Liberia - The Hub of Guanacaste

Rising from the sun-drenched tropical savanna of northwest Costa Rica, the tidy, Spanish Colonial town of Liberia has become a top tourist destination in recent years.

The capital of Guanacaste Province and an important agricultural center, Liberia is home to a busy international airport (LIR), and is the closest major city to the Nicaraguan border - it’s a natural hub. Easy access to five national parks, half a dozen active volcanoes, gorgeous beaches, relaxing hot springs and countless waterfalls make Liberia the most convenient base for exploring the region. Travelers usually spend several days, exploring the area on a shoestring.

The annual Fiestas Civicas de Liberia showcases this heritage with concerts, bullfights and most importantly, topes, or horse parades. For their buildings, Liberia has the nickname “White City,” this is easily the finest in Costa Rica. Wealthy landowners from nearby Granada, originally built this city to run their enormous haciendas (plantations), and called it Guanacaste after the striking savanna tree. But after independence from Spain, Nicaragua collapsed into civil war. Landowners retreated to Spain, leaving laborers who petitioned peaceful Costa Rica, asking to join their new country. San José agreed, and after a landslide election proved Guanacastecos wanted peace, the city changed it name to Liberia; Día de la Anexion (July 25) remains one of the biggest parties in town.

Some near attractions to Liberia are:

• Africa Mia. Confuse your friends about which Liberia you visited with photos from Africa Mia, a safari park featuring giraffes, zebras and more, just south of town.
• Llanos de Cortez. Overlooks a spectacular waterfall and is patrolled by a family of sly capuchin monkeys. Though part of Reserva Biólogica Lomas de Barbudal.
• Rincón de la Vieja National Park. Liberia’s backyard rises to a smoldering 1,916-meter volcano, Rincón de la Vieja, with hikes past hot springs, fumeroles and bubbling mud pits, to the overnight bum-buster to the top of the volcano. A handful of lodges offer luxury accommodation, canopy tours, horseback rides and more.
• Río Corobíci and Las Pumas. About an hour south of town, Safari Corobíci offers easy, family-friendly river floats past trees filled with monkeys, iguanas and herons. Next door, Las Pumas is a private animal shelter that protects big cats that can no longer survive in the wild, including pumas, jaguars, ocelots and magueys.
• Parque Nacional Santa Rosa. Costa Rica’s original national park preserves La Casona, site of the 1856 Battle of Santa Rosa. The park is more famous internationally for the legendary surfing at Playa Naranjo and Witch’s Rock, so named for the eerie howl it emits above the crashing surf. Also ask about sea turtles, which nest on Playa Nancite during rainy season. Adjacent Parque Nacional Guancaste is reachable too.
• Zona Protectora Miravalles. The twin peaks of this photogenic volcano are visible from downtown Liberia, and skirted by dozens of hot springs, most operated by local farmers who’ll let you soak all day for around US$1. A more luxurious option is Centro Turístico Yökö, with comfortable lodging, a lousy on-site restaurant and fabulous pools that include a rip-roaringly fast waterslide and the “magic mushroom,” the hottest public spring on the mountain.
• Parque Nacional Volcán Tenorio. Make sure you’re in a 4WD vehicle when visiting Río Celeste, one of Costa Rica’s most spectacular natural wonders. A massive waterfall dyed that surreal volcanic blue pours into a raging swimming hole – but be sure to hike another half-mile up. There, two streams of clear water converge, and through some cloud-forest alchemy converge to become an almost opaque cobalt blue. Several lovely lodges surround the park.
• Parque Nacional Palo Verde. This is a wetland preserve and birding paradise at the mouth of the Río Tempisque.  You could see many animals like scarlet macaws, endangered jabirus, parrots and toucans, as well as the crocodiles who love them.
• Bahia Salinas. An hour northwest of Liberia, this beautiful bay has been somehow overlooked by Costa Rica’s tourism machine. There’s one fancy resort, but the real reason to visit is arguably the best kite surfing conditions in the world.
• Playas del Coco. Is the closest and most touristy, with lots of hotels, international restaurants and fiercely competitive souvenir shops. Divers go south to Playa Ocotal, with the region’s original luxury hotel and some of the country’s best underwater scenery. Or, head up the coast and scale to Playa Hermosa, with a more elegant ambiance, or Playa Panamá, Costa Rica’s answer to Cancún. But remember, despite those expensive all-inclusive resorts, including the iconic Four Seasons, this is Costa Rica: All the beaches are public, by law.