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Volcan Irazu Review

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Volcán Irazú

Phone: 551-9398; 200-5025 for the ranger station; 192 in Costa Rica

Category: Volcano
Location: Volcán Irazú

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Fodor's Review:

Volcán Irazú is Costa Rica's highest volcano, at 11,260 feet, and its summit has long been protected as a national park. The mountain looms to the north of Cartago, and its eruptions have dumped considerable ash on the city over the centuries. The most recent eruptive period lasted from 1963 to 1965, beginning the day John F. Kennedy arrived in Costa Rica for a presidential visit. Boulders and mud rained down on the countryside, damming rivers and causing serious floods. Although farmers who cultivate Irazú's slopes live in fear of the next eruption, they're also grateful for the soil's richness, a result of the volcanic deposits.

The road to the summit climbs past vegetable fields, pastures, and native oak forests. You pass through the villages of Potrero Cerrado and San Juan de Chicuá before reaching the summit's bleak but beautiful crater. Irazú is considered active, but the gases and steam that billow from fumaroles on the northwestern slope are rarely visible from the peak above the crater lookouts. Set out as early in the morning as possible—before the summit is enveloped in clouds—and wear warm, waterproof clothing. When conditions are clear, you can see the chartreuse crater lake and, if you're lucky, views of nearby mountains and either the Pacific or Caribbean in the distance. There are no trails at the summit, but a paved road leads all the way to the top, where a small coffee shop sells hot beverages. Before reaching the park's main entrance, about 1 km (½ mi) from the village of Potrero Cerrado, Volcán Irazú's Prusia Recreation Area (Area Recreativa de Prusia) has hiking trails through oak and pine forest. It also has picnic areas.

Cost: $7
Open: Daily 8-3:30

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