Immerse yourself in the wild volcanic landscapes of the Rincon de la Vieja National Park on this full-day trekking tour. Set out on a moderate 3-hour hike through the jungle and keep a lookout for Howler monkeys, Capuchin monkeys, Toucans, and Coatis along the way. Pass hissing fumaroles, volcanic craters, and bubbling mud pools, then cool off with a swim beneath the Oropendola Waterfall. After re-fuelling with a delicious lunch of Costa Rican cuisine, enjoy a soothing soak in the hot springs and volcanic mud baths of Rio Negro.

Full-day hiking tour of the Rincon de la Vieja National Park
Embark on a 3-hour hike past mud pots, fumaroles and volcanic craters
Spot Howler and Capuchin monkeys in their natural environment
Swim beneath the Oropendola Waterfall
Tuck into a typical Costa Rican lunch
Enjoy a soothing soak in the volcanic mud bath of Rio Negro
Moderate hike is suitable for all abilities
Small-group tour ensures a personalized experience

What's Included

Bottled water
Lunch
Driver/guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Air-conditioned vehicle
National Park fees

Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

Type to search

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Self Drive to Adventure Park: 8:45 AM @ Hacienda Guachipelin Hacienda Pinilla/JW Marriott: 6:00 AM (please let reception or security know we are coming to pick you up) Langosta/Tamarindo Hotels, Condos, Apartments, Houses: 6:30 AM Conchal, Brasilito, Flamingo, Potrero Hotels, Condos, Apartments, Houses: 6:30 AM Catalinas: 6:15 AM ($60 extra per booking, not per customer) RIU Hotels MAIN SECURITY GATE: 6:45 AM (bring copy of passport) Playas del Coco Hotels, Condos, Houses: 7:20 AM Playa Hermosa & Playa Panama Hotels, Condos Houses (Occidental Papagayo, Secrets Papagayo, Villas Sol, Condovac, Mangroove): 7:30 AM Liberia Peri Supermarket: 7:45 AM Andaz, Four Seasons, Planet Hollywood: 7:00 AM ($50 extra per booking, not per customer) Dreams Las Mareas 6:30 AM ($200 extra per booking, not per customer) Pick up times are an estimate. Please be ready at the specified time but it may take us up to 20 minutes longer depending on that days pick up schedule and traffic.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Use "Special Requirements" field upon checkout to advise dietary information
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required, if you are a solo traveler please contact us

If you do not need transportation, please meet us at the entrance of the National Park at 8:30 am.
Not wheelchair accessible
Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

I highly recommend bringing (or buying at the top) something cool to drink in the hot pools.

The mud bath and thermal pools were a once in a lifetime experience and we highly recommend this excursion as well as tour guide Dauly!

Having small groups on these trips gives one the 'private tour' experience.

Reviews

4.5

280 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 280 reviews

Worst experience ever!

Ron_p, Mar 2023

Horrible experience from the start. Charged extra $50US for pick up, still can’t find where says this and three agents never mentioned. Pick up 20 min late due to flat, old broken down vehicle with diesel smell. Guide always way ahead! Private tour sucked! Waste of money!

Our guide Jorje was...

Laura_S, Mar 2023

Our guide Jorje was wonderful and knowledgeable. I would strongly recommend bringing swim shoes for the waterfall and hot springs!

Great day!

Judy_K, Mar 2023

Really enjoyable day! Our tour guide switched up the order of events a bit and am so glad he did. Places weren't too crowded. The hikes was just right in terms of difficulty and our guide was really knowledgeable.

Great guide and bus driver. Must see waterfall!

Penny_L, Mar 2023

This was a great hike and the excursions to the waterfall was simply amazing. Hot Springs was cool too, and a great way to end the day. Our driver and tour guide were wonderful. From a hiking/walking standpoint, we logged over 7 miles total. The lunch was well organized and good too. Biggest heads up to anyone contemplating this excursion, is be prepared to be on a bus for a big piece of time. I might suggest taking some Dramamine and bringing some snacks. The ride in and out of the park is a bit bumpy. From JW Marriott we left at 5:45 AM, and we’re dropped back off at 8:30 at night. The excision itself lasted from about 9:00 AM - 4:15PM. The way home, we ran into heavy standstill traffic. Nobody’s fault, just the reality of the trip. I would certainly do it again, but wish I was more prepared lengthy for the bus ride.

Great way to spend the day!

Jessica_E, Mar 2023

Overall wonderful day meeting new people and having fun adventures. I really enjoyed walking over the suspended bridge to the waterfall and the mud baths. I wish that the hike would have been more of a workout and maybe less time but it was still great to see the volcanic activity. Lunch was so good with a ton of different foods to choose from.

Recommend as a must do!

Varvara_R, Feb 2023

We visited on Feb 24. Everything in this experience was great. All logistics with transportation were well organized. The guide very knowledgeable and provided tons of very interesting information. We saw some impressive natural phenomenon as fumaroles, boiling water, boiling mud; spotted some wildlife; visited two types of tropical forest (humid ans dry). The waterfalls experience was also awesome. Such a beautiful out of paradise place with crystal clear water. Thermal sources with mud body mask option wasa perfect way to finish it. We did the experience with a 8year old who does not like hiking and it was good for him, he made it with no issues, so not a hard hike. So highly recommend this tour. Oh and last, the fact that the group is limited to 15 people is also an advantage as you get a more personalized experience. I saw much larger groups on the trail and you could tell it was not the same. Pura Vida!

Nice!

Nina_R, Feb 2023

This was a decent tour to get a lot in for the day. I did it as a day trip from Playa del Coco. There isnt much to do there so this trip was entertaining for the day. They forgot to pick me up but they did quickly fix that. The hike in the park is very easy and we saw monkeys but if you’re driving here yourself you don’t need a guide at all. The waterfall was so pretty and the hot springs were nice! At the end there was a stop at a touristy shop that was totally unnecessary. If you were to do this alone you would prob pay more between the fees and a rental car depending how many people you’re splitting the car with. So overall it was worth it so you don’t need worry about how to get anywhere.

Hike, volcanoes, monkeys, water fall and mud baths - must do!

Cheryl_D, Feb 2023

Great experience. Started with a 1 1/2-2 hour hike, time to change clothes the a short hike to swim in the water fall. After lunch another short hike to the amazing mud baths, an experience that didn’t disappoint. Highly recommend if you have the time.

Perfection

Phil_C, Feb 2023

This was an experience of a lifetime and truly worth every penny. Our guide Santos was amazing and taught us so much. He elevated the experience each and every time he had an opportunity. The hiking was def a workout but was a nice break from laying around the pool all day haha. The hot springs and mud bath were excellent and oh so refreshing. We saw a Sloth, Spider Monkeys, and a cool community of leaf cutter Ants. The lunch was at a fabulous restaurant and was a total surprise. Even the gift shop at the end was awesome. Do not hesitate to book this excursion

Great tour, worst money,...

Venera_S, Feb 2023

Great tour, worst money, guide Cesar was a great and knowledgeable. Highly recommend this tour. The best part was a hot spring pools , wish to spend more time there

Very Long Tour

Odoyemi_F, Jan 2023

The tour showed us ALOT. We visited a waterfall, active volcano, had a mud bath and visited a hot springs. The views were amazing. If you are scared of heights i dont recommend. A huge con is that the listing says 10 hours, however we were with them from 6:00am to 7:15pm. ENTIRELY TOO LONG. Had i know it was going to be literally all day we would have selected a new tour. We spent too much time at the hot springs and the tour could have been a lot shorter.

Private tour!!! Worth the money!!

Nicole_Z, Jan 2023

We chose a private tour for my husband and I. This experience was truly private. Our tour guide Wilmar timed it perfectly so we had every moment alone. Wilmar was very friendly, knowledgeable, and fun. We saw monkeys, lizards, and tons of birds. Wilmar even knew how to bird call! We couldn’t be happier with our experience and will be back again!

Amazing

Molly_M, Jan 2023

Costa Rica is an amazing country, full of wild life and beautiful scenery. This tour highlights the beauty and our guide, Santos, was fantastic.

Ho hum tour guide

Jorge_P, Jan 2023

Lots of really interesting things to see, but our tour guide Jorge had very little to offer. It felt as though it was mostly self guided, as he did not provide much insight beyond the obvious. We self drove to park, so I left feeling like I should have just paid the $16 at the park and walked it myself.

Beautiful birthday experience!

Rose_C, Dec 2022

I’m really glad we did this tour! We were picked up from our hotel security gate promptly at 6:45AM. We were transported to a small shopping center that served as a on your own lunch and hub for roughly 4 other native way excursions meeting point. We grabbed a very tasty and filling breakfast for less than $4, was directed to our new bus that was going to our actual excursion, and off we went. We did have a wait due to no fault of our tour guide. Some passengers were self driving and waited for us at different entry points so communication was jumbled. But our tour guide promised to make it up to us and he did! The hike is strenuous! I would say I’m pretty much a coach potato and this hike was rigorous, roughly an 8/10. But our guide allowed us rest time while he pointed out the diverse and beautiful wildlife. The waterfall was the most beautiful crisp, cold, and magical blue I’d ever seen. Absolutely the best part of the trip! I didn’t really like the hot springs like I thought I would but still a very cool area and part of the trip.

Fun tour for those in Tamarindo!

Elisabeth_P, Dec 2022

Do note that the hike of the volcano is split in two: a part is in the shade, where the guide helps you spot a lot of wildlife, including monkeys. The second one is in the open and we look at small craters / smoke holes. It can get quite hot, but it is not too long. The waterfall is easy to access afterwards and the water was delightfully warm. We had a great time swimming there after the hike. My favourite part of the day was the hot springs with the mud. One of the best I tried in Costa Rica. On the down side, thé lunch was at a buffet and wasn’t quite a Costa Rican lunch. While it was ok, the food wasn’t as amazing as the one we got on other tours.

Good (yet long) day

Kristin_A, Dec 2022

My boyfriend and I went on this excursion the last week of November. We had a good time. Key things to take into consideration if you are booking this excursion: From Tamarindo, it is a long drive each way. We made stops along the way to exchange passengers who were picked up by other shuttles/going to other excursions via the same vendor. The operators could do a better job making these stops more efficient. On the way home, we spent 15 minutes waiting on a group of girls who were casually browsing the gift shop. It was obnoxious but the tour guide wasn’t effective moving people along. We got home way later than we needed to. It was already a long day. The hike is not very strenuous – there are a lot of stairs but it’s not a high altitude and it is not a fast pace. All levels could keep up. Plenty of shade as well. We had hoped we’d see more wildlife along the way – we only saw an anteater. No monkeys on the hike (although we stopped to see some driving in). Hugo was very good at explaining the different types of plants and trees, etc. He took lots of pictures of us. He picked fresh herbs for us to try. Very scenic. The waterfall swim was awesome – the water was so fresh (and cold) – that was our favorite stop of the day. The hot springs were very crowded – that was our final stop of the day. We didn’t bother putting the mud on ourselves since it seemed like people were having a had time getting it off and we didn’t want to have to go in the cold river water. All in all, it was a good day. I thought our guide did a great job. You get to do a lot for the price tag of the excursion.

Great rainforest tour and guide Kevin

DAVID_M, Dec 2022

Kevin excellent guide and good driver Jose - very informative hike fauna and flora - wonderfull tour - nice hot springs

Be Careful.

Lorie_M, Nov 2022

Road to reach the park was flooded with water and too deep for our rental car to make it through. Never made it and no refund due to the fact that it was less than 24 hours. I had called a few weeks prior to find about directions and travel road expectations with very little guidance.

Pleasant trip.

Marie_K, Nov 2022

Day combo trip to Volcano, waterfall, hot springs was wonderful. Park is well equip for tourist. Sidewalks developed to comfortably to walk. Lunch - buffet delicious. Hector tourist guide, well knowledge, pleasant. Good driver too. Thank you very much. You made my day. Marie

...

Explore Similar Things to Do

Help Centre Customer Care Privacy Policy About Viator News Viator blog

Terms & Conditions