Hike to the crater

On the way to the crater

Rincon de la vieja volcano is one of several active volcanoes in Costa Rica. This volcano reaches more than 6000 feet above sea level and it’s the third most active volcano in the country.

The first time I tried to hike up this volcano there was a storm that prevented us from going to the top. This second time we were determined to reach the crater. I did this hike together with Mel, a friendly guy from the UK and our guide Oscar. We started our hike early in the morning to make sure that we had enough time. The trail is well marked and easy to follow and because it’s in the National park you have a good chance of spotting some wildlife. On our way up we saw some spider monkeys, tapirs and many birds.

I would be lying if I said it was easy, this hike is no joke. It takes a lot of energy to get to the top. The trail is eight kilometers long and when you get to the final two kilometers it gets really steep. The amazing views you get on a clear day makes it all worth it though. From here you can see the Pacific Ocean and all the way to the Caribbean Sea. We reached the top but our goal was the crater so we had to keep walking further, now on a very narrow trail. By this time a cloud covered the top of the volcano so the weather changed quickly, from sunny to wet. The view of the crater was majestic even though it was cloudy, with its bright blue almost turquoise color. It was definitely bigger than I thought and we could see some activity.  We stopped for lunch and then it was time to head back down. We ended up back at the car tired, happy and proud that we got to experience this highlight of Guanacaste.