Hacienda Guachipelín, Rincón de la Vieja

Hacienda Guachipelín (hotel website) was one of my better experiences anywhere in Costa Rica and I highly recommend it. See my trip gallery (below) for all the good photos. And the hotel property was as good or better than the national park for photos and activities. One hike into the park was enough for me that time, though I could have explored the hotel property for many more days! The park would require longer hikes than I can physically do now, but that is a good possibility for a younger person. I stayed 6 nights and did not have time to see and photograph everything I wanted to! 🙂

Me at National Park Entrance.

Would I Consider Returning?

Yes! There is more that I could see and photograph in both the park and the hotel! And I love that hotel!

Likes

  • Hiking or walking in both the national park and on the hotel grounds, with the hotel grounds easier to manage by myself without a guide. Unlimited nature in both!
  • Very nice room and excellent food. I even ate some diners in the separate smaller bar & grill which was quicker and less expensive.
  • Excellent guides for both a trip into the park and a morning birding hike on hotel property. Afterwards I felt comfortable exploring hotel grounds on my own. See my trip gallery for all that I saw and photographed including 7 waterfalls and 3 “Lifer Birds” (first time seen)! 🙂

Dislikes

  • Almost nothing. At my first dinner in the big main restaurant I was not pleased with the waiter I got and just did some of my other dinners in the smaller bar/restaurant which was quicker and cheaper. 🙂

Nature & Other Activities

  • Lots of birds and waterfalls on the hotel property, more than I saw in the park.
  • I recommend the excellent morning bird hike at the hotel and think it is more helpful to have a guide going into the huge park, where I did just a half-day hike, though they have more than one all day possibilities and the park’s biggest waterfall requires an all day hike (or overnight) which I chose not to do.
  • Walking to the 7 waterfalls on the hotel property is something you can do on your own without a guide. I saw only one seasonal waterfall in the park.
  • The trails and roads through the hotel forests and farm are where I photographed most of the 24 species of birds and 29 species of other wildlife along with the many waterfalls.
  • A natural hot springs on hotel property for a short hike was better than most commercial hot springs and was free (for hotel guests).
  • The hotel offers horseback riding, tubing a river and zip-lining the treetops or a special “Adventure Package” with all three crammed into one full day. I did none of these three as I prefer nature photography.
  • See All Tours at the hotel (their website) which includes many more than the above mentioned with lots of different horseback trips and mountain biking, plus multiple nature tours, a spa, yoga, and more! You might need two weeks there to do everything! 🙂

Rooms & Food

  • Both the nice rooms and the very good food are reasons to choose Hacienda Guachipelin over any smaller and cheaper hotel/lodges nearby. Plus it is the closest to the park (at one main entrance) and has more on property than most hotels I’ve encountered anywhere!
I enjoyed farm roads as much as forest trails. This one led to a waterfall. Birding is better on a road than a trail.

Getting There

  • If you drive from Atenas it is 200km or a 3 hour 30 min drive according to Google Maps.
  • I chose to Fly Sansa to Liberia and take a taxi to the hotel at less than an hour drive.
  • There are lots of Buses to Liberia with maybe a local bus connection to the hotel or just use a taxi from Liberia. Use TheBusScheduleCR to plan a trip. A quick check told be I could leave Atenas at 7am changing buses in Orotina and Barranca and be in Liberia by 11:30 am. A lot cheaper than driving or flying! 🙂
Hibiscus, Hacienda Guachipelín, Rincón de la Vieja NP

My Trip Gallery

CLICK 1st Page image to go to gallery.

My Photo Book on Hacienda Guachipelín

CLICK the book cover image to see free preview

CLICK cover image for free preview

¡Pura Vida!

View from one of the hotel’s miradors (vistas),

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