Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse places in the world, and a lot of that is attributed to volcanoes. Come visit them with us!
How many active volcanoes are there in Costa Rica?
o be considered active, a volcano must have erupted at least once in the last 10,000 years. Otherwise, a volcano can be dormant or extinct. In Costa Rica there are some active volcanoes: Turrialba, Poás, Rincon de la Vieja, El Arenal, Tenorio, Miravalles, and Irazú.
In addition to the five active volcanoes in Costa Rica, there are over 200 identifiable volcanic formations, some of which experience volcanic activity but are not considered active. For example, there is a lot of geologic activity around the Miravalles Volcano – including hot springs and boiling mud pits – which people might confuse as being active, but that’s not the case.
Why does Costa Rica has so many volcanoes?
You might wonder how it is possible that a relatively small country ( 51,100 square kilometers | 19,714 square miles) has so much volcanic formation. Costa Rica is a part of the Central American Volcanic Arc, (CAVA) this arc (1,500 kilometers | 932 miles) runs from North Panama to Guatemala. “A volcanic arc is a chain of volcanic features that form an arc shape and normally form above a tectonic plate that has undergone subjugation. During subjugation, one tectonic plate moves under another plate within a subjugation zone. Volcanic arcs are normally curved because they are adjacent to subjugation zones that are curved“ Source: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-central-america-volcanic-arc.html
What are the best volcanoes to visit in Costa Rica?
The Arenal volcano
The Arenal volcano is great to take pictures from a distance and even though cannot hike up the volcano itself, it is great to hike through Arenal Volcano National Park with a local guide who will help you find old lava flow, wildlife, and tell you more about this amazing volcano.
Other things you can enjoy in the Arenal area are for example hot springs and La Fortuna Waterfall. The Arenal volcano has not been active for a few years, and it has been considered dormant.
The surrounding area offers many different options for lodging and food as well as optional activities including white water rafting, canyoning, rappel, hikes and cultural tours.
The Poás Volcano
The Poás Volcano is most famous for its very big crater (1,320 meters, 4,331 feet) Largest or close to being the largest in the world.
The dept of the lake in the crater and the color change every day due to the rain and volcanic conditions.
It is one of the most visited volcanoes and National Parks because of its proximity to the Central Valley.
The drive to it is very picturesque showing coffee, strawberry, and other different plantations and gorgeous views of the Central Valley.
Even though it is very close to the Central Valley (about one hour away from San José), to be able to visit the park, you need to pre-book the entrance tickets in advance, but we can of course assist you with it.
Rincon de la Vieja Volcano
Rincon de la Vieja is located in the North East of Costa Rica, it’s a bit of a detour from the normal routes, for that reason really worth a visit.
This area is just as diverse as the rest of Costa Rica and especially known for all the water-related elements like waterfalls, freshwater lagoon, boiling mud pits, hot springs, and much more.
The crater is located at the top of the mountain, at about 1895 meters above sea level (6217 ft) but you can visit the sector of “Las Pailas” which is the main trail in the park, and you will have the opportunity to see fumaroles, bubbling mud pots, and of course, the fauna and the flora.
Other activities in the area are horseback riding, zip-lining, canyoning, and tubing, as well as by taking a day-pass from Hacienda Guachipelín, visiting several waterfalls, and even hot springs.
You can also stay at Hacienda Guachipelín and have them included in your lodging package.
Irazú
Irazú is the highest volcano in Costa Rica, it’s last big eruption was in 1963 which covered the whole Costa Rican Central Valley in ash.
It’s the second closest volcano in the Central Valley area to visit and It has 5 craters, one is fully covered with sand.
This one is known as the beautiful beach (Playa Hermosa).
Diego de la Haya is the crater that you can see and the one with a lagoon as well as sometimes fumaroles activity.
You can drive to Irazú volcano, from there you walk over the beautiful beach and you can then see the other two open craters.
Walking on the beautiful beach feels like walking on the moon. It’s easy to visit this volcano with kids.
More information can be found on the official SINAC website.
Turrialba
The Turrialba Volcano lies East of San Jose, by passing through the Cartago Area.
At the moment it’s not possible to visit Turrialba because it’s active, however as this can change please make sure to contact us in case you would like to visit Turrialba Volcano.
However, even if you cannot visit the volcano itself, there are still many reasons to visit this area. Turrialba is famous for its delicious coffee and the sugar cane that grows here.
Close to the volcano is Guayabo National Monument, a pre-Columbian village that disappeared before the Spaniards arrived in America.
There are several trails where you can enjoy nature, and also visit some of the artifacts and the “main village” composed of mounds.
La Marta Wildlife Refuge is another beautiful place to visit in the Cartago Area. At La Marta, you can enjoy watching many plants, birds, butterflies and if you are lucky you will encounter mammals such as the anteater, the jaguar, the tapir, and many other animals. You can choose to hike self-guided or enjoy a guided or birdwatching tour.
The park has 16km (10 miles) of marked trails. You will walk by the rivers, natural ponds, and waterfalls.
If you enjoy botanic gardens then Catie Jardin Botanico is a must-see while visiting this area, contact us for more information about the botanic gardens, which are part of The Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE).
Tenorio Volcano
Even though you can spot the volcano from a distance, which kinda looks like a normal mountain. The main reason for people to visit this area is the Rio Celeste Waterfall, which is located in the Tenorio Volcano National Park.
If you would like to visit this area we highly recommend staying at the Rio Celeste Hideaway, as you can also hike on their grounds to the Rio Celeste (River) and the hotel is amazing. Contact us for the best available rates and to make this part of your vacation to Costa Rica.
The trail to the waterfall might be a little difficult especially if you are planning to go all the way down, there are a lot of steps!
In the park beside the waterfall, you can visit the “Teñideros” which is where the normal river water connects and mixes with the light blue river.
Also, along the trail, you can enjoy nature, especially birds and plants, and has been reported several times, the Tapir.
Miravalles
Miravalles is not really a volcano area that many people visit, because it is not a national park. The area contains a large underground heated reservoir, it is the site of a geothermal energy plant.
This area is important for the energy supply of Costa Rica.
