Rincon de la Vieja Volcano National Park

 

Hystorical Background
The Rincon de la Vieja National Park was created by law No. 5398 on October 23, 1973.
Located in the Guanacaste and Alajuela provinces, it covers a little over 14,083.9 hectares. With an annual average temperature of 26ºC and annual rainfall average of 2000 mm.

Rincon de la Vieja is one of the protected areas within the Guanacaste Conservation Area (ACG.), together with the Guanacaste and Santa Rosa National Parks, Junquillal Bay Wildlife Refuge and Horizontes Forestry Station.


To ensure the proper administrative and operational management, Rincon de la Vieja National Park was divided into two sectors, Las Pailas and Santa Maria.
The Las Pailas Sector owes its name to its volcanic features, which include fumaroles, mud pots, and steam vents.
The Santa Maria Sector, as of the end of the 19th century up to 1973 was one of the largest haciendas of the region. Meat and milk cattle raising used to be the main objective at the haciendas, as well as cultivation of coffee and sugar cane.

Ways of access
The Las Pailas Sector is located about 25 km northeast of Liberia. Drive north on the Inter-American Highway, 5 km from Liberia to the approximately 20 km.

The Santa Maria Sector begins about 25 km from barrio La Victoria, in the town of Liberia. Continue up the road to the community of Colonia Blanca, and then make a left turn. A four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended for these rough roads.

Flora and fauna
Due to the range of altitudes, rainfall and ages of volcanic ash fields, there is a good variety of vegetative formations on the slopes and craters of Rincon de la Vieja.
On the highest forested slopes the trees become dwarfed, gnarled, and covered with moss mats, which provide arboreal soil for orchids and other epiphytes. Rincon de la Vieja also houses a large population of Costa Rica’s lovely national flower, the Guaria Morada orchid (Cattleya skinerii).

Representative trees include Onion Cordia (Cordia alliodora), Ear Pod Tree (Enterolobium cyclocarpum), Spanish Cedar (Cedrela odorata), Naked Indian Tree, (Bursera simarouba) and Copey, (Clusia sp.). Common mammals include collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu), agoutis (Dasyprocta puntacta), tayra (Eira barbara), ninebanded armadello (Dassypus novecinctus), white-faced monkey (Cebus capuccinus), howler monkey (Alouatta palliata), and spider monkey (Ateles gefroyi).

The mountain is home to near three hundred bird species, including the Crested Guan (Penelope purpurascens), Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momotta), Black-Faced Solitaire (Myadestes melanops), and the Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus).

Geology and Hidrology
Approximately 600,000 years old, the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano is a complex geological structure, consisting of at least nine volcanic cones. The most active crater is 1806 meters high; its sides are nearly vertical and are barren of vegetation. The Santa Maria crater is the highest, 1916 m high. It is presently inactive and has some kind of vegetative cover. Along the southern side of the volcano there are hot springs, mud pots, and steam and sulphur vents found.
It is said that Rincon de la Vieja once served as a natural lighthouse for sailors off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Reliable reports from 1851 tell of eruptions of smoke and ash; sporadic eruptions of steam and ash were again observed between 1860 and 1863.

During the present century, occasional eruptions of gases, ash and mud mixed with steam were noted from 1966 up to the 70’s. During 1983-1984 the activity affected an area of 2 km to the south and to the east of the active crater. Most recent eruptions, in 1991, 1995 and again in 1997, caused some damage to settlements on the Atlantic slope.

The mighty Rincon de la Vieja stands astride the continental division, separating the Atlantic from the Pacific watersheds in the northwest zone of the country. Its height and location make it a real 'water factory' one which has been lending service for many years to the province of Guanacaste.
Here, important watersheds that supply drinking water to the provincial capital, the city of Liberia, are forever protected. In total, thirty-two rivers are born on the Rincon de la Vieja flanks; among them the Colorado, Blanco, and Ahogados Rivers.
Additionally, there are sixteen intermittent creeks that flow only during the rainy season. Many of these streams are tributaries of the Tempisque River, the largest river in the province of Guanacaste.

Interest sites

Las Pailas Sector:

Las Pailas Trail, Blanco River Pool, Escondida Waterfalls, La Cangreja Waterfall, Active Crater Trail, Las Pailas / Santa Maria Trail.

Santa María Sector:

Casona Santa Maria, El Colibri Trail, Cold Water Pots, Bosque Encantado Waterfall, Hot Springs, Santa Maria Viewpoint.

Regulations
* Trails vary in length from about 1 to 8 km. Please, never leave the trails.
* Do not forget to carry drinking water and use strong shoes or boots. Always carry a flashlight if you walk at night.
* The many clear cool streams at Rincon de la Vieja provide mosquito breeding grounds, which can be a nuisance at times. Come prepared with insect repellent.
* Due to their volcanic origin, some springs and creeks at Rincon de la Vieja carry high concentrations of chemicals. Avoid drinking its water unless its potability is ensured.
* Please do not toss your cigarette butts, and do not start fires.
* Please place all your garbage in the containers provided.
* It is forbidden by law to bring pets into the Park, and remove plants, animals, or any other natural resources. Take only pictures, leave only footprints.

The Costa Rica National Park System protects more than 25 % of Costa Rica