Costa Rica Destinations from Liberia

Guanacaste Costa Rica

Guanacaste bears the nickname of the "Gold Coast" because of the dry climate and gorgeous beaches; although with the recent tourism and real estate boom it could be argued that it also applies to all of the wealth pouring into the region. Guanacaste boasts a seemingly endless amount of beaches that cater almost anybody. Ranging from the luxury and family resorts surrounding the Papagayo gulf, the great diving of Playa del Coco, to the surf and party town of Tamarindo, to the most laid back local beaches, Guanacaste really has it all.

Good hiking and ecotourism opportunities round out this Northwestern province. With trails and beaches in the Santa Rosa dry forest, waterfalls, hotsprings, and a summit trail in Rincon de la Vieja National Park, and exceptional birdwatching in the floodplain of the Tempique River found in Palo Verde National Park there are great ecotourism opportunities in this (relatively) dry area of Costa Rica.
With the recent arrival of the international airport in Liberia it is possible to fly in and be at the nearby beach in 45 minutes to an hour, or on a ranch at the base of Rincon de La Vieja in 20 minutes.

National Parks in Guanacaste

Santa Rosa National Park

Santa Rosa National Park is home to remote beaches, sea turtle nesting, and several variations of dry forest habitat. It is a wonderful place to hang out on the beach, camp, surf, and watch wildlife. Located only 19 miles (30 km) north of Liberia on the Interamericana Highway, Santa Rosa is very accessible to the dry and rapidly growing Guanacaste region.

Santa Rosa is Costa Rica's first national park but it was founded not to preserve the land but to preserve a historical building, La Casona, a structure that played an important role in the history of Costa Rica's independence. In 1856, La Casona was the site where Costa Rican forces made their stand in the battle of Santa Rosa, and forced the U.S. civilian and mercenary William Walker and his men to abandon his attempted conquest and flee into Nicaragua. The present day La Casona is actually a recent reconstruction of the old one, which was 108 years old. Today, there is a museum, a viewing-point monument behind it and nearby trails to El Indio Desnudo, Aceituno, Los Patos, Carbonal, Naranjo Valley and Naranjo-Nancite Beaches. On Naranjo Beach, Estero Real and Murcielago there are camping sites with tables, toilets and well water.
The Guanacaste Conservation Area (GCA) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and is managed as a single unit divided into sectors. These sectors include: Santa Rosa, Naranjo, Murcielago, Murcielago Isalnds, Pocosol, El Hacha, Pitilla, Orosi and Cacao. The GCA includes multiple biological stations and one experimental forest station.

The magnificent beaches of Naranjo and Nancite are critical nesting sites for sea turtles, primarily the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelus olivacea), Pacific green (Chelonia agassizi), and the enormous Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea). Nancite is the second-most visited beach by olive ridley turtles in the entire Eastern Pacific after Ostional National Wildlife Refuge and there is a biological station there to perform research on the turtles.
The Santa Elena Peninsula is one of he driest and oldest parts of the country. It is composed primarily of an outcrop of peridotite (formed in marine beds with high magnesium and nickel content) and is about 875 million years old. At the time of formation, the Santa Elena Peninsula was actually an island in the middle of the ocean--the rest of present-day Costa Rica had not even been formed then.

Bolanos Island, located north of the peninsula, is an 81-meter-high rock 1.5 km from the coast of Descartes Point that is especially important for bird conservation. It is one of the few places in Costa Rica where Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) nest. It is also among one of the only nesting places in Costa Rica where magnificent frigate birds (Fregata magnificens) and American oyster-catchers (Haematopus palliatus).

The Dry Topical Forest Research Center is located near the main offices and is an important international center for study of this type of ecosystem.

Buses run between San Jose, Liberia, and La Cruz which stop at the entrances to Santa Rosa and Pocosol. Private transport or taxi from Liberia are other good options for getting to the park.

Rincon de La Vieja National Park

Rincon de la Vieja National Park has several fantastic trails for hikers with any degree of energy or experience. Those with intrepid goals can take a fairly steep trail up to the summit and get a first hand look at several craters and lakes (5.25 miles, 8 km). On a clear day there are fabulous views of the lowlands and ocean. An easy trail with some unique natural scenery is the Las Pailas trail. At 3km (1.8 miles) the trail meanders around gurgling mud pots and fumaroles. Plan on getting your shoes wet or taking them off for this trail.

A favorite is the hike to Blue Lake and La Cangrejo Waterfall. A little over 3 miles each way, this trail offers a hiking experience that you'll never forget. After winding through enormous trees in several different ecotomes you'll arrive at a waterfall so picture perfect it's surreal. A 100 ft. waterfall drops into a deep blue pool filled with cool and refreshing water. Off to the side you can swim to a smaller warm pool that is heated slightly by the volcanoe. We're talking postcard moment. Plan on leaving 2 hours each way on this hike because you'll want to stop and watch the monkeys or take pictures of the enormous strangler fig trees.

Rincon de la Vieja the volcano rises to 1,916 meters. A stratovolcano, it formed as a result of simultaneous volcanic activity at multiple points that eventually fused together and became a single mountain. One of them, Rincon de la Vieja, is active, with the rest slowly eroding as they are now inactive. It has been reported that near the south of the active crater there is a large freshwater pool where a rare Baird's tapir (Tapirus baidii) occasionally stops to drink. Who knows if it's still there? Although the volcano is considered to be active the last period of high activity ended in 1975 and the most recent eruption took place in 1997.

It is difficult for a hiker to wrong with this park and the trails usually don't seem to be too crowded. To get to the park entrance drive about 5 km north of Liberia and turn right into the park. Continue on for about 18 km (11 miles) until you reach Hacienda Lodge Guachipelin. Here you will have to pay a toll to pass through and then continue on for another 4km until you reach the park entrance. If you do not have your own vehicle you can hire a taxi to take you there. If choose to do this it is wise to set a price before getting in the vehicle to drive to the park.

Arenal and Monteverde Costa Rica

From Liberia, we can arrange for one-way or round-trip transportation from Liberia to the following breathtaking Costa Rica destinations: