well, as the variety of fauna that lives in the park at any given time is surprising. After the hike, you'll head to the restaurant, where you'll savor an authentic Costa Rican lunch.
Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park, in Spanish Parque Nacional Volcán Rincón de la Vieja, part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area and the Area de Conservación Guanacaste World Heritage Site, is a National Park in the northwestern part of Costa Rica which encompasses the Rincón de la Vieja and Santa María volcanoes, as well as the dormant Cerro Von Seebach. The last eruption here was by Rincón de la Vieja in 1998.
The nearest city is Liberia to the south of the park, and there are two facilities at the park for visitors information and guides the Santa Maria and Pailas stations which are both on the southern side of the park.
The park has a variety of wildlife, such as over 300 species of birds, such as the three-wattled bellbird (Procnias tricarunculata) and emerald toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus), and also various quetzals, curassows, eagles, etc. Mammals seen in the park include cougars, monkeys, kinkajous, jaguars and many more.
