Whereas visiting Costa Rica, we determined to go for a “cover tour“, or zip-lining as we check with it at house.
It was really helpful that we go on the Hacienda Guachipelin Journey Excursions in Rincon de La Vieja Nationwide Park fairly than happening one of many tour packages provided at our resort.
It’s a full day journey tour that features a cover tour, mountaineering, tubbing, horse again using, sizzling spring and dirt bathtub.
We’re going to share our full expertise of today of journey in Hacienda Guachipelin – it was nicely price it!
Attending to Hacienda Guachipelin Journey Excursions
As we’d rented a automobile with one other couple from our resort for a few days, we obtained GPS instructions for the Nationwide Park and set out on our personal. For those who’re going to drive to Hacienda Guachipelin Journey Excursions, ensure you have a 4×4 automobile.
When you get off of the Pan American Freeway (Hwy 1) you’re on a really lengthy unpaved street (the truth is that’s all our GPS referred to as it, ‘unpaved street’), filled with potholes, hills, and the occasional cow wandering down the street.
Insider journey tip: Whenever you arrive on the entrance to Rincon de La Vieja Nationwide Park, you come to a gate the place they ask you to pay a toll to enter the park. Inform them you’re heading to Journey Excursions and also you don’t have to pay!
The tour consists of lunch on the Hacienda Guachipelín Lodge. I had an area drink to start with, adopted by Mahi Mahi on a mattress of rice with some greens, and rice pudding for dessert. I loved the meal, most likely greater than the meals at our resort!
For those who book this tour online, it features a resort pick-up so that you don’t have to fret about attending to the park by yourself.
Cover Tour
After lunch, we headed out to the cover. The very first thing they do is to get all of your gear fitted. This consists of your harness, helmet and gloves. My spouse and I have been each fairly impressed with the harnesses they supply. Having executed a good quantity of labor within the leisure business the place harnesses are a job requirement, we felt they paid excellent consideration to the security of their visitors.
Subsequent up was a short introduction to zip-lining. Whereas nonetheless on the bottom they confirmed you the way to place your physique whereas on the road, the way to hold your stability, gradual your self down, what to do if you happen to stopped in the course of the road, and so forth.
After the briefing, it’s time to go flying by means of Rincon de La Vieja. We began off with a reasonably lengthy line for our first run, which simply went by means of the forest. An excellent introductory run. The second run, most likely the longest of all of them, goes over a canyon, with an unbelievable view if you happen to have been trying down as you flew overhead!
Subsequent, you arrive on the rappelling line. Right here your harness is hooked up to a rope and also you’re lowered, head first, straight down alongside a waterfall. You then swing throughout the water to a different platform, and climb up at 40m ladder to the following platform. This a part of the cover tour is optionally available, because it requires a bit extra bodily power than the remainder. For those who select to rappel down, there isn’t any manner out apart from the ladder climb again up. Solely one in all our social gathering of 4 partook on this exercise.
After one other two zip traces, you arrive on the most difficult a part of the tour, mountaineering. It’s important to climb throughout one rock wall after which down to a different platform, with the river operating beneath you. You then do a “tarzan swing’” to a platform on the opposite facet of the canyon.
Lastly, it’s a must to climb one other rock wall straight as much as the following zip-line platform. After one other quick rock climb, there’s a small stroll to the ultimate zip-line location. The employees are excellent at guiding you thru this part of the tour. Though I need to admit I used to be just a little uncertain about my capability to finish it, it felt like an awesome accomplishment to achieve the top!
In any case of that, there’s one last zip-line to the top, which you may have the choice of doing the wrong way up! We took group pictures on the final platform, after which had a brief stroll again to the Journey Excursions workplaces the place we took off our gear.
One of many joys of being there on the finish of September is that’s was pouring rain throughout many parts of the cover tour. In some methods, this added to the expertise. It felt like an even bigger accomplishment doing the ziplines and mountaineering in that climate.
Sizzling Springs
The following a part of the day would usually embrace horseback using, however provided that it was getting a later within the day (we didn’t arrive till nearly 1pm) and that it was pouring rain exterior, we skipped this and went straight to the sizzling springs.
The recent springs are positioned about one other 10-15 minute drive up the street from the primary Hacienda Guachipelin Journey Excursions workplace. They’re not marked very nicely – however there’s a signal about 100m earlier than you get to them. The doorway is positioned proper on the backside of a steep hill on the street. There’s a bridge over the water right here, you’ll be able to park your automobile on both facet of it.
There are change services positioned a brief stroll into the forest in direction of the recent springs. A employees member from Journey Excursions was on the change services keeping track of everybody’s belongings. The swimming pools are positioned simply previous the change services. There are 3 swimming pools: one sizzling, one medium, and one cool. If I needed to guess that their temperatures, I’d say they have been about 107F, 103F and possibly 90F. The recent swimming pools are fed with water from a close-by volcano. You may see the place the recent water is feeding into the pool.
There’s a bridge over the water main to a different cooler pool, however this one was closed on the day we visited as a result of the water ranges have been too excessive.
The swimming pools have been very stress-free, and felt nice on the “new muscle tissue” that we found whereas zip-lining! The swimming pools have been very fairly, with just a few different visitors exhibiting up whereas we have been there.
Driving Again
It was nonetheless mild out once we began driving again, though it shortly obtained darkish. As we’d found on the remainder of our journey, the roads in Costa Rica (even the highways and extra city areas) have very poor road lighting, and no shoulders. It’s important to be very attentive to the pedestrians and cyclists at nighttime.
Our return journey was additionally slowed down as a result of we have been caught behind a line of faculty buses, with no room to go. It seems college students in Costa Rica go to highschool for just a few hours within the morning, after which once more later within the afternoon, with a break within the center when the warmth is at its worst.
Hacienda Guachipelin Journey Excursions: 5/5
Would advocate this tour to anybody who desires an thrilling, adrenaline pumped solution to discover the Costa Rican panorama!
Exploring extra of Costa Rica? Right here’s just a few ideas:
Journey Dudes
I am certain you’ve got had comparable experiences I had while touring. You are in a sure place and a fellow traveler, or an area, tip you off on a little-known seashore, bar or lodging. Nice journey ideas from different vacationers or locals all the time add one thing particular to our travels. That was the inspiration for Journey Dudes.
