Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin rescues Costa Rica food traditions

Wouldn’t it be nice to dine in a restaurant that only served freshly-made meals made with locally-sourced ingredients, vegetables picked that same day, sauces that didn’t come from a jar or can, bread hot out of the oven, juices that only a moment ago were whole fruit, and desserts loving crafted by an on-site pastry chef? In fact, you can. This is what is cooking at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The renowned Costa Rica eco-adventure hotel at the base of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano recently renovated its restaurant and kitchen to be bigger, better and fresher! Known in the USA as “Farm-to-table” style, this is the real deal at Hacienda Guachipelin, using ingredients found in Costa Rica and always freshly made.



How fresh is fresh? A large portion of Hacienda Guachipelin’s fruit, vegetables, spices, eggs, milk and cheese are harvested daily from the working horse and cattle ranch’s 3,400-acre farm. Eggs come from 300 free-range chickens in a huge henhouse. Milk arrives in the kitchen at 6:30 every morning, hot and steaming from just-milked cows at the cow barn. Kitchen staff makes its own farmer’s cheese, served at breakfast. The restaurant also keeps almond milk and soy milk for persons with lactose allergies. 







































 In a large area of fields and livestock enclosures, long rows of tomatoes, bell peppers and celery grow organically in the sunshine. Lettuce, basil, cilantro, jalapeno chilies and cucumbers fill an organic hydroponic greenhouse near the kitchen and restaurant. Out in the aromatic spice garden in front of the greenhouse you can find dill, parsley, lemongrass, mint, rosemary, turmeric, ginger, and two kinds of oregano.



Natural juices and marmalade jams are made fresh at the hotel from oranges, lemons, guanabana fruit, cas, guayaba, passion fruit, watermelon, papaya and pineapple that is either grown on the property or bought from small regional farmers. There are no processed sauces from jars or cans, no MSG, nor any boxed juices or pre-prepared foods. Breads and desserts are made on site by Hacienda Guachipelin’s pastry chef, and all baked in wood-burning ovens (the wood comes from the farm). The restaurant even has many gluten-free bread options for people with gluten allergies, including gluten-free pizzas. At breakfast, corn tortillas are handmade in the traditional Costa Rican style.



Hacienda Guachipelin has its own bees and is producing honey. Drinking water at the hotel is natural spring water produced on the property. Coffee served in the restaurant comes from a small farm in Naranjo, Costa Rica that is owned by a friend of Hacienda Guachipelin owner, Jose Tomas Batalla. Tilapia fish comes from a local farm in the nearby town of Canas.



“We don’t cut corners. We make as much as we can homemade,” commented hotel owner, Jose Tomas Batalla. “We want to run our hotel with mindfulness.” Hacienda Guachipelin focuses especially on using typical Costa Rican fruits, vegetables, breads and meals. “We want to give people an authentic experience of being in Guanacaste and Costa Rica,” said Batalla. “We are rescuing the culinary traditions of Costa Rica and Guanacaste.” The Hacienda Guachipelin restaurant has been expanded to seat 250 persons, with a dedicated area for groups, hotel guests and day tour visitors. When the hotel is busy, meals are served buffet style; however, there is always an a la carte menu available.



Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin You can dine at the best restaurant in Rincon de la Vieja when you visit award-winning eco-hotel Hacienda Guachipelin. Recipient of TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence 2015, Hacienda Guachipelin offers some of the best adventure tours in Guanacaste, Costa Rica and nature tours at Rincon de la Vieja Volcano.



Hacienda Guachipelin’s Adventure Center is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Not only hotel guests get to enjoy Hacienda Guachipelin’s popular Costa Rica adventure tours; many day visitors staying in other Guanacaste locations come too.

Article by Shannon Farley

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See exotic wildlife on Hacienda Guachipelin’s Costa Rica nature tours

The dry tropical forest covering the western side of Rincon de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste, Costa Rica creates an interesting ecosystem for many different animals and plants than you would see elsewhere in Costa Rica.
The award-winning eco-hotel Hacienda Guachipelin, located at the base of the massive volcano, offers fun and fascinating Costa Rica nature tours. You can visit waterfalls and natural volcanic hot springs, go hiking in the Rincon de la Vieja National Park, learn about ancient cultures on an archaeology tour, and see exotic wildlife in Hacienda Guachipelin’s Butterfly Garden, Serpentarium & Frog Exhibit.

The Butterfly Garden shows three of the major families of butterflies in Costa Rica: Pieridae, Papilionidae and Nimphalidae. The Serpentarium and Frog Exhibit presents 23 kinds of snakes, including 11 that are poisonous; six species of frogs and two types of basilisk lizards – in glass and wood habitat cases. The tour guide will explain details about each animal. The tour also visits the ranch’s Look-out Point, where you can see the Rincón de la Vieja and Santa Maria volcanoes as well as the Pacific Coast of Guanacaste.

• Nature Tour times: 8:00 AM / 10:00 AM / 1:30 PM / 2:30 PM
• Tour duration: 1.5 hours
• Tour Prices: USD $20 adults (11+ years) / USD $15 children (4-10 years)

Choose the One Day Nature Pass and you will have included buffet lunch in Hacienda Guachipelin’s Restaurant, and a visit to the natural volcanic hot springs at Rio Negro (transport by vehicle). Tour Prices: USD $55 adults (11+ years) and USD $45 children (4-10 years).
Another interesting nature and cultural tour at Hacienda Guachipelin is the Archaeology tour. Created by an archaeologist with the University of Costa Rica, eight stations give an introduction to the history of Guanacaste and Rincon de la Vieja, and show daily life of the indigenous peoples who lived near the massive Rincon de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste.

Hacienda Guachipelin´s Adventure Center is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You should note that the Rincon de la Vieja National Park is closed on Mondays. For the best day of Costa Rica adventure tours, get the One Day Adventure Pass at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin. It includes canopy zip lines, horseback riding, river tubing, and natural volcanic hot springs. You don´t have to be a hotel guest to enjoy Hacienda Guachipelin´s Adventure Park; many day visitors staying in other Guanacaste locations come to the popular eco-adventure hotel for tours.
Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin
At the base of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Hacienda Guachipelin is an award-winning eco-tourism hotel and 3,400-acre horse and cattle ranch. The hotel is 15.5 miles (25 km) northeast of Guanacaste´s main city of Liberia.
Article by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica honors national hero Juan Santamaria on April 11.

Ever wonder who is Juan Santamaria, for whom the San Jose international airport in Costa Rica is named?

This week is a good time to find out. Costa Rica will celebrate its national holiday Juan Santamaria Day on April 11. On this day, Costa Rica celebrates this drummer boy in its national army who heroically gave his life in a decisive battle in 1856 that ensured Costa Rica remained a free country.

Juan Santamaria’s courage and the country’s national pride and freedom are feted with parades and events all over the country on this day, especially in Alajuela, where Santamaria lived and where the Juan Santamaria International Airport is located.

The history goes like this: Costa Rica gained independence from Spain in 1821 and became completely independent from a Central American Republic in 1838. Only 18 years later, the tiny nation was threatened by a mercenary army led by U.S. filibuster, William Walker.

When civil war broke out in Nicaragua in 1854, Walker, originally from Tennessee, took advantage of the political instability to take over the government of Nicaragua and attempt to conquer the other nations in Central America. Costa Rican president Juan Rafael Mora Porras called upon his people to form an army and fight Walker and his men. Juan Santamaría (August 29, 1831 - April 11, 1856), a poor laborer from Alajuela, joined the army as a drummer boy.

After successfully beating a small group of Walker's soldiers at Santa Rosa, Guanacaste, the Costa Rican troops chased them north to the city of Rivas, Nicaragua, near the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border. The battle that began on April 8, 1856 is the Second Battle of Rivas. Fighting was fierce and the situation did not look good for the Costa Rican soldiers. They couldn’t flush Walker's men out of a hostel near the town center from which they commanded an advantageous firing position.

According to historic accounts, on April 11, a soldier was asked to set the hostel on fire to drive Walker’s men out. Some tried and failed; then Santamaría volunteered. He advanced with his torch, and although he was mortally wounded by enemy fire, he succeeded in setting fire to the hostel before dying. The enemy was defeated, and April 11 became a Costa Rica national holiday to commemorate Santamaría’s death and remember the major turning point for freedom.

What happened to William Walker? He ruled Nicaragua until 1857, when he was defeated by a coalition of Central American armies. He ended up being executed by the government of Honduras in 1860.

You can visit the first original battle site of Santa Rosa in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, now protected in the Santa Rosa National Park and Guanacaste Conservation Area World Heritage site.



Where to stay in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin, an award-winning hotel in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, is close to the Santa Rosa National Park and Rincon de la Vieja Volcano. The adventure park at Hacienda Guachipelin offers top Costa Rica adventure tours and an authentic Guanacaste, Costa Rica cultural experience on their working horse and cattle ranch.

Article by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica hotel Hacienda Guachipelin presents new rooms for Christmas

Just in time for Christmas, travelers to Rincon de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, can enjoy charming new guest rooms at award-winning eco-hotel Hacienda Guachipelin. At the base of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin is one of the best places to stay in Guanacaste. The eco-tourism hotel is a working horse and cattle ranch and has a fantastic adventure park. They were awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2014.

 

The spacious new Superior rooms have beautiful views. Ten new rooms are equipped with two queen beds or one king-size bed, Wi-Fi, TV, phone, safe box, fan and air-conditioning. Two of the rooms are specially equipped for disabled travelers.

“I love the typical authentic flavor of this traditional Costa Rican hacienda located at the active volcano and national park of Rincon de la Vieja,” commented Daniel Chavarria, founder of Enchanting Hotels Costa Rica.

Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin offers comfortable ranch-style rooms and suites with views of the volcano and the Hacienda. Wide and inviting verandas welcome you to relax and meet fellow travelers. A sumptuous breakfast buffet and entrance to the hotel’s natural volcanic hot springs are included for all guests at Hacienda Guachipelin.

The adventure park at Hacienda Guachipelin offers the best things to do in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, including horseback riding, hiking in the Rincon de la Vieja National Park, river tubing, natural hot springs and volcanic mud baths, waterfall rappelling, hikes to waterfalls, and the very unique Canyon Canopy Tour.



Article by Shannon Farley

Discover Costa Rica’s awe-inspiring volcanoes

Emphasizing the power of Mother Nature with images of fiery lava and explosive ash plumes, volcanoes have lit up the world news lately.

Mt. Pavlof volcano in Alaska has been intensely erupting since Nov. 12, spewing ash clouds up to 30,000 feet above sea level. The lava flow from Kilauea Volcano advances slowly across the Big Island of Hawaii, continuing its 31 years of near-continuous eruptions.

Costa Rica’s volcanoes also are in the news. The sudden eruption of Turrialba Volcano on Oct. 29 was the largest in 150 years, according to the National Seismological Network (RSN). The massive phreatic explosion ejected ash and rocks from the 3,340-meter-high volcano, the easternmost of Costa Rica's active volcanoes.

Poás Volcano erupted strongly on Oct. 14, ejecting mud and water from its green acid crater lake more than 200 meters into the air, all the way to the observation platform. Northwest of the capital city of San José, Poás is one the most visited – and most active – volcanoes in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica may be a small country but it has abundant active volcanoes lined up down the center like pearls on a chain. There are 10 major volcanoes; among the most active are Poás, Turrialba, Arenal, Rincon de la Vieja, and Irazú volcanoes.

At 3,432 meters, Irazú is Costa Rica's highest volcano, and is opposite Turrialba Volcano. Since a major eruption in 1968 brought it to life, Arenal Volcano has become one of the major tourist attractions in Costa Rica.

Rincón de la Vieja is the largest and most active volcano in the Guanacaste Range in northwest Costa Rica. At 15 kilometers wide, the approximately 9,000-year-old caldera, is known as the “Colossus of Guanacaste.” Rincón de la Vieja also recently increased activity, with phreatic explosions from the main crater starting Sept. 17.

In Guanacaste, Costa Rica, you are ideally located to visit Rincón de la Vieja Volcano when you stay at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin. The adventure eco-tourism hotel is one of the best Guanacaste hotels, and received the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2014.

Providing the best Guanacaste, Costa Rica adventure tours, Hacienda Guachipelin also hosts the annual adventure races of the North Face Endurance Challenge and the Rincon de la Vieja Challenge.

Article by Shannon Farley

Celebrate Costa Rica Independence Day 2014 in Guanacaste

Parades, lantern ceremonies, traditional music and dancing will take place all over Costa Rica this weekend to mark the day that Costa Rica and four other Central American nations gained their independence from Spain.

Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras are all celebrating 193 years of independence from Spain on Sept. 15. On this day in 1821, a Central American congress signed “The Act of Independence” asserting they were free of the Spanish Empire.

Unlike other independence declarations in the Americas, the Central American states did not have to fight for their liberation. Spain actually supported Central American independence because the region had become a burden for the empire, which was exhausted from other wars.

Although Sept. 15 is the day when independence was declared, news of Costa Rica’s new freedom did not reach the territory until almost a month later on Oct. 13, because a messenger had to travel on horseback from Guatemala. Costa Rica finally became a completely independent state in 1838, when it separated from the Central American republic.

For the Mes de la Patria, or “Month of the Nation,” buildings, businesses and even cars are adorned with blue, white and red Costa Rican flags, streamers and decorations throughout September. Monday, Sept. 15, is a national holiday and businesses, banks and government institutions will be closed.

Liberia, the capital city of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, traditionally celebrates Independence Day with colorful events.

On Sunday, Sept. 14, the patriotic party begins at precisely 6:00 p.m. with the Costa Rica National Anthem broadcast nationally on TV and radio. Then comes the traditional nighttime lantern parade (Desfiles de Faroles) reenacting the “freedom torch” that notified Costa Rica of its freedom. Children carrying colorful homemade paper lanterns in the shape of little houses and other objects will parade with their families in town squares. There are usually also typical dances and fireworks.

Monday morning, Sept. 15, school bands and dancers in traditional costumes march through the town streets. Traditional foods are usually sold by street vendors. The celebrations are well-attended by families and are a lot of fun.

Guanacaste Costa Rica hotels

One of the best places to stay in Guanacaste near Liberia is Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin. In the foothills of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, the adventure eco-tourism hotel is also a working horse and cattle ranch. Now in green season, you can enjoy great Costa Rica travel deals at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin.

Article by Shannon Farley

Rincon de la Vieja National Park waterfalls show off in Costa Rica green season

Green season in Guanacaste, Costa Rica is when the waterfalls at Rincon de la Vieja Volcano really show off.

Near Rincon de la Vieja hotel Hacienda Guachipelin, four waterfalls flow, and all of them have pools where you can swim. Getting to the waterfalls is an adventure on its own – either by hiking or horseback riding. The Hacienda Guachipelin Adventure Center organizes waterfall tours, which last usually two to three hours and are available between 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Victoria Waterfall

The 115-foot (35-meter) Victoria Waterfall on the Rio Negro (Black River) is where the river tubing trips start their adventure downriver. The surrounding canyon has unique vegetation and topography, and you can swim in the pool at the waterfall’s base.

How to get there: A 45-minute each-way horseback ride on a scenic trail, and a short, steep descent to the waterfall; or a one hour each-way scenic hike on the same trail.

Chorreras Waterfall

Two waterfalls cascade into a beautiful sky blue mineral water pool in this amphitheater canyon at Chorreras Waterfall – the closest to Hacienda Guachipelin. It is an excellent place for a cooling swim, or just to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

How to get there: A 25-minute each-way horseback ride on a scenic trail, and short walk to the waterfall; or a 45-minute each-way scenic hike on the same trail.

Oropéndola Waterfall

Located near the Las Pailas entrance to the Rincon de la Vieja National Park, the Oropéndola Waterfall plunges an impressive 82 feet (25 meters) in a beautiful canyon of the Rio Blanco (White River). The sparkling turquoise pool below makes for a refreshing swim.

How to get there: A 45-minute each-way horseback ride on a scenic trail, and short walk to the waterfall; or a 1.5 hour each-way scenic hike; or a 15-minute drive and short walk.

Cangreja (Crab) Waterfall

The Cangreja Waterfall is located inside the Rincon de la Vieja National Park forest. Spilling 130 feet (40 meters) in a white ribbon of water out of the green forest, the waterfall forms a celestial blue pool at its base; its color comes from dissolved copper minerals from the volcano. The only way to get to this waterfall is by hiking 3 miles (5 km) into the national park.

How to get there: 15-minute drive to the national park entrance and then hiking.

Rincon de la Vieja Hotels

Green season is the best time to visit Rincon de la Vieja (May to November), when the volcano’s fumaroles and boiling mud pots are most active. In green season, you can enjoy great Costa Rica travel deals at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin, a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2014 winner. Hacienda Guachipelin has the best Guanacaste Costa Rica adventure tours, and afterward, you can enjoy a warm volcanic mud bath and soak in the hotel’s natural hot springs.

Article by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica is popular endurance race capital in Latin America

Costa Rica over the past decade has become a magnet for high-endurance extreme sports, adventure racing and triathlons. Elite international athletes travel to the small Central American nation several times a year for sport competitions.

One of the most popular zones for extreme endurance events is the north Pacific Guanacaste region. In early March 2014, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) will hold the 2014 Pan American Cup at Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste. Also in March, the XTERRA off-road triathlon race comes to Costa Rica, staging their major international competition March 29 and 30 at Playa Conchal in Guanacaste. Costa Rica’s top triathlete Leonardo Chacon took first place at the XTERRA USA competition last year in Hawaii.

Last year was a big year for endurance adventure races in Costa Rica – among them the 2013 Adventure Racing World Championships, the North Face Endurance Challenge at Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste, and the Rincón de la Vieja Challenge mountain biking endurance race.

The second annual Rincón de la Vieja Challenge will happen on Aug. 23. Held last year for the first time, the 100-mile (160 km) adventure race was the first of its kind in Costa Rica and Latin America to circumnavigate an active volcano.

The North Face Endurance Challenge and the Rincón de la Vieja Challenge were both staged out of leading Rincón de la Vieja eco-lodge, Hacienda Guachipelin. Owner Jose TomasBatalla says it is the region’s diverse terrain and microclimates that attract such high-profile sports competitions.

“There is savannah, tropical forest, desert, and cloud forest, and the weather changes as you go up in elevation,” commented Batalla.

Have your own adventure at Rincón de la Vieja at Hacienda Guachipelin eco-lodge. 

The first-class lodge, right next to the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park, offers guests and visitors a complete adventure center with canopy ziplines, canyoning, waterfall rappelling, river tubing, horseback riding, mountain biking, nature trails, and natural volcanic hot springs. Hotel Hacienda Guachipelín is located 15.5 miles (25 km) northeast of Guanacaste’s principal city of Liberia.

Article by Shannon Farley

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World's best endurance athletes to compete Nov 29 - Dec 12

Imagine this Costa Rica vacation: Traverse the entire country from coast to coast and north to south, but only using mountain bikes, kayaks, rafts, zipline cables, and your feet. Sleep under the stars wherever you may be – mud, sand, grass field, rocky stream bed – but only for a few hours at a time. 

Brave the thrills of mosquitoes, venomous snakes, crocodiles, rain, boiling sun, and sweltering rainforest. Do that for about six days straight with three of your friends, but with the added adrenaline surge of trying to outrace 64 other groups like you all trying to get to the same final destination first.

Sound like fun? Maybe not for the average person, but if you are one of the world's best endurance athletes, it's right up your alley … or trail, as it were.

This unforgettable Costa Rica "vacation" is actually the 2013 Adventure Race World Championships (ARWC), happening in the country from Nov. 29 to Dec. 12. Sixty-five teams from 26 countries will compete for more or less 140 hours non-stop on adventure challenges, covering over 700 km from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and across Costa Rica border-to-border from Nicaragua to Panama. Teams of four competitors will raft, kayak (ocean and river), mountain bike, trek, climb and rappel, and cross canopy ziplines over a wide variety of terrain.

 Race organizers estimate that it will take the winning team approximately 120 hours in five to six days to finish. The race will be open a total of nine days (216 hours).

The epic adventure is the fourth Adventure Race Costa Rica (ARCR), which joined the Adventure Race World Series (ARWS) in 2010. The AR World Series is an international circuit of premier adventure races that since 2001 culminate every year in the AR World Championships. To get to the ARWC, teams have competed all year long in eight adventure races in different countries, leading up to the finals in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is known for its beautiful beaches and rainforests, and is also gaining international fame for extreme sports. Hundreds of the world's best mountain bikers and endurance racers recently crossed 192 miles (310 km) from Costa Rica's Pacific Coast to the Caribbean in three days in the "La Ruta de los Conquistadores" (The Route of the Conquistadors) endurance mountain bike race. Held Oct. 24-26, the race just celebrated its 20^th anniversary.

In June of this year, Hotel Hacienda Guachipelín, at the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Costa Rica's northern Guanacaste region, hosted the international North Face Endurance Challenge. Competitors ran 80k, 50k, 21k and 10k races over rugged ground at the volcano. The eco-hotel then staged the 100-mile (160 km) Rincón de la Vieja Challenge mountain bike race in August. The adventure race was the first of its kind in Costa Rica and Latin America to circumnavigate an active volcano.

Not an endurance athlete, but still looking for an adventure vacation in Costa Rica? Hacienda Guachipelín, a first-class eco-lodge, is a prime destination for adventure and nature lovers – offering canopy ziplines, canyoning, waterfall rappelling, river tubing, horseback riding, mountain biking, nature trails, and thermal springs – all on a working horse and cattle ranch. Hotel Hacienda Guachipelín is located 15.5 miles (25 km) northeast of Guanacaste's principal city of Liberia.

Article by Shannon Farley

100-mile mountain bike challenge set for Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica

Mountain bikers around the world: There's a new adventure race happening in August in Costa Rica – the 100-mile Rincón de la Vieja Challenge.

The mountain bike endurance race is set for Aug. 24, 2013, starting off from Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin at Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste. The 100-mile race is the first of its kind in Costa Rica and Latin America, and according to race promoters, is the only race in the world to circumnavigate an active volcano.

Located in Costa Rica's northern Pacific province of Guanacaste, Rincón de la Vieja is the largest volcano in the country's northwest region. Standing 6,286 feet tall, its caldera is 9 miles (15 km) wide. The active Rincón de la Vieja Volcano is considered a mystical and sacred place by the ancient Curubandé tribe; the volcano and its national park were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999.

Riders from around the world will test their skill and stamina riding 100 miles (160 km) through five microclimates – from Guanacaste's arid plains up over the Continental Divide to lush cloud forests, across rivers, around smoldering cinder ash of the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano to where it meets the Miravalles Volcano.

The unique mountain bike race will cover varied terrain – gravel roads, red clay roads, river and volcanic rock trails, single track, and smooth white calcium rock road – with a total elevation gain of 10,862 feet (3,311 meters).

Costa Rica is gaining international popularity for endurance sports and competitions. Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin at Rincón de la Vieja recently hosted the international North Face Endurance Challenge on June 22, involving 80k, 50k, 21k and 10k rugged adventure runs near the volcano.

Costa Rica also has been chosen to host this year's Adventure Racing World Championships 2013, where teams from around the world will compete non-stop for 140 hours on adventure challenges. The race, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 12, will run coast-to-coast from the Pacific to the Caribbean and border-to-border across Costa Rica from Nicaragua to Panama. Adventure sports include: trekking/running, mountain biking, abseiling, canyoning, ocean and river kayaking, rafting, and coasteering.

Of course, you can't talk about mountain biking in Costa Rica without mentioning the "grandfather" of all Costa Rican mountain biking races -- "La Ruta de los Conquistadores" (The Route of the Conquistadors). Costa Rica's premier mountain bike race is also one of the most challenging adventure races on Earth. Hundreds of top mountain bikers and endurance racers from around the world travel yearly to Costa Rica to cross the country's most rugged terrain. The route crosses from the Pacific to the Caribbean in only three days. This year's event from Oct. 24 to 26 celebrates the race's 20-year anniversary.

Organizers of the Rincón de la Vieja Challenge chose the location for its diverse terrain and varied climate. Adventure ecotourism Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin will host the event's headquarters. Reservations and booking for the event can be arranged by contacting the hotel at 506-2666-8075 or emailing reservations@guachipelin.com.

Where to stay at Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica

Hacienda Guachipelín Hotel is the place to stay at Rincón de la Vieja Volcano for an active vacation. Located 15.5 miles (25 km) northeast of Guanacaste's capital city of Liberia, the first-class ecotourism lodge is ideal for adventure and nature lovers. Activities include canopy zip lines, canyoning, waterfall rappelling, river tubing, horseback riding, mountain biking, nature trails, and thermal springs – all on a working horse and cattle ranch.

By Shannon Farley