Rincón de la Vieja National Park - Sector Las Pailas The Rincon de la Vieja National Park is another level of hiking with incredible landscapes, perfect to end a trip through the north of Guanacaste, where we toured the two main trails that are Las Pailas and the famous La Cangreja waterfall.

How to get there? Rincón de la Vieja, Sector Las Pailas Waze

Vehicle:Automobile Parking:Yes Cost:¢ 1500 per person (national) Camping area: No Pets:No

What to bring? Comfortable clothes for walking, swimsuit, towel, repellent, sunscreen, hat, A LOT of hydration beverages, snacks for the way, sandwiches and hard-boiled eggs.

Difficulty:Moderate

Rincon de la Vieja is only 25km from Liberia. The asphalt road winds up the mountain until it ends in ballast, arriving at the entrance to the park. We parked in a large area that was already lightly filled with cars and minibusses. As in any national park, park rangers gave us the full explanation of the trails and then headed for the La Cangreja waterfall.

The La Cangreja waterfall has a really cool and physically demanding path that is a hiker’s dream... a refreshing waterfall just to relax muscles and recharge batteries for the way back. The path could be summarized in 3 parts:

1. Bosquesito Corrongo:This part is quite neat, you cross a couple of streams and walk under the nice shade of the trees.

2. Prairie with boulders:In this section the landscape is incredible but there is no shade so the sun hits directly without stopping one way, so you have to be hydrated and well protected from the sun.

3. Bottom to the waterfall:As soon as you start to descend from the meadow you enter a little forest similar to the first part. As it descends, the sound of the waterfall is heard louder and louder until bammm... cascade appears between giant stones.

The Cangreja has a fall of approximately 40 meters. The water has a temperature neither hot not cold, just enough to cool down. For the people that are always cold there is a corner on the left side of the waterfall where thermal water comes out. When we got out of the water we ate once more tuna sandwiches but this time we accompanied them with the classic hard-boiled egg.

When we arrived at the entrance to the park we ate a little more in a picnic area under the shade of a tree. Then we went to try the Las Pailas trail, which is quite short and easily accessible. In fact, when we went they were remodeling it, making it concrete. At the end of the trail, there are clay pots that emanate a sulfur smell (like a hard-boiled egg).

Around 3:00 pm we went to pick up the stuff at the base in Liberia and we took a bath to return to San Jose. On the way, we had a delicious dinner while we watched the soccer game of the Glorious National Team against Jamaica.

DATE OF THE WALK - MARCH 2016