- Duration: full day, including round-trip transfer and lunch
- The tour is private and guided by a local naturalist guide
- Best paired with the hanging bridges add-on (walkways right over the waterfalls)
- The trail is not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for anyone with a strong fear of heights (bridges)
- A moderate level of fitness is needed
- Available most of the year; the occasional tropical storm hits in October–November
Miravalles Volcano · Guanacaste
Miravalles Volcanic Activity, Hot Springs & Mud Bath
At the foot of Miravalles you walk Las Hornillas — where the ground steams and grey mud bubbles straight from the earth — then soak in natural hot springs and coat yourself in warm, mineral-rich volcanic mud. Straight from the source.
Las Hornillas — an active volcanic field, steaming straight from the earth
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Quick answer
The Miravalles experience is a full private day at the foot of the Miravalles Volcano in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. You walk Las Hornillas, an active volcanic field of steam vents and bubbling mud, soak in natural hot springs, take a volcanic mud bath and cross hanging bridges right over the waterfalls. Lunch, entrance fees and private transport included — from $600 per private group of 2.
Full dayLas HornillasHot springs + mud bathHanging bridges
Last verified September 2026 by Miller Contreras, naturalist guide
Duration
Full day
Style
100% private
Guide
Naturalist
Level
Moderate
Guiding
0+ yrs
Highlight
Las Hornillas
Volcano · Guanacaste
Miravalles Volcanic Activity, Hot Springs & Mud Bath
At the foot of the Miravalles Volcano you'll walk Las Hornillas — an active volcanic field where the ground steams and pools of grey mud bubble and hiss straight from the earth. The day is built around what the volcano gives: you'll soak in natural hot springs fed by the mountain, then coat yourself in warm, mineral-rich volcanic mud — the therapeutic kind people pay spa prices for, here straight from the source. The hanging bridges are part of the same day, strung directly above the waterfalls, so you cross with the water falling beneath your feet. Add the rainforest half and thirty minutes of mountain road puts you on the Tenorio side, looking for sloths. See the hanging bridges and waterfalls → Private and guided by a local naturalist guide, with lunch included.
Private Combo Experience
From $600 per private group of 2
Includes Las Hornillas Volcanic Activity, Hot Springs & Mud Bath + Hanging Bridges & Waterfall
Taxes included · Lunch, entrance fees & bottled water · Private naturalist guide & transportation
Hotel pickup from Tamarindo, Las Catalinas, Reserva Conchal, the Riu resorts at Playa Matapalo, Playas del Coco, Playa Hermosa, Playa Panamá, Liberia & the Papagayo Peninsula.
Larger groups enjoy better per-guest rates — and you can grow your day with the add-ons below.
Make it yours
✓✓✓✓
Design your day
The base day already includes Las Hornillas, the hot springs, the mud bath and the hanging bridges. Tap an add-on to build your day — we confirm the exact quote by group size on WhatsApp.
✓Hanging Bridges & Waterfall
Walk a suspension bridge right over the waterfalls.
Always includedDetails →
✓Llanos de Cortés Waterfall
Swim under the falls, then dry off on the sand.
+ from $70 / groupDetails →
✓Sloth & Wildlife
The rainforest half of the day, 30 minutes over the pass on the Tenorio side.
+ from $160 / groupDetails →
✓Corobící River Safari Float
A calm wildlife float — birds, monkeys and crocodiles.
+ from $170 / groupDetails →Your day
Las Hornillas volcanic activity + hot springs + mud bath + hanging bridges & waterfall — private guide, transport, lunch & water included.
Photos from Miravalles
What the day looks like
Drag to explore — hot springs, the mud bath, and the steaming volcanic field of Las Hornillas.
Fumarole Steam Volcanic Field
Volcanic Terrain Walkways
Natural Sauna
Volcanic Mud Pool
Thermal Pool Night
Thermal Pool by Day
Family Mud Bath
Soaking in the Springs
Book direct with the operator
We run these tours ourselves
- We run these tours ourselves. No middleman, no reseller.
- Private from two people on most experiences — no strangers in your van.
- The price you see is the price you pay: taxes and door-to-door pickup included.
Your day
How does the Miravalles day run?
No fixed clock — we pick you up along the coast and the volcano sets the rhythm. This is how it unfolds.
Morning
Hotel pickup
Private transport from your hotel: Coco, Hermosa, Panamá, Papagayo, Tamarindo, Conchal, the Riu resorts, Liberia.
Las Hornillas
The volcanic field
Walk the active terrain — fumaroles, bubbling mud pots and rising steam, with sulfur in the air and the earth alive beneath your feet.
Midday
Hot springs & mud bath
Soak in natural hot springs fed by the mountain, then coat yourself in warm, mineral-rich volcanic mud — straight from the source.
Afternoon
Hanging bridges & waterfall
Cross suspension bridges strung directly above the waterfalls, with the water falling beneath your feet.
Included
Lunch, the local way
A fresh local lunch is included — and if you add the rainforest half, thirty minutes over the pass puts you on the Tenorio side looking for sloths.
Between two worlds
The road out of Las Hornillas climbs the flank of Miravalles and crosses at La Giganta — the pass locals also call Cuipilapa. It takes about thirty minutes, and it is not dead time. Behind you the whole lowland of Guanacaste opens up: cattle country, dry hills, the heat you drove out of that morning. Ahead, the vegetation closes in and turns green.
That change is not scenery. This is one of the places where the Pacific and Caribbean slopes of the country meet, and species from both sides overlap here. It is the reason the wildlife on the far side of the pass is not the wildlife you left behind — and the reason we can put a volcanic crater and a rainforest sloth walk in the same day without either of them feeling rushed.
There is a second thing worth knowing, and your guide will point it out. The ridge the hanging bridge takes you toward is Cabro Muco. The pass you cross is La Giganta. They are two pieces of the same caldera rim — what is left of a volcano that collapsed on itself. You spend the whole day inside it.
Good to know
What should you know before you book?
What’s included
In your private day
Included
- Private naturalist guide
- Private transportation & hotel pickup
- Lunch
- All entrance fees
- Bottled water
- Las Hornillas, hot springs & mud bath
- Hanging bridges & waterfall
Not included
- Gratuities (optional)
- Personal purchases
- Optional add-ons
Frequently asked
Miravalles questions
You soak in natural volcanic hot springs fed by the Miravalles geothermal field and coat yourself in mineral-rich volcanic mud, surrounded by the active terrain of Las Hornillas with its fumaroles and rising steam. It's a full day in the Guanacaste highlands with a local naturalist guide and lunch included.
Yes. The Miravalles experience is private and guided by a local naturalist guide, so the day is tailored to your group.
The hot springs and mud bath are gentle and family-friendly, but the volcanic trail involves walking on uneven terrain and the hanging bridges aren't ideal for anyone with a strong fear of heights. A moderate level of fitness is recommended.
Bring a swimsuit, a towel, water, sunscreen and a change of clothes. The volcanic mud washes off easily in the hot springs, so come ready to get a little messy.
Miravalles is enjoyable most of the year. The main exception is the occasional tropical storm, which reaches the country only a handful of times in October and November.
Yes, and it is the version we recommend. Las Hornillas takes the morning; the crossing at La Giganta takes about thirty minutes; the sloth walk on the Tenorio side takes the afternoon. Lunch is included and the drive between the two is one of the best views of the day.
About 1 hour 15 minutes from Liberia (LIR) Airport. Most guests we pick up at their Guanacaste hotel, a little closer, then drive up to Las Hornillas at Miravalles, fully private, door to door.
Twenty-four hours before your tour begins, counted from the start time and not the day. Cancel before that and you get a full refund.
Our private Miravalles Combo starts at $600 per private group of 2 guests, taxes included. The base day includes the Las Hornillas Volcanic Activity, Hot Springs and Mud Bath, plus the Hanging Bridges and Waterfall, with a private naturalist guide, private transportation, lunch, bottled water and entrance fees. Hotel pickup is included from Tamarindo, Las Catalinas, Reserva Conchal, the Riu Palace and Riu Guanacaste resorts at Playa Matapalo, the Waldorf Astoria, Playas del Coco, Playa Hermosa, Playa Panamá, the Papagayo Peninsula and Liberia. Larger groups enjoy better per-guest rates, and optional add-ons start at $70 per private group. We will confirm your exact quote on WhatsApp based on your group size, chosen add-ons and pickup location.
“
★★★★★ 5.0
After learning all about the volcanic activity, we had a hilarious mud bath, shower and then relaxing soak in the hot springs. Everyone was smiling and relaxed — we all agree it was the highlight of our trip.
BTripadvisorVerified review
bethhY6697FIbethhY6697FI · TripAdvisor
TripadvisorVerified reviewDesign your adventure
Tell us your pace — we build the day around it
More than 300 five-star reviews on Tripadvisor. Private from two people, taxes and door-to-door pickup included.
Prefer a form? Write to us → · Part of our Nature Experiences
By the Guanadreams team, led by Miller Contreras — naturalist guide, born and raised in Guanacaste.