Rincon Tour Worth It ??
Nov 3rd, 2005, 10:17 AM
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Rincon Tour Worth It ??
We are staying at the Four Seasons and are going on a van tour and small group boat trip on the Palo Verde river/park. We also were going on the beginner canopy trip that Richardo at Vargas Tours calls their Aromal Tour.They are picking us up at the hotel.
Is a trip to Rincon a long drive with only a little beauty until we get there so we would be spending 4 hours driving for 2 hours there at probably $125/person and have 1 less day at a beautiful resort. We leave Nov.29-Dec.8 and hope the extended rainy season is 99% over.
Looking for feedback from Fodorites who have been there in past 2 years.THANKS!
Is a trip to Rincon a long drive with only a little beauty until we get there so we would be spending 4 hours driving for 2 hours there at probably $125/person and have 1 less day at a beautiful resort. We leave Nov.29-Dec.8 and hope the extended rainy season is 99% over.
Looking for feedback from Fodorites who have been there in past 2 years.THANKS!
Nov 3rd, 2005, 07:16 PM
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Rincon is one of the prettiest national parks in Costa Rica. It is also very uncrowded. It is an easy day trip from Playa Hermosa and Four Seasons. I'm not sure I'd want to go there with a group on a guided tour. There are several different trails which cover a variety of topography, and with a group you are only going to see as much as the slowest member. You might look into hiring a driver for the day (I can't believe it would cost more than the $125 pp you mentioned.) I don't think you need aguide for the park itself. The drive to the Park is a little rugged, but nothing compared to the road to Monteverde. I've done it three times in ordinary vehicles without any problems.
Is it worth it? It depends what you want from your vacation. Four Seasons may be beautiful (I've never been there), but it is an isolated resort which could be located virtually anywhere. Rincon is uniquely Costa Rican. I think that after a few days of sitting by the pool, you might want to see a little of the country.
Is it worth it? It depends what you want from your vacation. Four Seasons may be beautiful (I've never been there), but it is an isolated resort which could be located virtually anywhere. Rincon is uniquely Costa Rican. I think that after a few days of sitting by the pool, you might want to see a little of the country.
Nov 4th, 2005, 08:25 AM
#3
I took the Rincon tour with Vargas Tours and my wife and I both enjoyed the tour.
You will do the following:
1. Do the zip line about 10- 11 platforms.
If you have never done a zip line this one is very nice to get you started.
2.Do a Canopy walk to the Buena Vista Waterfall.
3.Horseback ride, this is nice and slow , no anxious horses here.
4.Mud Baths ..first you apply the hot mud to all of your body and face...careful ,when you put yourhands in the hot mud..it is HOT.
Have your camera accessible from your locker as you will want to have a picture taken.
5.Then you will go into a series of three hot pools...start with the coolest one first because the hottest oneis about 105 F !
6. The you do the waterslide....and I have to admit this was very nice and a real thrill ride....you will hit into the pool at the end of the slide doing about 40 mph!
7. Then you have a Tico lunch at the Beuna Vista Lodge.
You should be back at your resort by about 5-6 PM unless you want to stop off in Liberia for some shopping or browsing , as you will be passing right beside Liberia.
Oh yes it is not Liberia , it is pronounced "La Veddy- Ahh "
Ask a lot of qquestion on the way there and your guide willtellyou how Rincon got its name etc.
Percy
You will do the following:
1. Do the zip line about 10- 11 platforms.
If you have never done a zip line this one is very nice to get you started.
2.Do a Canopy walk to the Buena Vista Waterfall.
3.Horseback ride, this is nice and slow , no anxious horses here.
4.Mud Baths ..first you apply the hot mud to all of your body and face...careful ,when you put yourhands in the hot mud..it is HOT.
Have your camera accessible from your locker as you will want to have a picture taken.
5.Then you will go into a series of three hot pools...start with the coolest one first because the hottest oneis about 105 F !
6. The you do the waterslide....and I have to admit this was very nice and a real thrill ride....you will hit into the pool at the end of the slide doing about 40 mph!
7. Then you have a Tico lunch at the Beuna Vista Lodge.
You should be back at your resort by about 5-6 PM unless you want to stop off in Liberia for some shopping or browsing , as you will be passing right beside Liberia.
Oh yes it is not Liberia , it is pronounced "La Veddy- Ahh "
Ask a lot of qquestion on the way there and your guide willtellyou how Rincon got its name etc.
Percy
Nov 4th, 2005, 03:08 PM
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Percy, I've read all your posts and this is a great description. We found a 6 pools to choose from and it is great to have a selection as I don't like it very warm. I was honored to have a young tico offer to give me a back rub while the mud was drying (in front of my family as we waited). We used J and C Tours (www.jandctours.com) in May and paid a small downpayment (PayPal) for transportation from 1 1/2 hrs. away from Rincon and the tour. It was approx. $450 for four of us totally. Juan (the J) went on the tour with us and it was fun. His wife, Carol, who we did not meet, is American and they live in Coco so the Four Seasons may even be closer to them than Tamarindo. Contact them to check on their prices.
Nov 4th, 2005, 08:35 PM
#5
Dyer
Nice to hear that you also had a good time and enjoyed the Rincon de la Vieja Tour.
Ricardo Vargas and his wife(Lupita)live in Coco area also so it was close for them to pick us up,as we stayed at the Fiesta Premier.
Wow!! you had six pools to chose from,that sounds great also.
StanKase has mentioned that he is going on the Palo Verde Tour.
I liked this tour as it was worth the price just to see the white faced monkeys climb onto your boat, not to mention the super Tico meal we had at the end of the day.
Percy
Nice to hear that you also had a good time and enjoyed the Rincon de la Vieja Tour.
Ricardo Vargas and his wife(Lupita)live in Coco area also so it was close for them to pick us up,as we stayed at the Fiesta Premier.
Wow!! you had six pools to chose from,that sounds great also.
StanKase has mentioned that he is going on the Palo Verde Tour.
I liked this tour as it was worth the price just to see the white faced monkeys climb onto your boat, not to mention the super Tico meal we had at the end of the day.
Percy
Nov 5th, 2005, 08:03 AM
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The Rincon de la Vieja. . . .I have to agree with Percy and rbrazill--it is indeed well worth your time. I think the key phrase is "uniquely Costa Rican"! We were there with a guide and had a marvelous time--loved the huge water slide down the mountain! 
Nov 5th, 2005, 09:18 AM
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If you have a rental car a trip to Rincon de la Vieja National Park itself is worthwhile. The tour described by Percy sounds as if it is mostly if not totally outside the park.
I echo rbrazill's thoughts about the feel of the Costa Rican countryside in places like Rincon.
The park has some wonderful hiking trails through a fascinating landscape. There are bubbling mud pots, steaming vents, high waterfalls, magnificent old trees and plenty of wildlife. On our most recent visit, just about a year ago, we walked a sun-dappled forest trail beside a tiny stream admidst an array of blue morpho butterflies dancing through the air around us. A memory that we will keep forever -and one we would never have enjoyed at an isolated resort.
Jerry
I echo rbrazill's thoughts about the feel of the Costa Rican countryside in places like Rincon.
The park has some wonderful hiking trails through a fascinating landscape. There are bubbling mud pots, steaming vents, high waterfalls, magnificent old trees and plenty of wildlife. On our most recent visit, just about a year ago, we walked a sun-dappled forest trail beside a tiny stream admidst an array of blue morpho butterflies dancing through the air around us. A memory that we will keep forever -and one we would never have enjoyed at an isolated resort.
Jerry
Nov 5th, 2005, 04:00 PM
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I am also staying in the Hermosa area in a few weeks and interested in visiting Rincon de la Vieja.
It sounds like a lot of the "tour" activities may actually occur at Buena Vista Lodge - is that accurate? If so, is it possible to visit the lodge and do these activities on your own. We have our own transportation so would actually prefer this to the paid tour so we are on our own time.
Any zip line canopy tours in the area that could be recommended?
It sounds like a lot of the "tour" activities may actually occur at Buena Vista Lodge - is that accurate? If so, is it possible to visit the lodge and do these activities on your own. We have our own transportation so would actually prefer this to the paid tour so we are on our own time.
Any zip line canopy tours in the area that could be recommended?
Nov 6th, 2005, 03:11 PM
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Can anyone tell me about the zip lines in the park? I'm terrified of heights & chickened out of them in Monteverde last year but am considering trying it in the Rincon park when I return in Feb. Are they as high as the one's at Skytrek in Monteverde? And how do you get to the top of the platforms? Thanks!
Nov 6th, 2005, 04:51 PM
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Andy Madigal operates tours at Palo Verde and Rincon. Our family enjoyed spending quite a bit of time with him just a few months ago. We went to Rincon - Palo Verde - Ometepe Nicaragua throughout approximately a week using Andy as a guide. He is very knowledgeable, speaks six different languages, and has been featured in National Geographic Magazine for his background in the local naturalist scene. Andy can help you in many ways and will be a pleasure to spend time with. His cell # is 011 (country code) - 506 (area code) - 826 -1860. His e-mail address is [email protected]
Website: http://ca.geocities.com/[email protected]/
Website: http://ca.geocities.com/[email protected]/
Nov 6th, 2005, 08:11 PM
#11
songerie:
There is no reason why you cannot go to Rincon on your own since you have the transportation.
Once there you can do whatever combination of activities you want.
Yes there is a Canopy Tour here, and you can pay and just do this tour.
Then you can go hiking if you want,rather than doing the mud baths or waterslide.
(Personally, I would do the waterslide..you will get a blast out of it and you will remember the ride always!!!)
petite1:
The Canopy Tour here is a nice waytobe introduced to a zip line tour !!
The one at Monteverde is much high and longer with more platforms.
I did the one at Rincon on one day and two days later did the one at Monteverde... let's just say that the one at Rincon de la Vieja is a "warm-up" for the Monteverde one !!!!
There are two entrances to the Rincon Park.
If you are not going to do a lot of hiking , then perhaps the one you might want to use ,is the one that takes you from Liberia down the Inter- American Highway on the way to Nicargua...about 10 miles down...watch for the right hand turn that takes you to Rincon.
You will be on a paved road for a longer time going this way before you hit the dirt road.
Going the other way....... I think Jerry can explain that better to you.
Oh yes, you asked how you get up to the platforms of the Canopy (zip line) Tour.
You walk up a path in the forest..the walk is all uphill,when you reach the spot of the first platform you have to climb up via steps and a ladder...
once on the first platform..... you zip from one platform(platfroms are built high in the treetops) to another until you reach the final one.
petite1... will you be scared.??
I do not think so ,you will be apprehensive though until you get that first zip line under your belt.
After the first one, I can almost assure you you will not be scared.
There is a guide with you on the platform that hooks you up to the cable and another guide waiting for you at the next platform..ready to grab you and help you onto the second platform..
He then unhooks you from the cable you just came riding down and hooks you to a safety cable as you move along to be hooked up to the next cable you will be zipping down !!...this procedure is repeated until you have done all the 10-11 platforms.
So ,you see , some is helping to send you off on the zip line and someone is waiting to receive you at the other end.
When you return back home from your trip to Costa Rica..please do a report on your zip line tour, and say, "Percy ,you were right,how silly of me to be afraid "!!
Have a nice time
Percy
There is no reason why you cannot go to Rincon on your own since you have the transportation.
Once there you can do whatever combination of activities you want.
Yes there is a Canopy Tour here, and you can pay and just do this tour.
Then you can go hiking if you want,rather than doing the mud baths or waterslide.
(Personally, I would do the waterslide..you will get a blast out of it and you will remember the ride always!!!)
petite1:
The Canopy Tour here is a nice waytobe introduced to a zip line tour !!
The one at Monteverde is much high and longer with more platforms.
I did the one at Rincon on one day and two days later did the one at Monteverde... let's just say that the one at Rincon de la Vieja is a "warm-up" for the Monteverde one !!!!
There are two entrances to the Rincon Park.
If you are not going to do a lot of hiking , then perhaps the one you might want to use ,is the one that takes you from Liberia down the Inter- American Highway on the way to Nicargua...about 10 miles down...watch for the right hand turn that takes you to Rincon.
You will be on a paved road for a longer time going this way before you hit the dirt road.
Going the other way....... I think Jerry can explain that better to you.
Oh yes, you asked how you get up to the platforms of the Canopy (zip line) Tour.
You walk up a path in the forest..the walk is all uphill,when you reach the spot of the first platform you have to climb up via steps and a ladder...
once on the first platform..... you zip from one platform(platfroms are built high in the treetops) to another until you reach the final one.
petite1... will you be scared.??
I do not think so ,you will be apprehensive though until you get that first zip line under your belt.
After the first one, I can almost assure you you will not be scared.
There is a guide with you on the platform that hooks you up to the cable and another guide waiting for you at the next platform..ready to grab you and help you onto the second platform..
He then unhooks you from the cable you just came riding down and hooks you to a safety cable as you move along to be hooked up to the next cable you will be zipping down !!...this procedure is repeated until you have done all the 10-11 platforms.
So ,you see , some is helping to send you off on the zip line and someone is waiting to receive you at the other end.
When you return back home from your trip to Costa Rica..please do a report on your zip line tour, and say, "Percy ,you were right,how silly of me to be afraid "!!
Have a nice time
Percy
