Tag: Volcanoes in Costa Rica

Visiting Irazu Volcano- the highest volcano in Costa Rica

Every volcano that I have visited, so far, has been different.

Irazu Volcano reaches over 11,000 feet above sea level. You can book a tour to visit it or go on your own. It’s about 1.5 hour drive from San José and is located in the Cartago Province. It is about an hour away from another active volcano, Turrialba. (You can read about my visit to Turrialba here) If you want to go on your own so you can explore at your own pace, you just need to purchase your tickets here. You can reserve a spot from 8am-2pm daily. The cost for admission to the Irazu Volcano National Park is $15 for foreign adults. It is significantly cheaper for residents. There are two tickets for this park. To see the crater you want to purchase the ticket for the Parque Nacional Volcan Irazu – Sector Crater. The other ticket is for the forest hike. (A trip to Irazu is not complete without visiting the Sector-Prussia. I will post about that later)

The drive to Irazu is pleasant. The first hour is highway, then you drive around the curves of mountains. The scenery is beautiful, through farmland and countryside. On a good day, you can even smell the cauliflower.

The road trip to Irazu

Parking is less than $4; you pay that in the cafeteria before leaving the park. Inside the cafeteria, you can also purchase souvenirs and snacks. I enjoyed the most delicious sweet roll covered in caramel here. There are also bathroom facilities here. Once you park your car, there is a short paved walkway that leads right up to the crater. The crater is very easily accessible and hiking is not required.

Paved Walkway right to the crater
Good Signage

There is more than 1 crater at Irazu. If you walk too fast, you will miss the other one, like I did. It is off to the right and a sign is posted. I took a picture of the sign but still walked right past (insert slapping face emoji). If you keep walking straight, you will see the main crater.

Yup, there’s the sign to the other crater

There is a fence that goes around the crater that you can walk along to try to get pictures from different viewpoints.

It was clear skies on the day we visited, perfect weather. However, it is the dry season and as far I could see, the crater was as dry as a desert, black and brown with sun burnt shrubs. The fence is there for your protection but it is pretty far back making it very difficult to see into the crater.

Gazing into the belly of the beast
The crater looks thirsty
Clear Sky, no view

Behind the crater is Playa Hermosa, not to be confused with the Playa Hermosa located in Guanacaste. I’ve never been there but I can imagine the stark contrast. Playa Hermosa translates to beautiful beach. At Irazu, it is not a beautiful beach. It is a gray, ashy dry land with volcanic rocks. However, there are some interesting trees in the area. It always amazes me how nature still seems to thrive in the weirdest environments.

Playa Hermosa

Vegetation around Playa Hermosa. What does this look like to you?

A tree in the middle of ash-town

Suggestion

You will want to visit early to avoid crowds. Our reservation was for 9am and there were only a few other cars when we arrived, but by the time we left after 10am there were significantly more visitors. Irazu is very accessible, so anyone can visit. Wear warm clothes. It gets cold at that high altitude. Remember you are more than 11,000 feet above sea level. It is also windy so hold on to your hat if you wear one. Remember that the fence is there for your safety. Plan to spend about an hour in the crater area.

My Impression

I must admit, I was unimpressed by Irazu. After visiting Poás and being amazed by the turquoise lake that sat at the bottom of its crater, I was expecting too much of Irazu. Is it worth the visit? Yes. Do you need to go more than once? No. However, if going in the rainy season could guarantee I’d see something different, then sure.

Would you visit an active volcano? Let me know in the comments.

Visiting the Poás volcano

I visited an Active Volcano…to be that close to something so magical is amazing.

The Ring of Fire is a string of volcanoes and sites of seismic activity, or earthquakes, around the edges of the Pacific Ocean. Roughly 90% of all earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire, and the ring is dotted with 75% of all active volcanoes on Earth (Nationalgeographic.org). Costa Rica is a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and has over 200 identifiable volcanic formations. Today, however, only 100 or so show any signs of volcanic activity, while just five are classified as active volcanoes (govisitcostarica.com). So visiting volcanoes is a must while living in or visiting Costa Rica.

One of the most popular volcanoes in Costa Rica is the Poás Volcano. It is the most accessible volcano and has 3 craters, one of which is active. The active crater is house to a boiling acidic lake. The Poás volcano is located inside the Poás National Park. Entry to the park is $15 for foreigners and less for locals. Tickets must be purchased online. It is about a 1.5 hour drive from Santa Ana.

I visited the park this weekend and a lot of things I read online about what a visit there would be like was outdated. At the entrance gate a guard asked for a verification number and then we were whizzed into the parking lot. I never showed my ticket or provided my number but my friend gave hers which was admission for one person only. The parking lot fee was 2700 colones. But I noticed that you can park outside of the park for free. Once parked, we basically just walked up a few hundred meters to the crater. We were not escorted by a guide, nor provided a helmet or given a time limit. Many blogs that I read said it took multiple visits to see the crater due to cloud cover.

However, we must have picked thee perfect day. We had a clear, unobstructed view of the crater on our first visit. We arrived at approximately 9am, which was perfect timing because within minutes the clouds moved in and the crater disappeared. Just look at it.

Panoramic photo of the Poás Volcano main crater
up and personal with an active volcano
This is a time lapse video of the clouds rolling in to cover the crater, a few minute later and we would have missed it.

The acidic lake had the appearance of the sky on the ground, with light blue hues and clouds of hot smoke rising from it. To be that close to something so magical is amazing.

Beautiful Poaz

There are several levels you can climb with landings you can stand on to take in the sights from different angles and heights.

There’s levels to this
Cement bunkers to stand under if a surprise eruption occurs.

A short walk east of the crater look out and you arrive at the viewpoint of Laguna Botos- a circular crater lake surrounded by forest and vegetation. The clouds began to cover the volcano while we admired it, so by the time we made it to the lake we didn’t have the clearest view.

Laguna Botos under the cloud cover

Currently there is a 3 mile hike through the park. The trail has a fairytale countenance with a green carpet, trees that bend and meet, and colorful leaves. You can get short winded during the trail due to the elevation and steep walkways but it’s a good workout with pleasant temperature and scenery.

Take a Hike

Tips: Take a jacket with you as it’s quite cool at the volcano. Take an umbrella; it’s Costa Rica. If you can, park your vehicle outside of the parque. Go early to beat the clouds and crowds. Go during the rainy season to beat the crowds too. If the clouds roll in before you get to enjoy the view of the crater, do the hike and circle back. View the crater first before the hike. Take a bottle of water; there is a bathroom upon entry. Take a friend to get those magnificent shots of you and the volcano.

Take a Friend

Side Note: There are many cafés along the road near Poás and after our hike we were quite hungry. On our way there, in the small town, we noticed that there were several small businesses selling strawberries. We picked up 2 packs on the cheap. Let me tell you, these were some of the best strawberries I’ve had. I also purchased some strawberry wine. I wish I had taken a picture of the shop, but it is at the top of hill. You can’t miss it. I recommend patronizing them and they will allow you to sample some drinks too.

We also stopped in a little Soda for a small bite. It’s a nice little restaurant built right outside a home. The small touches make this such a pretty place and the Gallos and Empanadas are really good.

Cute sink made out of a recycled tire
Super reasonable and tasty

What a lovely experience. Have you ever visited an active Volcano? Leave a comment about your experience. If you haven’t visited a volcano, would you? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments.

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