Rincón de la Vieja (from Spanish, “Corner of the Old Woman”) is an active andesitic complex volcano in north-western Costa Rica, in the province of Guanacaste.

Rincon de la Vieja means “Corner of the Old Woman.” An indigenous legend tells about Princess Curubandá, daughter of the Curubandé tribe chieftain, who fell in love with Prince Mixcoac, the son of an enemy tribe chief. Curubandá’s father ended her forbidden lover’s life by throwing him into the live volcano crater.Devastated, Curubandá became a recluse, living the rest of her life high on the volcano’s slope. She learned natural medicines from the volcano and developed healing powers. People seeking medicinal cures were told to go to “the corner of the old woman” by the volcano. And thus, the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano received its name.

Meaning “The Cauldrons” in Spanish, the Las Pailas area spectacularly shows off the awesome power of the live Rincon de la Vieja Volcano. Steaming fumaroles, mini-geysers, bubbling volcanic mud pits, natural hot springs and jungle waterfalls give you an incredible experience like no other volcano in Costa Rica. Although the volcano’s activity once served as a natural lighthouse for ships at sea, its last big eruption was in 1998.

Hiking in the Rincon de la Vieja National Park on the Las Pailas loop trail takes you 2.5 miles (3.5 km) through exotic dry tropical forest to see incredible nature, volcanic activity, and wildlife. Rincon de la Vieja National Park is home to 300 bird species and many mammals, including white-faced, howler and spider monkeys, armadillos, collared peccaries, pumas, sloths, tapirs, kinkajous and white-nosed coatis. The area offers a perfect setting for activities such as hiking, forest canopy tours, horseback riding, river-rafting, all-terrain-vehicle riding and wall-climbing.

The impressive Rincon de la Vieja Volcano and its dormant sister Santa Maria Volcano form the center of the fantastic Rincon de la Vieja National Park – part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Guanacaste Conservation Area.