Getting To The Park
The local dry season (Dec-March especially) is the best time to visit Rincon de la Vieja, when the hiking trails and visibility as you ascend the volcano are at their best. To make management of the forest more efficient, the park has been split into two sectors: Sector Pailas ("cauldrons") and Sector Santa Maria , each with its own entrance and ranger station. From Liberia most people travel through the hamlet of Curubande, about 16km northeast, to the Las Pailas sector. The other ranger station, Santa Maria, lies about 25km northeast from Liberia. The casona that houses the ranger station here is a former retreat of US president Lyndon Baines Johnson, and, at more than 110 years old, is ancient in Costa Rican terms. Both routes to the park are along stony roads, not at all suitable for walking. People do, but it's tough, uninteresting terrain, and it's really more advisable to save your energy for the trails within the park itself. We've listed options for getting here from Liberia; hitching is also an option if you can find a truck driver making a delivery, possibly at one of the gas stations at Gas Station Corner on the Interamericana at Liberia. Alternatively, you could rent a car (you'll need a 4WD) and stay in one of the upmarket tourist lodges such as the Hacienda Guachipelin or Rincon de la Vieja Lodge . To get to the Las Pailas sector and the lodges, take the Interamericana north of Liberia for 6km, then turn right to the hamlet of Curubande - you'll see signs for the Guachipelin and Rincon de la Vieja lodges. A couple of kilometres before the Guachipelin there's a barrier and toll booth, where you'll be charged US$2 to use the road. If you don't have your own transport, both lodges will pick you up from Liberia for an extra charge (US$10-25 return); they also offer packages from San Jose, with transport included. The Santa Maria sector and the Rinconcito lodge are reached by driving through Liberia's Barrio La Victoria in the northeast of the town (ask for the estadio - the soccer stadium - from where it's a signed 24-kilometre drive to the park).
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