Costa Rica Volcanoes & National Parks

Poás Volcano National Park. Drive up to the edge of an active volcanic crater. Soaring 2,708 meters above sea level, Poás Volcano is one of the most spectacular volcanoes in Costa Rica with breathtaking scenery, magical views and the largest geyser in the world. A 30-mile drive from San Jose, Poas is one of Costa Rica’s five active volcanoes, and has erupted several times over the past century, exhaling ash clouds into the air. This subconical volcano has three craters near the summit, one of which is active. The main crater measures 2 km in diameter and 300 meters deep - the second widest crater in the world. From the crater lookout, you can observe the 1,148 feet wide and 1,000 foot deep lagoon of aquamarine water - the largest volcanic lagoon on Earth. One of the dormant craters has transformed into a cold-water lake, Laguna Botas, which flows down to the Sarapiqui River. Hikers enjoy four habitats, including arrayans, cloud forest, forest and the most accessible active volcano in the world. The park is blanketed in giant ferns and massive umbrella plants. Tour companies in San Jose offer excursions to the volcano.

Arenal Volcano National Park. Located in Arenal National Park, north of the Tilarán mountain range, Volcan Arenal is one of the top ten most active volcanoes in the world and the most active in Costa Rica. Arenal is a stratovolcano that was dormant for over 400 years until 1968, when it violently erupted, blowing off the western side of the volcano and creating three new craters. It is now active with small daily eruptions that shoot ash plumes above the volcano and send boulders down the slopes. Declared the third most perfect volcanic cone in the world, rising to 5358 feet, Arenal is one of the most popular attractions in Costa Rica. On clear nights, you can enjoy Arenal’s spectacular lava flow and fiery displays of glowing boulders while soaking in a naturally-heated hot spring at one of the thermal resorts. Tourists must stay on marked paths and keep a good distance from the active crater. Arenal Volcano National Park encompasses Chato Volcano and a pre-montane forest and low montane rainforest which are rich in biodiversity. The park is an important watershed for Arenal Lake Reservoir.  [Top]

Irazu Volcano. From the Indian word meaning the mountain of trembling and rumbling, Irazu is an active volcano that towers 3,432 meters above sea level and spreads over 500 square kilometers. The largest volcano in Costa Rica, Irazu has not erupted since 1963 when it showered San Jose with ash. A 1.5 hours from San José via a paved road, Irazu Volcano National Park is one of the most visited national parks in Costa Rica. Irazu is the tallest volcano in Costa Rica at 11,260 feet, affording amazing views of Atlantic and Pacific Oceans from the summit. The spherical main crater is a beautiful sight with a blue-green lake at its bottom and hiking trail. Irazu’s subconic shape is broken into five craters by centuries of eruptions (the main crater is 3445 feet wide and 984 feet deep). Enriched by volcanic ash, the fertile mineral soil of its slopes is a land of vegetable farms and cattle pastures. The park offers diverse flora and bird species, including the nine-banded long-nosed sooty robin. The colossus is now showing signs of becoming active.

Rincon de la Vieja. Located in Rincon de la Vieja National Park, Rincon de la Vieja is the third most active volcano in Costa Rica. Situated in northern Costa Rica, this national park offers a dramatic, rustic environment with miles of hiking trails, a crystal blue lagoon, a profusion of wildlife and bubbling mud pits - a natural utopia for adventurous travelers. At 6250 feet, Rincon is a million years old and active. The last blowouts - clouds of ash and earthquakes - came between 1966 and 1970, and the most recent activity was in 1996. The volcano has nine active craters, but only one that gives an exciting volcanic performance. The elliptically shaped active crater is, 1641 feet wide and 328 feet deep, has a 66 ft. wide fumarole, a pit of molten rock boiling at 482 °F, at its bottom. Follow the trail south of the active crater to a small freshwater lake, beautiful waterfalls, hot springs, steam geysers and boiling mud pools. The highest peak of the park, Santa María Volcano is the dormant twin cone of Rincon rising to 6286 feet.  [Top]

Turrialba Volcano National Park. The twin of Irazu, Turrialba Volcano rises 10,959 feet from the same base. Since there are no paved roads to the high summit, this large strato-volcano is mostly explored by horseback tours. Three well-defined craters with fumaroles and sulfur pits appear on a broad summit depression. The largest crater measuring 164 feet gives the impression of a lunar landscape. Turrialba Volcano is one of the few volcanoes in Costa Rica where you can descend into one of the craters. The hike down takes one hour. Below the summit lies over 3,900 acres of mountain range, rain forest, and cloud forest. Hike the trails to the lava flows that give evidence to once flowing rivers of hot magma. The apex and summit rim trails offer spectacular 360º views. Turrialba has had five explosive eruptions in last 3500 years, but has been quiescent since its eruptions and pyroclastic flows in the 19th century. At the bottom of the volcano, the town of Turrialba is a starting point for visiting the national park and whitewater rafting on the Reventazón and Pacuare rivers. The volcano displays strong fumaroles at its central craters.

Tapanti National Park/Orosi Valley. Located in the wild, wet country on the rain forested northern slopes of the Talamanca Mountain Range, Tapanti National Park is accessible via a gravel road 30 minutes from Orosi. The park is traversed by the Rio Grande de Orosi and about 50 rivers and creeks that join it. The refuge is made up of two life zones: lower mountain rain forest and pre-montane rain forest - and is home to 45 species of mammals - some endangered - and 260 kinds of birds. The upper Orosi River Valley watershed is one of the rainiest areas of Costa Rica, receiving up to 280 inches of rain annually. One hour east of San Jose, Orosi Valley is home to two thermal volcanic springs and several refreshing cold pools. Explore the wild life of the Tapanti National Park, or go fishing for trout in Purisil. Sit on the porch of a small soda restaurant, sip a tropical fruit drink and watch the village life. Visit the oldest church in Costa Rica, built in 1743 by the Spaniards, and its museum of religious artifacts, statues and vestments from colonial times in the downtown area.  [Top]

Manuel Antonio National Park. One of Costa Rica’s most popular tourist attractions, Manuel Antonio National Park lures visitors to its wide sandy beaches and tropical shoreline. Bordered by the clear waters of the Pacific Ocean, the park’s white sand beaches are ideal for swimming and wildlife viewing. The park consists of mangrove swamps, rainforests and marshy woodlands that are a haven for 100 mammal species including the endangered squirrel monkey. Wander forest trails that snake along the coast to breathtaking lookout points. Hire a naturalist guide to tour the national park’s native flora and fauna. Several islands serve as nesting grounds for birds like the brown booby, frigate bird and anhinga. The park is accessed by crossing the Camaronera stream by a water taxi ($1) or hopping along the rocks.

Santa Rosa National Park. To commemorate and preserve the historical setting of the Battle of Santa Rosa (1856), Santa Rosa NP includes a historic mansion, stonewall corrals and beautiful recreational beaches. The park protects the wooden savannah, deciduous forest, marshlands, and mangroves, with abundant animal life and endangered species. Santa Rosa National Park also protects remaining fragments of tropical dry forest, housing many species of flora and fauna, such as coyotes, peccaries, coatimundis, tapirs and sea and land turtles. Explore the Murcielago or "bat" section in the town of Cuajiniquil on Santa Elena Peninsula, consisting of spectacular rocky peaks and valleys. http://www.conozcacostarica.com/parques/santarosa.htm.  [Top]

Tortuguero National Park. This beautiful national park is a mosaic of deltas on an alluvial plain nestled between the Caribbean Coast and volcanic hills of the central mountain ranges. Vital to the survival of the Caribbean's green sea turtle, Tortuguero National Park is home to 30,000 of these marvelous animals, the largest breeding population in the world. Best explored by boat, the park offers a beach trail for observing the sea turtles nesting on the beach. The park has 11 ecological habitats, from high rainforest to herbaceous marshlands. Fronting the sea is an endless expanse of beach. The park protects the nesting beach of the green turtle, a narrow lagoon, a coastal rainforest threaded by a maze of serpentine channels and streams fed by rivers and swamps. Tortuguero shelters an array of wildlife, including more than 300 bird species, 57 species of amphibians, 111 of reptiles, including three species of marine turtles, 60 mammal species, and13 endangered species, including jaguars, tapirs, ocelots, cougars, river otters, and manatees. Wide-open canals let you view crocodiles, giant iguanas, basilisk lizards, swallow-tailed hawks, vultures, and caimans at the side of the river. Due to the high rainfall and rich environment, the beaches, canals, lagoons and wetlands are places of exceptional biodiversity and adventure. Rent canoes and kayaks to explore the forests and swamps and see the turtles nest on the beach.

Braulio Carrillio National Park. One of Costa Rica's most challenging and diverse parks, Braulio Carrillio's 46,000 acres of rainforest is surrounded by a mountain highway connecting San Jose and the coast. Extending from 2,906 meters above sea level atop Volcán Barva down to the Caribbean lowlands, the park encompasses five life zones - a landscape that alternates between towering mountains and cloud forest and lowland tropical jungles. Rugged mountains, dormant volcanoes, crater lakes, deep canyons, swollen rivers, waterfalls, cloud forests, and hiking trails create a wonderland of scenery. Over 6,000 species of trees and plants cling to the park's misty volcanic slopes, providing a lush habitat to over 500 species of birds and 150 species of mammals. Hike beneath the forest canopy, where you’ll see amazing flora and fauna and hundreds of colorful butterflies. See the treasured quetzal, a bird of mythic beauty, and howler monkeys swing in branches. Thick vegetation hides pumas, ocelots, tapirs, raccoons, and countless mammals. The Rainforest Aerial Tram glides you on a 90-minute tour through the forest canopy, offering panoramic views and opportunities to spot wildlife. The park offers several ranger stations and winding trails that lead to waterfalls, rivers, canyons and picnic areas. A trail from Puesto Barva leads to the summit of Volcán Barva. From the summit, hikers can brave the trek downhill to La Selva. Three-hour tours include a short film, aerial tram ride, and a guided hike through the park’s trails.  [Top]

Corcovado National Park. Jungle adventurers find excitement and beauty in Corcovado National Park on Osa peninsula. The beautiful, large, remote, biologically dense, and challenging park is one of the most important natural preserves in the Americas. The captivating visual beauty of its forest and coastline, with miles of beaches and roaring cascades, is unforgettable. This virgin rain forest park’s 54,500 hectares is made up of 8 habitats - mountain forest, cloud forest, alluvial plains, swamp and holillo forest, fresh water herbaceous swamp, mangrove swamp and a rocky coastline. At least 13 vegetation types can be seen, including mangroves, palm swamps and blood weed forest making Corcovado a botanist's dream. With 500 species of trees, 140 species of mammals, 367 species of birds, 40 species of freshwater fishes and 117 species of amphibians, Corcovado has been called "the most biologically intense place on Earth" by National Geographic. Explore miles of beaches, a network of rivers, rain forests, and swamp lands. Jaguars roam in the shadows of the cloud forest, crocodiles ply the swamp, and hammerhead sharks cruise the estuaries. Visit www.costaricabureau.com.

Talamanca National Park. This tropical forest in the Talamanca mountains is almost perfectly intact. In 1982, UNESCO declared it a biosphere reserve, and then a world patrimony site a year later. Its climate zones, each harboring distinct flora and fauna, begin at 100 meters and rise to a towering 35,490 meters. The national park covers an area of 193,929 hectares, including areas in Panama.  [Top]