Despite its quaint name, it has a commanding presence. This national park and volcano is also a dry, premontane tropical rainforest.

The Rincón de la Vieja volcano massif is located in the watershed dividing the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. It is the source of 32 rivers, including Colorado, Ahogados, Pénjamo, Blanco, Azul and Azufroso, plus 16 intermittent streams. These river basins provide water to the city of Liberia, and some are also tributaries of the Tempisque river basin, the country's largest.