Costa Rica Guide
Guanacaste
Volcán Miravalles and Volcán Tenorio
North of the Interamericana beyond the town of Cañas – and clearly visible from the hot Guanacaste lowlands – loom VOLCÁN MIRAVALLES and VOLCÁN TENORIO. From the Reserva Biológica Privada La Pacífica, 7km north of Cañas, turn north off the Interamericana onto the road to Upala, a paved and reasonably maintained fifty-eight-kilometre stretch that runs between the two volcanoes, and from which you can contemplate the spectacular colour changes and cloud shadows on their flanks. Miravalles, at 2028m the highest volcano in Guanacaste, is home to an important forest reserve with abundant wildlife and birds, though it's not open to the public.
An active volcano, although so far without spectacular eruptive displays, Tenorio was designated a national park in 1995. Marked trails lead to the top of the volcano from the entrance hut, located 8km off the Upala road. Don't wander from the trails, for the area is geothermically active; there are fumaroles (little columns of hot vapour escaping from the ground) and mud pots – one false move and you could step into skin-stripping superheated volcanic soil. The ICE (Costa Rican Electricity Institute) signs hereabouts point towards several geothermal plants where geologists are successfully exploiting heat vents far below the surface to tap much-needed new sources of energy.
About 35km along the road to Upala is the small hamlet of Bijagua, where you can stay in the Albergue Ecoturística Heliconia ( 
286-4203, 
226-6027; Price: $31-50). The lodge is located on a private forest reserve set right between the volcanoes, with hiking trails, waterfalls and natural hot springs. Rooms are in six cabins, all with private bath, and there's a restaurant and stunning views throughout. Breakfast is included. Bijagua itself is an impressively enterprising community, home to a number of eco-tourism projects, including an ecology centre, organic farms and a collective of women artisans. The lodge can arrange walking tours of the Tenorio National Park as well as trips to the Refugio Natural Caño Negro, travelling via the spectacular road to Upala, from where you can glimpse Lago Nicaragua and the Solentiname Islands shimmering in its blue waters.
The rustic La Carolina Lodge, 6km east from Bijagua, in the hamlet of San Miguel ( 380-1656, 
www.lacarolinalodge.com ; Price: $76-100), is set in a working farm well off the beaten path amid extremely quiet surroundings. There are private or shared rooms (one sleeping up to seven people). By the lodge is a (swimmable) river where toucans, green parrots and hummingbirds nest, and where you might also catch a glimpse of sloths and anteaters. Included in the very reasonable price are delicious home-style meals, a guided walk and a horseback-ride. Trips to Tenorio National Park can be arranged ($65 per person includes three meals and a guide), and the owners offer transport from Liberia ($75 per carload); alternatively, there are five buses daily from Cañas to Bijagua, from where a taxi to the lodge costs about $12.
You can also stay near Volcán Miravalles on the side facing Volcán Rincón de la Vieja.