One of the most popular spots in Costa Rica is the stunning Rincon de la Vieja National Park. Located in Guanacaste, this park is well-known for its hiking trails, hot springs, waterfalls, and an active volcano!
Rincon de la Vieja deserves at least a few hours of your time if you’re near Guanacaste. But if you can spare more and have a taste for adventure, I have an even better recommendation: An all-day adventure tour!
We booked an incredible, action-packed excursion through Native’s Way Costa Rica that allowed us to explore several different facets of this beautiful park. They offer tours throughout Costa Rica, but we wanted something for Guanacaste, specifically.
We chose the Hacienda Guachipelin Adventure Combo, a 10-hour tour with ziplining, whitewater tubing, horseback riding, hot springs, a mud bath, and a buffet lunch. It also included round-trip transportation from our hotel, saving us lots of stress and fuel.
It was pretty much the perfect day, with an ideal balance of beauty, adventure, and great food! Keep reading for all the details!
FAQs About the Guachipelin Adventure Combo in Rincon de La Vieja
- How much does it cost? This package is $135 per person, including food, activities, and transportation (some hotels have an extra pick-up fee)
- How long is each activity? The zipline, rafting, and hot springs/mud bath each lasted for about an hour of hands-on activity. Our horseback ride was cut short but was scheduled for 45 minutes. Lunch was also about an hour.
- Do they offer photo packages? Yes! When you finish the zipline, you’ll have the opportunity to buy a photo package, which costs $45 and (if I remember correctly) includes up to 4 people in a group.
- Can I use my GoPro/Action Camera? Yes and no… You can bring it, but we learned from experience that you might not get all the shots you were hoping for. The zipline does not have helmet mounts, so you’ll have to wear a chest harness, which doesn’t work well with holding onto the zipline harness. We also had some issues with our camera fogging up and getting water spots during the rafting.
- What should I wear? You must wear secure, close-toed shoes! This is not a flip-flop or Crocs activity, and you could be turned away from the activities if you don’t have the right shoes. I highly recommend waterproof hiking shoes like these ones we bought specifically for the trip. Our guide pointed ours out and commented that they were perfect for what we’d be doing that day. You should also bring a swimsuit and comfortable activity clothes.
- What does lunch include? The lunch was a full Costa Rican-style buffet! We had many choices of veggie and fruit, meats, main dishes, and desserts.
- What should I bring? Sunscreen, a credit card (if you want photos), and bug spray.
- Will my items be safe? Yes! Your bag will stay on your transport van with a driver present at all times. No one will be allowed to access your bag, and we had no problem leaving our phones, wallet, or action camera.
- I want to drive myself. Where do I go? The tour takes place at the Hacienda Guachipelin hotel. If you’re driving yourself, you should arrive at 8:45 a.m. You can also book a slightly cheaper tour version without transport costs directly from the hotel website if you’re driving yourself.
Watch Our Most Exciting Moments on YouTube!
Summary of Activities in Rincon de la Vieja
The Guachipelin Adventure Combo includes ziplining, horseback riding, whitewater tubing, lunch, and hot springs with a mud bath. Ideally, your day will go in that order. But be prepared for changes!
We started our day with whitewater tubing, which meant we had to hustle and change into our swim gear. (In retrospect, wearing our swimsuits to start would have been wiser.) Because we were ending our day with hot springs, we wore our swimsuits under our clothes for the entire day. We still had lunch right after the rafting, so our day was a little swapped.
It was still great, though, and everything worked out just fine.
Whitewater Tubing
The first thing on our itinerary was whitewater tubing down the beautiful Rio Negro! Our group joined with several others to take a bus down to the river, where the staff outfitted each of us with a life vest, helmet, and tube. If you have any valuables or small items, you can leave them in a secure bag to pick up at the end of the route.
After everyone was geared up, the staff gave a quick safety talk to ensure that everyone safely made it down the rapids. Then, we all trekked single-file down a steep trail, past the Victoria Waterfall, to the riverbank.
Our journey down the river lasted for about an hour and included various spinning rapids, peaceful canyons, and mini “waterfalls” along the 5km stretch. It was a beautiful ride, with the scenery changing from gorge-like walls to volcanic-rock shores and peaceful forest.
I managed to stay on my raft the entire time, but I did get stuck once or twice! Thankfully, the tour team placed plenty of staff members along the way to help as needed, especially around the rapids. They also have photographers and videographers stationed throughout to capture the memories!
At the end of the route, we carried our tubes up a small hill to meet the buses and dry off. The staff helped us shed our water gear and supplied us with fresh towels and water before we loaded back on the buses.
Ziplines + Rappel
The next major activity for us was the ziplines. The staff outfitted each of us with a helmet, harness, and gloves. Unlike our first zipline tour, we didn’t use the gloves for braking but for general protection from the cables and clips. The zip lines here had built-in braking systems, so all we had to do was enjoy the ride.
The Guacheplin course has 8 zip lines, 18 platforms, a rappel drop, climbing wall, hanging bridges, and a Tarzan swing! One platform even had a slide! But the best part was the views.
The zipline course takes you through the treetops and forest, past a waterfall, and along a river canyon. The waterfall and river sections were my favorite because they were different from anything we’d seen so far.
The whole thing took about an hour once again. The first line was a little crowded, but they kept everyone moving, and the last few lines hardly had any wait. Because many of the platforms are literally built into the rockface of the canyon, they took precautions to keep the platforms from getting overcrowded, and each person was clipped in to a safety line when they landed.
The rappel and rock wall portion was optional, but it did make for a fun detour down to the river! We didn’t rappel so much as they dropped us straight down to the platform, but the rock wall was exactly what we expected.
Another unique part was the Tarzan swing, where the staff pushed us from platform to platform in a large semi-circle. It’s a very different sensation but so thrilling! (Check out my YouTube video to see it!)
If you really want to kick things up a notch, the staff will let you go upside-down! I only did it a couple of times, but Daniel had fun doing most of the ziplines that way.
Horseback Riding
After our zipline adventure, our group ditched our harnesses (and the other groups) and headed straight to the stables. These are located down a hill from the central hub, but the hike was easy.
When we arrived, the staff were already preparing our horses, and they called us up one by one to match us with a steed. The horses were all very calm and obviously used to the routine.
Our guide led us through the ranch and into the rainforest for a very relaxing ride among the trees. We did have to stop one time because there was a snake in the path, but otherwise, it was pretty uneventful and peaceful. It was also raining just a bit, but the trees kept the worst of it from bothering us.
This was the only activity I was a bit disappointed with, though, because it was so short! I was looking forward to a 45-minute ride since I hadn’t been horseback riding in so long, but ours was only about 20 minutes.
Hot Springs + Mud Baths
The final part of our adventure was a relaxing hour at the hot springs! Hacienda Guachipelin has 10 tiered mineral pools that the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano naturally heats. They all sit on the hillsides next to the Rio Negro and provide the perfect opportunity to unwind after a long day.
After our shuttle dropped us at the top of the hill, our group walked down several sets of stairs and over a bridge to access the hot springs. Several other groups were finishing up when we arrived, so it was initially crowded, but we eventually had it primarily to ourselves.
Following the recommended regimen, we spent a few minutes soaking in one of the hot springs to open up our pores before the mud bath.
Then, we were handed a half coconut shell full of volcanic clay mud to slather all over for a natural spa treatment. It was very weird, and the mud was more liquid than I expected. But it was fun and unique, so we didn’t care!
After the mud dried, we had to wash it off with the spring water–the cold stuff! Daniel hopped straight into the river to rinse off, while I opted for one of the 3 spring-fed showerheads. The mud was more challenging to get off than either of us expected, so we ended up literally chilling in the water for several minutes, scrubbing the mud off.
Once we did that, we were allowed to hop back into the thermal springs to warm up and soak in the mineral waters. I chose the hottest pool available and spent the rest of the time enjoying the warmth and the views.
When our time was up, the staff supplied us with more dry towels, and we went back to the drop-off point via a suspension bridge and wooded path. There was a small building with several changing rooms and bathrooms so we could get back in dry clothing for the return trip home.
Once our guide loaded our entire group back into the shuttle, we left Rincon de la Vieja National Park behind and drove directly back to our initial pick-up location.
Closing Thoughts on the Guachipelin Tour in Rincon de la Vieja
We had such an incredible day with this tour, and we were well-taken care of at every turn.
Our guide, Steven, was fantastic and very patient with us. He also spoke excellent English and was ready to share plenty of fun facts about Rincon de la Vieja and Costa Rica. He also ensured we had plenty of water throughout the day by keeping us stocked with water bottles.
There was some initial confusion about our transportation because we booked through a 3rd party tour agency, but the actual shuttle process was well-coordinated and took 0 effort on our part. The shuttles were also clean and comfortable. We did have a considerable delay in the morning when our hotel shuttle met up with our full group bus. But as our hotel manager put it, things run on Costa Rica time.
It was a very long day (nearly 12 hours from pick-up to drop-off), but it was definitely worth the time. If we had driven ourselves, we probably would have arrived earlier and potentially gotten through the activities a bit faster. But once again, it was nice to be able to relax instead, since our hotel was an hour away.
If you’re ever visiting Guanacaste, I highly recommend this tour or a variation of it! You won’t be disappointed.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to drop them below.
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Thanks for joining me today to learn about this tour in Rincon de la Vieja, and I hope you’ll be back again soon!
Happy travels!
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