November | 2025 | True Costa Rica

Rincon de la Vieja: Waterfalls, Live Volcano, Hot Springs, Mud Pits, Nature!

(Click on any picture to enlarge)

This is a perfect launch point for your Costa Rica adventure. Rincon de la Vieja is only an hour from the Liberia airport. It is an easy first night, and you are immediately immersed in Costa Rican culture.

We have always enjoyed our visits here. The Rincon de la Vieja is a compound volcano, kind of a small version of Yellowstone. There are nine craters, with some oddly shaped peaks, geysers, mud pits, hot springs, and cold waterfalls. There is also lots of nature and spectacular birding.

This is off the beaten track for most North American based travelers. This is an area that is not promoted very much in the US.

It is very popular with the European marked. On the final night of our most recent visit, a large group of Germans arrived. So of course, we had to have a couple of beers with them.

Also, until recently the road has not been very good. Many years ago, my wife and I made an attempt in a Toyota Corolla. We had to give up, the road was just too bad. We eventually went back with a four wheel drive vehicle.

Several years ago, the national power company built a geothermal power plant in the area, They have greatly improved the road. You can make it in a sedan, but we still recommend 4WD when driving around Costa Rica.

Our “Go To” Lodge here, has always been Hacienda Guachipelin. It was the first lodge in the area, and is always improving. We hadn’t been in a few years, and recently visited. We were very impressed by all of the changes.

Until now, my only genuine knock against this property, was the food. I enjoy “typical” Costa Rican food. But honestly, it is a lot of the same fare. It can get a little monotonous. Our guests tend to stay two or three nights. So the food has to be good.

But the latest improvements addressed these concerns.

Of course, there is still a typical restaurant, this is where the breakfast buffet (included in the rate) is served. They also serve lunch and dinner here. Typical food is tasty and nutritious. It is definitely worth trying.

But they also now have an upscale restaurant, that offers an upgrade in the food and more options.

You will also find a hotel bar, that doubles as a sports bar, They have good burgers, tacos, chicken wings etc. They also offer some tico bar foods, something that the locals might order when watching a football game. Including some tasty ceviche. There is a second floor that offers pizza.

Also a cafe that serves what they refer to as “fast food”, but we felt it was better than that. Great sandwiches and wraps. All very well done. The large assortment of desserts were also quite tempting.

This hotel is a genuine find. The rates are very reasonable with Superior doubles starting at about 150.00 per night, plus tax (low season).

But they have accommodations at several price points, along with some gorgeous upscale Glamping Safari Tents.

The nature is the attraction here. They offer a full compliment of attractions, that are free to the guests. There are several waterfalls onsite, along with some hot springs and volcanic mud pits. You will occasionally come across photos online, of folks who have intentionally covered themselves in mud, They most likely took these shots here.

The lodge offers a shuttle. Though we found it easier to have our own car.

There are lots of attractions located on or near the property. These are offered by a subcontractor that works closely with the lodge.

One of the more interesting to me was the whitewater tubing. You are given a helmet and life jacket, before floating on a tube. The also offer this as a combo with a horseback ride. They maintain a herd of their own horses. We took the horseback / tubing tour. We had so much fun. I never felt unsafe, and laughed our way down the river.

They also have a canopy tour. These can be combined with rappelling tour that looked pretty neat. Funny thing was that we found an old, an old episode of Samantha Brown’s show on the Travel Channel. She was doing the white water tubing and rappelling tour. She liked it! They had her hanging upside down on the rappel.

We have always found that this hotel to be a great mix of comfort and activities at a reasonable price. It is the the one I recommend the most to my clients.

I can’t wait to go back! Maybe next time, I will hang upside down in a canyon!

What Exactly is a Tour Operator? Why Do I Need One?

A lot of folks don’t really understand exactly what it is we do, as a “Tour Operator” specializing in Costa Rica.

So I just want to just share a tour operators point of view, and offer some general information about the pros of working with a tour operator.

Are you a Travel Agent?

Please notice that I said tour operator, not travel agent. A tour operator is a travel agent who specializes in one destination. It is an important difference. That is what I do. Pre-Internet (yes, there was such a time), I sold some retail trips. But the majority of my business was as a wholesaler. I packaged Costa Rica for resale to travel agents. We had pre-made itineraries. But we were very good at special requests, and custom packages. I make my network of travel agent clients look very smart indeed.

I got into the business because I fell in love with Costa Rica. I have now been in this industry for over thirty years (since 1992), and I still love my job. I have also learned a few things along the way. I am happy to share my thoughts.

We offer our services for FREE. A reputable tour operator does not charge a fee, or mark up from what you pay for your trip.

You should be able to purchase the same service online for the same price. So we are a FREE service. Though sometimes, a tour operator can get special “net rates”, and offer the same hotel for an even lower price than the hotel might offer. But you don’t work with a tour operator solely because of a lower price.

You work with a tour operator because of our knowledge and expertise of the destination.

I go to Costa Rica at least twice a year, and usually more than that. I am always looking to tour a new hotel, or look over a local destination that I haven’t checked out. It drives my wife crazy, as I can get a little obsessive. But if someone mentions a hotel at a particular beach, I have probably at least inspected it. I know what is good or bad, and I know the other hotels in that area to compare it to.

That guy from work, may have loved the resort hotel he took his wife and kids too. Anyone can book that for you. But that is probably the only hotel he knew about in that area. Sure HE loved it, and it probably is quite nice. But if you are going on a honeymoon or anniversary trip, a tour operator can steer you to a romantic adult hotel. One without kids doing cannonballs in the pool. Or if you are bringing the family, there could be a more suitable hotel choice, or a completely different beach, or just a better value that your friend had no clue about.

Everyone is different. A “just the girls” trip is different than a bachelor party fishing trip. Some people want to dangle from bungee cords or rappel down the side of a cliff. Others want to add to their birding life list. One Size Does Not Fit All.

The most important part of a tour operator’s job is listening.

So many people call me with an idea of what they want to do in Costa Rica. Sometimes, the activities don’t match the region they want to visit. Or they are just confused by all the hype online. Often my job is to educate them, and guide them in a direction more suitable to their interests or expectations. Costa Rica is a diverse destination. If someone just wants to sell you something, without listening to what you expect your trip to be, Move on.

We know what things should cost. We aren’t fooled by Fake “Sales”

We are in the market everyday. For example, we knew of a large beach hotel that was offering a “buy two nights, get a third night free!” special. Sounds great. Except they increased their prices by over 50% before they offered that special. So you are actually paying slightly more for that room, than you would have before it was on “special”. And I am not sure it was worth the old price to begin with, let alone the inflated new rack. But if you are looking at it for the first time, you probably think you are seeing a great bargain.

Contrary to popular belief, we also don’t have a vested interest in what you buy.

Commissions in our industry are pretty consistent. We are like stockbrokers. We get paid the same if you book a great hotel, or a dump. So we usually don’t have a financial interest in putting you in a particular hotel. But in the Internet age, our reputation is everything. So my interest is in giving you the best experience possible. Good experiences drive referrals and repeat business to our in box.

Any business owner loves repeat business. Awhile back, I booked a honeymoon for a young lady. She told me she was a repeat customer. It turned out I had booked a trip for her family when she was teen. Her dad still had my card. If I had put them in a substandard hotel that paid me an extra 5% commission, would they have remembered me? Maybe. But also maybe for the wrong reason. Looking out for them brought me a nice piece of business a dozen years later. Isn’t that cool? After all this time, the lion’s share of my business is repeats and referrals.

A few years ago, we sold our second home in Monteverde. The buyer? A honeymoon couple from almost twenty years ago. They were taking their kids on a first trip to Costa Rica, and stayed in my house.

You have one person, that is making sure everything is work together and smoothly

Think of your tour operator as the “quarterback” for your whole trip. We make sure that everything goes smoothly. Your trip may involve several transportation legs, often from different vendors. Your tours and activities hosts vary from point to point as well, and you will be staying in several different hotels. That is a lot of balls in the air! We have a nationwide network of vendors, that cover all facets of your adventure. We will make sure that all of these gears mesh fully.

We can make sure that the private van or rental car shows up, and is on time. We coordinate your day tours, and know the best activities in each particular area. We know how many days you should spend in a particular region, or when you are trying to do too much in a short time. We know what car rental companies import their own cars and keep them in good repair. The ones with multiple offices and 24 hour help lines. And yes, we also know who is most likely to charge for phantom damage or overbook.

Sadly I also know of the hotels that are in trouble, and probably won’t survive low season. They are trying their best, and are still accepting reservations and deposits. We have had to back away from them.

No one wants to talk about this part of our industry. With the recent poor economy, many hotels experienced huge difficulties. The problem is that they built when the economy boomed, and overextended themselves. A couple of the major players out there are now owned by the banks. Others just went out of business. They could not keep the ship afloat in the poor economy. Some of them, were folks we worked with on a regular basis. We are not going to send your funds to someone that is not going to be there. When we see the warning signs, we adjust accordingly. It is an unpleasant part of the job. Especially if it is someone that we really like. But someone needs to be paying attention to this kind of thing. I am spending my customer’s money, and I have to be diligent.

We are your Advocate. In case there is an emergency back home, or your adventure is interrupted.

If you should encounter a problem while you are there, we are in a better position to negotiate for you. If you book a hotel or tour directly, you are a one time customer. You don’t have a lot of leverage. You need an advocate.

Tour operators have relationships with the hotels, transportation companies and tour companies. Most hotels get the bulk of their business from wholesalers and tour operators. They value these relationships (as do we), and want to nurture them. So our relationships are pretty amicable. Chances are that if we booked it, we know the owner or general manager. We have probably had lunch with them. Or a few drinks at the annual travel mart! We are at a much better starting point to negotiate a solution.

Or if you have to cut the vacation short due to an emergency at home, we can handle all the cancellations and get you to the airport on time. We can negotiate the refunds or credits. And we do this while you are on the plane home.

Unfortunately, I have had to do this probably a dozen times in the last thirty years. But we have almost always been able to come to a solution that satisfies everyone. It is one less thing to worry about. A worst case scenario is that something has happened at home that was so bad, that you have to cancel your trip and rush back home. Do you really want to stress about the canceled arrangements? We’ve got your back.

If the problem is a flight delay or missed connection on your way into the country, your tour operator can help there too. We can make sure that everyone is aware of your situation and keep you in the loop. This way the van will be there to meet you that evening, or the next day when you finally do arrive. If this causes a ripple effect elsewhere in your itinerary, we can smooth those out with the hotels or tour companies too. A tour operator can re book when necessary, and send new vouchers in a very short time. This kind of thing happens more frequently than you might think.

We are US based. You are not sending funds or credit card info to a foreign land.

If you work with a US based tour operator, you pay for it here in the US. And you only pay once. You are not emailing your credit card information to multiple entities in a foreign land. If for some reason a refund is due, that is coming from here in the US too. You are not trying to negotiate with the front desk in another country, where you may not have any recourse.

In a nutshell. No matter how you book your trip, you are spending a tidy sum. The services of a tour operator are FREE to you. You are buying the services for the same price as a direct booking, and sometimes for less. Why would you not want to work with someone in your home country, who is an expert in your destination? Our advice is free, and we can make sure that everything flows smoothly. We know the pitfalls, and can prevent a problem from happening in the first place. If something does go wrong, our support is there if you need us.

We know the country better than anyone. And we know it from a North American perspective.

No matter what happens, we can also tell you about that great little tapas restaurant with the fantastic sunset view, or give you directions to the rocking chair factory in Sarchi.

My advice is that before you start booking everything directly, give me a call. We can talk, and get a feel for what you are doing.. If I can’t make you more comfortable or if you don’t feel confident, then move on. You can still book it yourself. No hard feelings.

But I feel confident that we can greatly enhance your experience. And make the process easier at the same time.

I hope this helps. Let me know if I can offer any further advice. Just get in touch!

Choosing a reputable rental car company

In all my years packaging Costa Rica, the single greatest challenge has always been rental cars. Less reputable companies run damage scams. Some overbook. Others do not have replacement vehicles if there is a problem, or offer proper support. Some just have old beat up cars.

Companies come and go. I worked with one company for years. We had a fantastic relationship with them. They were even my landlord, when we operated a satellite office in Quepos (Manuel Antonio) in the early 2000’s. They were exceptional. Until they weren’t.

The company changed hands, and they became pretty awful. They were sold to a company that owned multiple rental agencies. Suddenly, I didn’t know the people I was working with. We started getting customer complaints about missing pick ups, the condition of the vehicles, overcharging, etc.

We had been sending our “overflow” guests to another company. We made them our principal vendor, and have worked with them now for at least 15 years. They have been stellar.

This is were working with a tour operator is important. A tour operator has a relationship with the rental car company. We often offer lower rates that the car company offers on their own website. And you have this in writing, on your voucher at pick up. So no surprises. We know that they have good cars, and they don’t run scams.

Things to consider when renting a car in Costa Rica:

A good rental car is essential for a positive travel experience. Look at it this way. A family spends $2000.00 on airfare. Say you spend another $2000.00 on hotels and tours. This means you are paying several hundred dollars a day to be there. When you factor in what you pay for hotels and airfare, paying an extra $100 for a week of is not much in the whole scheme of things. A dependable and well maintained vehicle is the one thing that impacts your whole experience.

How new are these vehicles? The roads can be tough on rental cars to begin with, and customers tend to drive them harder than they would a vehicle they actually own. Rental cars have a short shelf life. This is important. The better rental car companies tend to buy brand new vehicles, and turn them over before they put too many miles on them. Turnover like this is expensive.

The cars are sold at auction, often to other rental car companies. So a car that one company deemed too old for their customers, becomes the newest car on the lot at another company. This is something to consider if two companies are offering what appears to be the same model and the same year at vastly different prices.

Are they going to honor the quoted rate and insurance? This is a big one. The forums are rift with stories of being quoted low ball prices, only to find out there are lots of fees. Or the insurance isn’t included. They have you at a disadvantage. None of the companies have cars on the airport property. If you are flying in, they take you to an offsite office. You find yourself standing their with your luggage and family, and are suddenly seeing all of these extra charges add to your rental. You don’t have many options. Most people will just cave. You just want to get going on your vacation.

Are you going to have a problem with false damage claims? Other than the company’s own testimonials, what kind of references do they have? It is difficult to challenge a foreign credit card charge. What recourse do you have if there is a problem? A few years ago, there were lots of reports of rear floor mats missing, and the guests being charged. There seemed to be rash of rear floor mats stolen. Who looks at the rear floor mats? But again, you have a flight to catch. So you pay and move on.

Will they accept any credit card coverage that your credit card offers? There is a government mandated liability insurance that you must buy. But sometimes you can waive the additional coverage if this is offered by your credit card company. Though we get a discount on the insurance too,

How many offices does the company have? If you break down in the boonies, is there support close by? What if you break down at night, will someone answer the phone?

It is something to think about when your rental car is broken down in Northern Guanacaste. A large national company will get you a replacement from Liberia in an hour or two. It might be difficult to get anyone on the phone at a small company that only has a few cars. And they may be hours away.

I have seen one of the companies that I deal with bring a replacement car on a flatbed truck up the mountain to Monteverde, AFTER DARK. That’s worth $100.00. Anyone who has driven that road in the daylight will agree!

This is where postings in the travel forums or an experienced Costa Rica tour operator is important. You cannot make this decision based on price alone. A US badged company is also not a guarantee. Many of these are smaller companies paying a franchise fee. Educate yourself as much as possible. This is one case of getting exactly what you pay for.

Not to blow my horn. But working with a tour operator is one way to avoid this.