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Dark slope of Rincón de la Vieja with clouds around the summit.

Costa Rica · Rincón de la Vieja

National park trails and waterfalls

What you can walk inside the park with a SINAC ticket, sector by sector.

6 places2 closed or restricted, flagged

  1. Rincón de la Vieja National Park1

    Photo: Wilma Compton, CC BY 2.0

    NatureRestricted access

    Rincón de la Vieja National Park

    About 25 km north-east of Liberia0 km from the centre

    Entry
    $16.95
    Hours
    8:00 to 15:00
    Booking
    Required

    Volcanic park with fumaroles, mud pots, waterfalls and forests from dry to cloud forest, split into the Pailas and Santa María sectors; the volcano is in an elevated eruptive phase.

    The Pailas and Santa María sectors remain open with online tickets, but the summit is off-limits (crater trail closed since 2011). Since 2 July 2026 the volcano has been in its most active phase in years: OVSICORI has kept it at level 3 (caution) since early August, counted 249 phreatic eruptions and nine lahars by mid-September, and the CNE declared a green alert on 2 September 2026 for Curubandé, Cañas Dulces, Mayorga, Dos Ríos and Aguas Claras. Check SINAC and CNE notices before you go and keep away from riverbeds on the north flank.

    Source: SINAC – Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja · 2026 · +4

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    $16.95 for non-resident foreign adults ($5.65 for children 2 to 12), VAT included.
    Hours
    Pailas sector: Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00 to 15:00. Santa María sector: Thursday to Monday, 8:00 to 15:30.
    Booking
    Mandatory and online only through SINAC’s system since 1 August 2023; nothing is sold at the gate.

    Tip: Do not hire guides offering to take you to the crater: it is prohibited and dangerous.

    Nearby: Active crater trail (2.9 km) · Escondida waterfall (5.7 km) · Las Pailas trail (6.9 km)

    Sources: SINAC – Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja · ACG – Sector Pailas (oficial) · Tico Times – Rincón de la Vieja, 21 eruptions (8 Sep 2026) · Infobae – Alerta verde por el Rincón de la Vieja (2 sep 2026) · El Observador – Casi tres meses de intensa actividad

  2. Las Pailas trail, Pailas sector, via Curubandé2

    AdventureOpen

    Las Pailas trail

    Pailas sector, via Curubandé6.9 km from the centre

    Entry
    Included in the park ticket
    Hours
    8:00 to 15:00
    Booking
    Not stated

    A 3 km loop through pasture and forest past fumaroles, bubbling mud pots, boiling pools and a fumarolic lagoon.

    Source: ACG – Sector Pailas (oficial) · 2025 · +3

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    Included in the park ticket; there is a separate ₡800 per person toll on the private farm road.
    Hours
    Pailas sector: Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00 to 15:00.
    Time needed
    About 2 h (3 km).

    Tip: Stay on the trail: pools and fumaroles reach 78 to 106 °C and bathing is not allowed. According to a SINAC statement reported by Delfino.cr (3 October 2024), the Pailas sector has a 1-kilometre section with a concrete surface, slopes under 10% and a handrail, leading to a viewpoint with a bench. Check with the protected area before you go.

    Nearby: Oropéndola waterfall (0.3 km) · Escondida waterfall (2.6 km) · La Cangreja waterfall (3.1 km)

    Sources: ACG – Sector Pailas (oficial) · SINAC – Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja · Two Weeks in Costa Rica – Rincón de la Vieja National Park · Delfino.cr – Trece áreas protegidas con sectores de accesibilidad (comunicado de SINAC, 3 oct. 2024)

  3. La Cangreja waterfall3

    NatureOpen

    La Cangreja waterfall

    Pailas sector, Waterfalls trail8.6 km from the centre

    Entry
    $15
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    A tall waterfall dropping into a vivid blue pool, at the end of a 5 km one-way trail with open and steep sections.

    Source: ACG – Sector Pailas (oficial) · 2025 · +1

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    $ · under US$15
    Hours
    The trail can only be started between 8:00 and 12:00.
    Time needed
    10 km round trip, 4 to 5 h.

    Tip: Swimming in the pool is not allowed. Bring plenty of water and a hat: much of it crosses sunny pasture.

    Nearby: Hacienda Guachipelín: one-day adventure pass (2.5 km) · Waterfall canyoning and rappelling (2.5 km) · Ziplines at Rincón de la Vieja (2.5 km)

    Sources: ACG – Sector Pailas (oficial) · My Tan Feet – Rincón de la Vieja National Park

  4. 4

    NatureOpen

    Escondida waterfall

    Pailas sector, Waterfalls trail5.7 km from the centre

    Entry
    $15
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    Waterfall on a branch of the same waterfalls trail, a little shorter than La Cangreja (4.3 km one way).

    Source: ACG – Sector Pailas (oficial) · 2025

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    $ · under US$15
    Hours
    Start allowed only before 12:00.
    Time needed
    8.6 km round trip, 4 to 5 h.

    Tip: Swimming is not allowed here either. If you want a swim, Oropéndola waterfall is outside the park and allows it.

    Nearby: Oropéndola waterfall (2.6 km) · Las Pailas trail (2.6 km) · La Cangreja waterfall (2.9 km)

    Sources: ACG – Sector Pailas (oficial)

  5. 5

    NatureOpen

    Santa María sector

    East of Liberia, on a gravel road7.6 km from the centre

    Entry
    $15
    Hours
    8:00 to 15:30
    Booking
    Not stated

    The quieter sector, on a former ranch with an adobe homestead, a hummingbird trail, small cascades such as Bosque Encantado and a path to hot springs.

    Source: ACG – Sector Santa María (oficial) · 2025 · +1

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    $ · under US$15
    Hours
    Thursday to Monday, 8:00 to 15:30 (closed Tuesday and Wednesday).
    Time needed
    Hot springs trail: about 3 km each way, mostly flat, with stream crossings.

    Tip: The last 2.5 km are gravel and pumice: SINAC recommends a high-clearance vehicle, ideally 4x4 in the rains. There is a camping area, but confirm it is open.

    Nearby: Santa María sector hot springs (2.5 km) · Las Pailas trail (5.2 km) · Tubing on the Río Negro (5.2 km)

    Sources: ACG – Sector Santa María (oficial) · Two Weeks in Costa Rica – Santa María sector

  6. Santa María sector hot springs6

    Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0

    WellnessRestricted access

    Santa María sector hot springs

    Santa María sector8 km from the centre

    Entry
    $15
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    Hot springs beside a cold stream, about 3 km from the homestead, once a popular soak inside the park.

    You can hike to them, but bathing is prohibited to protect endemic organisms (ACG; sign confirmed in 2025). To soak in thermal water, use the private day-pass centres: Río Negro (Guachipelín), Borinquen, Buena Vista or Rincon Thermals.

    Source: ACG – Sector Santa María (oficial) · 2025 · +1

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    $ · under US$15

    Nearby: Santa María sector (2.5 km) · Tubing on the Río Negro (2.8 km) · Las Pailas trail (3.2 km)

    Sources: ACG – Sector Santa María (oficial) · Two Weeks in Costa Rica – Santa María sector

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