Turrialba Volcano National Park

Turrialba Volcano National Park was created in 1955, and it is located in the Cartago Province, around 40 miles East of San Jose, in the Central Volcanic Conservation Area. Turrialba Volcano, of 3.328 meters high above sea level, is a stratovolcano that was dormant for over 100 years until it became active again recently. In January of 2009, some acid rain killed a lot of vegetation around the volcano.

The volcano is located in the Cartago province in Costa Rica and was named by early Spanish settlers as Torre Alba or White Tower; its name was changed to Turrialba. The reason of its name is the observed plumes of smoke pouring from its top.

Turrialba Volcano was declared a national park in 1955, and protects a 4 km diameter around the volcano. The volcano has three main craters; however, only the largest one shows any signs of volcanic activity in form of steam and sulphur vents. Although it has relatively easy access, the summit can only be reached by foot. It is surrounded by cloud forest, full of ferns, bromeliads and orquids.

There are many options to get to the park; the road is not in good condition. There are many tours that visit the park (although they required 4 x 4), as well as other touristic sites in the surrounding area, such as the Guayabo, Rivers, and beautiful landscapes, among others. There are also public buses that go to the closes city, Turrialba.

The bus station for Turrialba is Transtusa Transportation, which is located in the Street 13, and Ave. 6. The public bus leaves daily, every hour from 5:15 a.m. in the morning until 10:00 p.m., and returns (Turrialba - San Jose) hourly from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The trip takes 2 hours. To communicate with Transtusa Transportes, the phone numbers are (506) 2222-4464 and (506) 2556-4233.