Day one of our Costa Rican adventure was a hot one, simmering at 28 degrees by 8am and reaching 33 degrees by the time we reached Rincon de la Vieja National Park. 

We’d already booked entry and so we pulled up at the visitor centre carpark and showed our tickets inside. Here there was a map on the wall which you could photograph sharing a couple of different routes. We opted for the shorter – Las Pailas – one which I tracked to be about 3 miles.

Although the whole walk is through volcanic terrain, it’s a walk of two halves – arid dry forest with spiky plants and views to distant mountains…

…and then some much more lush, green cloud forest with streams and waterfalls.

Our walk took in six points of interest along the way. Thankfully photos can’t share the sulphuric gas smell with you but try and imagine that as you scroll through:

1. A lagoon

2. Water pots – although these were more or less dried up

3. Bubbling mud pots – definitely a highlight

4. A volcanito (little volcano) – complete with an iguana warming itself in the steaming gases

5. Fumaroles

6. A waterfall – we skipped this as everyone had run out of energy by this point and we’d already seen a little one.

In terms of wildlife, we saw a troop of white-faced capuchin monkeys, iguanas of course, and a few lizards, dragonflies and butterflies in the forest. There were also vultures flying overhead and little birds like kiskadees flitting about near to the visitor centre.

The paths were well marked but steep and stepped at times (bigger than Tiny’s legs!). There was only one place where the path had been destroyed by a fallen tree so we had to follow a makeshift set of stepping stones and a new bridge – all part of the adventure! The girls managed all of the walk despite the challenging conditions.

All in all, it was a really interesting and unusual walk. We finished with an ice cream and headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool before moving on to our next destination, Monteverde.

Key information: there’s a toll booth on the way in charging 800 colones (£1.20/$1.60) per adult. Sun cream, hats and plenty of water are a must. We heard there would be mosquitos but there weren’t on our visit. Tickets for the actual park are available through the SINAC website and cost $15/$5 (£11/£4) for non-resident adults/children. Opening hours are Tue – Sun 8am to 3pm. There are toilets at reception and water fountains on site but for snacks you need to go to a little café signposted just below the far end of the carpark. 

All information is correct at the time of posting. Follow us on Instagram @four_go_exploring for more independent family adventures.

More Costa Rican family destinations coming soon:

Monteverde and Santa Elena

Manuel Antonio National Park

Dominical

Poas and La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Selva Verde Lodge in Sarapiqui

When I get to it, I’ll also share a guide covering accommodation and loads of practical information to help you plan your visit!