Horseback Riding To The Rinc

Hiking to the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano should be on everyone’s Costa Rican adventure list! Our original one-day tour combines the best of hiking in the Rincón de la Vieja National Park with the unique experience of volcanic pools at our Symbiosis Spa. We’ll start the tour from Hotel Hacienda Guachipelín, riding our calm and friendly ranch horses 45 minutes on scenic forest trails to the Rincón de la Vieja National Park main gate. From there, we’ll go by foot on the Las Pailas (“The Cauldrons”) Trail – a loop of about 2.5 miles (3.5 km), where you can enjoy the best views of the active volcano without climbing the main crater. You’ll see a great variety of vegetation and trees, and the Park is home to mammals like raccoons, white-nosed coatis, agoutis, armadillos, tapirs and three species of monkeys, as well as birds such as the Blue-crowned Motmot, the Crested Guan and the Emerald Toucanet. The most impressive and spectacular features of the National Park are its volcanic elements. Steam and sulphur pour out of the yellow and rust-colored ground at natural fumaroles. Clay and coffee-colored pools bubble with boiling hot volcanic water. Smooth grey volcanic mud froths and explodes upward at the “Cauldrons” (“Las Pailas” in Spanish), for which this section of the Park is named. You’ll also find beautiful little rushing rivers and small waterfalls crisscrossing the trails. When we finish our hike, the horses will be ready to take us to the Symbiosis Spa, located on the Hacienda Guachipelín Ranch by the Colorado River. Our recommendation for your optimum spa experience is to start with a natural sauna for about 15 minutes to open all of your skin’s pores, then proceed to our volcanic mud pots where you apply the pure mineral clay mud all over. Let it dry and afterward wash it off by taking a shower. Then it’s time to relax in your choice of three thermal water pools for about 20 minutes. Finish off your treatment with a cold shower so the pores of your skin can close again, and you’ll feel reborn! Besides this basic spa experience, we also offer a variety of massages, body and facial treatments to increase your feeling of rejuvenation. We advise you to make a reservation for additional treatments.