Surrounded by rich tropical forests, Vandara Hot Springs & Adventures is a hidden haven that encapsulates the spirit of Guanacaste province’s awe-inspiring landscapes and the rich cultural heritage of Costa Rica.
Whether you are zip-lining over the forest canopy, learning about traditional beverages of Costa Rica, rejuvenating in the thermal waters, or exploring the vibrant flora and fauna on a nature walk, Vandara promises an experience that harmonizes the thrill of discovery with the serenity of a tropical paradise.
It can serve as a nice day trip from different beach destinations in Guanacaste, Costa Rica for anyone looking to escape into nature’s embrace.
Based on our firsthand experience, we are going to share everything you need to know to plan your own visit to Vandara Costa Rica, a place that offers an unforgettable fusion of relaxation, adventure, and natural beauty.
Paradise Catchers Exclusive: Use our promo code PARADISE for 10% discount on direct booking from Vandara website.
Explorer Pass vs. Nature Pass: Which Day Pass to Buy?
For your day trip to Vandara, you can choose from two different day passes: Explorer Pass and Nature Pass.
- Explorer Pass gives you the chance to experience everything that Vandara Costa Rica has to offer. This includes the adventure activities like zip-lining, horseback riding and jungle water slide. Click here to book the Explorer Pass and use our promo code PARADISE to get 10% discount.
- Nature Pass provides a more relaxing experience, with the hot springs and volcanic mud being the primary highlights of the day. Click here to book the Nature Pass and use our promo code PARADISE to get 10% discount.
If you ask us which one to choose, we say, while the Nature Pass grants you a nice and easy day out in nature, the Explorer Pass offers more value for money and promises a more fulfilling full-day experience.
Note that, the minimum age requirement for Explorer Pass is 5 years.
Here is a comparative overview of all the activities you can experience on an Explorer Pass vs. a Nature Pass.
| Activities/ Experiences | Explorer Pass | Nature Pass |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural Experience | ✅ | ✅ |
| Canopy Tour / Zip-lining | ✅ | ❌ |
| Horseback Riding | ✅ | ❌ |
| Hiking Trail | ✅ | ✅ |
| Hanging Bridges | ✅ | ✅ |
| Jungle Water Slide | ✅ | ❌ |
| Hot Springs | ✅ | ✅ |
| Volcanic Mud | ✅ | ✅ |
| Tizate River | ✅ | ✅ |
| Waterfall | ✅ | ✅ |
| Lunch | ✅ | ✅ |
Vandara Costa Rica: Cost of Day Pass
Vandara Costa Rica entry cost varies by the day pass type chosen and the age of the participant.
All prices are all inclusive, that is, include the activities as well as lunch, access to lockers, use of towels, and facilities such as parking, bathrooms, changing rooms and showers.
- Explorer Pass [Minimum Age: 5 Years]
- Adults (age: 11 years and above) – 95 USD
- Children (age: 5-10 years) – 75 USD
- Nature Pass [All Ages]
- Adults (age: 13 years and above) – 65 USD
- Children (age: 5-12 years) – 52 USD
- Children (age: less than 5 years) – Free
Book Your Vandara Day Pass
You can buy your Vandara Day Pass online in advance, either directly on the website or from a tour marketplace like Viator.
- Vandara Explorer Pass:
- Book directly online – use our promo code PARADISE to get 10% discount
- Viator booking
- Vandara Nature Pass:
- Book directly online – use our promo code PARADISE to get 10% discount
- Viator booking
How to Get to Vandara Costa Rica
Vandara Costa Rica is located in the Rincon de la Vieja region in Guanacaste.
From Liberia, it is only 24 km (15 miles) away. So, Vandara makes for a nice day out option on your Costa Rica itinerary from Liberia.
You can do this as a day trip while staying in any of the resorts near Liberia, or as a break during your beach vacation around Playa del Coco.
Although the road is paved all the way to the site, the location of Vandara Hot Springs is remote. The road condition is not so great in the last stretch, and has occasional potholes too.
There is no public transport to get you there. The best way to get to Vandara Hot Springs is to rent a car.
But if you are not comfortable with the idea of driving in Costa Rica, you can request your resort/hotel or Vandara if they can arrange for roundtrip transportation.
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Read this: Should you rent a car in Costa Rica?
Vandara Hot Springs & Other Attractions: The Experience
The highlight of the adventure center is Vandara Hot Springs. But beyond that, there are several other activities and attractions one can enjoy on a day pass at Vandara.
Remember, the Explorer Pass allows you access to all experiences at Vandara, whereas the Nature Pass includes everything except zip-lining, horseback riding and jungle water slide.
Since I personally do not like the activity of horseback riding, we went for the Nature Pass. The jungle water slide, usually included in the Explorer Pass, was closed at the time of our visit for maintenance. But the zip-lines seemed cool.
Cultural Experience – Costa Rica Traditions
I found this part of the Vandara experience to be a sweet surprise. Instead of feeling like a tourist gimmick, the cultural experience was a true peek into the window of Costa Rican culture and traditions.
All the tour participants for the day gathered around in a small casita for the cultural experience.
Our host told us tales about Costa Rica’s traditional methods of producing sugarcane and how the process evolved over time. As part of the presentation, we also got to try sips of some beverages, including Costa Rica’s very own sugarcane based alcohol, Cacique.
Pointing to different decor items such as masks and mini ox cart, he told us stories about a few local legends of Costa Rica, and explained about the traditional art of ox carts of the town of Sarchi.
Next, we moved to the area with an earthen clay oven when sweets and savories were being prepared for us. As our host told us about the cacao and coffee production in Costa Rica, his colleague brought out the snacks from the clay oven, and served those in cute plates, along with cups of rich Costa Rican coffee, brewed the traditional way in a chorreada.
Related Reading: Getting to know the indigenous Bribri community of Costa Rica
Left: Dried hibiscus flowers and jamaica juice made of the hibiscus. Right: Coffee and traditional Costa Rican snacks.
Horseback Riding
* Only available on Explorer Pass
If you buy the Explorer Pass, your day will start with a horseback riding activity until the start of the canopy tour.
Vandara Canopy Tour/ Zip-lining
* Only available on Explorer Pass
The canopy tour at Vandara Costa Rica lets you zip-line through the tropical forest on 8 cables connected by 9 large landing platforms. The zip-lines are neither too fast, nor too high, thus making the canopy tour a comfortable choice even for first timers.
During the zip-lining activity, you will be able to get views of the waterfall as well as the Rincon de la Vieja volcano.
Vandara takes pride in making safety a top priority when it comes to canopy navigation protocols, knowledge and expertise of canopy tour guides and staff, and the quality of equipment and gear used.
Related Reading: Zip-lining in Monteverde
Hiking Trail
It starts right after the souvenir shop, after you take a right following the sign marked “Trail Start”, and ends back near the area where you had the cultural experience activity.
The hiking trail at Vandara is a short loop that takes no more than half an hour.
The trail takes you on dirt paths through the jungle, and along the way you get to couple of viewpoints, one of the waterfall and the other of Rincon de la Vieja volcano.
Since the hiking trail has overlapping sections with the canopy tour landing platforms, when enjoying our nature walk on the trail, we could see the zip-lining participants fly over the forest canopy.
Although the Vandara hiking trail is not long, there are some sections with steep inclines.
Left: Pubali on the trail. Right: Indranil at the Rincon de la Vieja viewpoint.
Jungle Water Slide
* Only available on Explorer Pass
The jungle water slide at Vandara lets you glide down a long and winding slide through the forest and ultimately splash in to a pool. It sounded like a fun activity that we would have enjoyed.
Note that, as of May 2024, the jungle water slide is closed for maintenance work.
Hanging Bridges
From the reception area, it is a short walk to get to Vandara Hot Springs. On the way to the main thermal pool, you will need to cross a hanging bridge. It is a short one and looks sturdy and newly built. Pause here to take in the views of the Tizate river below.
We also found another older hanging bridge near the other thermal pool. That one looked kind of abandoned and connected to a part of the property that seems closed for now. But we liked this rustic hanging bridge. It was long, wobbly in parts, and at a height, with the view of river Tizate flowing several meters beneath our feet.
Related Readings:
Left: Pubali at the hanging bridge leading to the main thermal water pool. Right: Pubali on the old hanging bridge.
Vandara Hot Springs
The star attraction of the site is Vandara Hot Springs, and rightly so.
The thermal water pools are fed by the volcanic hot springs from the Rincon de la Vieja volcano. There are three pools of varying temperatures. But, the changing rooms, bathrooms and outdoor showers, all are located near the main thermal water pool.
The Main Pool (38 degrees C)
With sky blue base and stone structures on floor, it looks beautiful next to the jungle. The pool has a swim-up bar serving chilled drinks. There are lounge chairs next to the pool. We spent the most amount of time at this one.
A Small Pool (40 degrees C)
This is a small pool with much hotter water temperature. It is located behind the swim-up bar and close to the waterfall area. The setting is serene and romantic, but the water temperature was too hot to stay long in this one on a hot and sunny day in Guanacaste.
Adults Only Pool (36 degrees C)
There is an area with an adults only thermal water pool. The temperature here is so mild that it feels like a normal swimming pool. However, we loved the secluded positioning of this one, facing the jungle from almost all sides. And at the time of our visit, there was no one else here other than the two of us.
Vandara Mineral Volcanic Mud
The Vandara Hot Springs experience can be enriched even further with the mineral volcanic mud bath.
Just to set expectations right, you do not really get inside a pool of volcanic mud. Instead, the mineral rich volcanic mud is already collected in bowls for guests to use, somewhat like what is done at Rio Negro Hot Springs.
Here is how you need to experience the volcanic mud bath at Vandara.
- Take a quick soak in the thermal water pool, for no more than 5 minutes. This allows your skin pores to open up.
- Use the brush to apply the volcanic mud paste on your face and body.
- Let the volcanic mud on your skin dry.
- Wash off the dried up volcanic mud from your skin (see next section).
- Get back into the thermal water pool and enjoy your time at Vandara Hot Springs.
Don’t worry, you need not memorize this. Once you arrive at the thermal pool area, a Vandara staff will explain this to you.
Tizate River
Now, to wash off the dry volcanic mud from your skin, you can either use the outdoor shower next to the thermal pool, or go to the Tizate river. Of course, we chose the latter!
We sat on the rocks submerged in the flowing water of Tizate. Surrounded by lush tropical forests, listening to the sounds of nature and with no one else around us, we took our time to gradually wash off the volcanic mud.
It was a beautiful feeling, and one of the favorite parts of our day out at Vandara Costa Rica.
Even if you use the outdoor shower, do visit by the river. May be, you will spot some monkeys and listen to some calls of birds.
Waterfall
There is a natural waterfall at Vandara, dropping from a good height. Since we visited during the dry season month of April, there was not much water. However, I can imagine it must look much fuller during and after the rains.
To get to the waterfall, you need to walk past the bar and the smaller thermal pool, and wade a bit in waist dip Tizate river. The river bed is rocky in this area, so water shoes would have helped.
Related Reading: Best Waterfalls in Costa Rica
Wildlife
As with any place in the nature in Costa Rica, you will get the chance to spot wildlife during your day out at Vandara.
During our visit, we spotted woodpeckers of various species up in the trees in the garden area. When we were at the hot springs, a bunch of capuchin monkeys were hanging out in the jungle, on the other side of the river.
So, keep an eye out for wildlife when visiting Vandara Costa Rica.
Related Reading: Wildlife in Costa Rica
Lunch
A nice and filling lunch is included in the ticket price of your Vandara Costa Rica day pass.
When you arrive at Vandara in the morning, before starting the tour, you can place your order of lunch. Usually, there are two to three options to choose from for the mains, and the menu keeps changing.
On the day of our visit, Indranil chose a casado with pork in passionfruit salsa, and I opted for casado with chicken in mushroom sauce. Both tasted delicious, and the casado portion sizes were big, with servings of fresh salad, pasta salad, rice, beans, potato and squash curry, along with the choice of the main protein. Tip: try the salad dressing they serve on the table, it was so flavorful!
All lunch dishes are accompanied with fresh juice and end with local dessert.
Souvenir Store
There is a souvenir shop at Vandara. It is placed strategically so that you have to walk through its doors every time you go to or come back from the hot springs area. Check it out on your way and see if you want to buy a cute souvenir to take back home.
Facilities at Vandara Costa Rica
Vandara Costa Rica offers all the amenities for visitors to have a comfortable day out.
- Ample parking space for vehicles
- Drinking water filter at the reception
- Lockers next to the reception – separate for men and women
- Bathrooms
- Main, next to the reception – separate for men and women
- Smaller, next to the main hot spring – common
- Changing Rooms
- Main, next to the reception – separate for men and women
- Smaller, next to the main hot spring – common
- Outdoor showers – next to the main hot spring
- Swim-up bar – at the main hot spring
- Onsite restaurant – lunch is included, but you can buy other drinks and snacks
What to Bring for Vandara Hot Springs and Adventures
We suggest you to travel light and easy for your day out of Vandara hot springs and other adventures.
- Clothes:
- Wear comfortable quick-dry clothes
- Bring swimwear for hot springs
- Carry change of clothes
- Footwear:
- Wear closed-toed shoes for the adventure activities
- Bring flip-flops or water shoes for thermal pools, waterfall and river
- Vandara asks you to bring towel, but they usually provide one near the thermal pools. If you bring, consider a microfiber towel that fast-absorbent and quick-dry.
- Do not forget to apply and re-apply sunscreen.
Read our comprehensive packing guide for Costa Rica travel and also take note of these 15 essential items for the rainy season.
Final Thoughts on Vandara Costa Rica
Packaging some of the highlights of Costa Rica’s nature, adventure and culture, Vandara offers a nice day out option.
Given its remote location, we may not recommend you to visit Vandara if your Costa Rica travel itinerary revolves around San Jose, Central Pacific, South Pacific or Caribbean only.
However, if you are in the Liberia area or Rincon de la Vieja region or any of the beach destinations in Guanacaste, Vandara Hot Springs and Adventures can be a great addition to your itinerary.
For planning your Costa Rica trip, check out our articles about the attractions in and around the region:
- Rincon de la Vieja National Park – Las Pailas Sector
- La Cangreja Waterfall Hike
- Rio Negro Hot Springs and Waterfalls
- Oropendola Waterfall
As part of our partnership with Vandara Costa Rica, we were hosted by them for this Nature Pass experience. However, all opinions, observations and recommendations about the experience are our own.
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