While visiting the Guanacaste region, we took a trip to Rincón de la Vieja National Park. There, we choose a trail to hike and see the beautiful nature surrounding the volcano. Rose and I decided to walk the mudflats trail, and there we saw evidence of the volcanic activity happening all around us.
Rincón de la Vieja is a complex volcano (a mixed landform of related volcanic centers). It consists of several craters, calderas, and domes, the largest of which is the Santa Maria cone reaching an elevation of 1916 meters. The volcano has at least nine major eruptive centers, most of the activity happening on the southeast side where many of the newer craters have formed. The last major magmatic eruption happened around 3,500 years ago and all subsequent eruptions have been from the Cráter Activo, a 700-meter-wide crater containing an acid lake that varies in depth due to eruptions.
Rose and I walked the trail navigating the geothermal area of the Aguas Termales, a mudflat containing mud pits and boiling springs. There was a peculiar smell around the areas of gas emission that must have been sulfur. Many hotels tout the fabulous hot springs and mud baths of Rincón de la Vieja, but these springs were scalding and much too smelly to be enjoyable to sit near and “take up the sulfur.”
However, at the end of our walk, we felt refreshed and energized, and we agreed that there were some beautiful sights along the way. Rincón de la Vieja was amazing and the company even more so.
