Location
40 km (25 mi.) East of Liberia
Altitude
1,905 meters (6,250 ft.)
Description
Rincon de la Vieja Volcano
The 1,916 m-high Rincon de La Vieja massif is a stratovolcano covering 400 km2 formed as a result of the simultaneous volcanic activity of various eruption points, which grew and became a single mountain. At the top, none eruption sites have been identified, one of them, Rincon de la Vieja is active, but the rest are in the process of erosive degradation. Towards the south of the active crater there is a scenically very beautiful freshwater lagoon some 400 m long where Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii) go to drink. The last period of great activity occurred between 1966 and 1975, and the most recent eruptions took place in 1991 and 1995.
At the foot of the volcano on the southern side is the area called Las Pailas, which covers 50 hectares. Here, there are thermal springs, solfatara lagoons, orifices where jets of steam rise up, and little mud volcanoes, where the mud is constantly bubbling due to the escaping steam and sulfurous gases.
The park contains different habitats appropriate to different altitudes. The top of the volcano is covered in ashes and there is little plant life. Near the top, the woodlands is low and the trees' thick branches are twisted and covered in mosses and epiphytes; the predominant species is the copey (Clusia rosea).
In the intermediate parts between 800 m and 1.500 m the forest is dense and high. The trees include oak (Quercus oocarpa) and white cypress (Podocarpus macrostachyus) and manwood (Vitex cooperi). The vegetation of the northwest of the massif is characteristically representative of the Atlantic Basin forest up to 40 m high and with a sometimes very tangled undergrowth where palms predominate.
In this massif, 257 bird species have been recorded, including the three-wattled bellbird (Procnias tricarunculata) so called because of its strange strident metallic call. Some of the mammals present are the red brocket deer (Mazama Americana) and the northern tamandua (Tamandua mexicana); mammals abound in the upper reaches of the mountain. Among the numerous insects, four beautiful species of butterflies of the genus Morpho stand out. The park protects a great ecosystem of hydrographic basins, and the largest population of wild purple orchid (Cattleya skinneri) the national flower, is found there.
Rincon de la Vieja is one of the volcanoes of the Mountains. This park is divided into two sections: Pailas and Santa Maria. You can reach the park offices of the Pailas sector from Liberia via Panamerican Highway Quebrada Grande Gongora (25 km) on paved and grit roads.
The following paths can be taken: Pailas, Poza del Rio Blanco, Cataratas Escondidas, Cataratas La Cangreja, Pailas Santa Maria, Rincon de la Vieja Crater and Cerro von Seebach. Near the offices, there is a camping area with tables, toilets and drinking water. The office of the Santa Maria Sector is in a former house next to which there is a mill You can get there via Libera and Barrio La Victoria as far as the park (25 km) along a grit track.
There are paths to El Colibri, Pailas de Agua Fria, Catarata Bosque Encantado, Aguas Termales and El Mirador. In the house there are exhibitions, and nearby, there are picnic and camping sites with tables, toilets and drinking water.
Rincon de la Vieja Volcano
There is a visitor's center found at the park entrance and while no guides are available, there is a detailed map that will aid you in finding your way around. Visitors have three options in Rincon de Ia Vieja. Thorough exploration requires at least two days and luckily, there are a number of small hotels found close to the park. Adventurous travelers can set out to hike the active volcano but heed the park ranger's advice when he says to start out early in the morning.
The sun is merciless and the hike is ten miles on volcanic terrain. Pack water, sun protection and a hat if you plan on at tempting to summit this peak. For those with a penchant for trails, there are eight miles of them crisscrossing the park. On your hike you will encounter bubbling mud pots, a sulfur lake and a wide variety of wildlife. Signs along the path will guide you to singular spots of interest such as a tumbling waterfall where you can stand before the cascade on a large boulder.
There are bus services between Liberia and Curubande and between Liberia and Colonia Blanca (which stops at the entrance to the Santa Maria Sector). In Liberia there are hotels, restaurants and markets; in Curubande and Colonia Blanca there are grocery shops, and near the park there are two hostels.
Costa Rican Volcanoes 
