Las Pailas
Steam and mud.
Kobold66 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Panegyrics of Granovetter — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Yricordel — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Panegyrics of Granovetter — CC BY-SA 2.0
A national park around the active Rincón de la Vieja volcano, part of the Área de Conservación Guanacaste UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its name means «the old woman's corner», from the legend of a local princess, Curabanda, who lived in sorrow on the volcano's flank after her lover was thrown into the crater. Its best-known trail is in the Las Pailas sector, a loop of about three kilometres past the wonders of volcanic ground: vents puffing hot steam, mud pots bubbling and plopping grey, orange hot springs and a little mud volcano, through dry forest full of monkeys, coatis and birds. Longer trails reach lovely forest waterfalls such as the blue La Cangreja. The summit climb is often closed because of activity. Farms and lodges around the park offer natural hot springs. Stay on the paths near the mud pots, as the ground is thin and the mud scalding. It is hot and dry in summer.
Steam and mud.
La Cangreja.
Around the park.
Las Pailas sector, about 25 km north-east of Liberia
The summit is often closed because of activity, but the Las Pailas trail shows mud pots and steam at its foot.