Get a quick look to the Irazu Volcano in Cartago

Irazu Volcano National Park is located on Cartago province, around 60 kilometers of San Jose. It is a great place for a one day excursion, and enjoy the wonders of an active volcano. it is also one of the tallest mountains in Costa Rica; on a clear day a visitor can see both shores.

One of the most remarkable thing about this nature park is that on a clear day, a visitor can see both shores (the Pacific Oceand and the Caribbean Sea), from the highest point in the volcano.


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Poas Volcano National Park

Poas Volcano is an active stratovolcano with frequent small geyser and lava eruptions, and with some of the most beautiful scenery in Costa Rica. It is located in the Alajuela Province, at about 2,708 meters above sea level and lies within two vast calderas. The last major eruptions at Poas Volcano were around 1954. The southernmost of two summit crater lakes, Botos, is about 2 km in diameter and over 1000 meters deep, it is cold and clear, and its last eruption was about 7,500 years ago. The other is warm and acidic crater that has a beautiful blue-green crater lake, and has been the site of frequent eruptions since the first was reported in 1828.

Poas Volcano National Park, founded on 1971, is the most develop of all national parks in Costa Rica and it has the most visitors of every other National Park in Costa Rica. It is a popular attraction located only 37 km from San Jose. This park may become crowded and cloudy so it is always better to visit the park early in the morning. Also the best time to view the crater is early in the morning before the clouds cover the crater and the lake.

This National Park is a great place for a one day tour because of its location, just an hour and a half from Downtonw San Jose. After arriving to the park, visitor can check out the Visitors Center, where is a coffee and volcanoes exhibition. There are very well developed trails that go to the main crater lookout point. The main crater is around 1.5 km wide and 300 meters deep, and is one of the biggest of the world. Another trail, around a 20 minute hike, goes to a second crater now a lake called Laguna Botos. The park is also an important power plant of the hydroelectric and geothermal generation.

There are many options to get to the park; the road is in good condition. There are many tours that visit the park, as well as other touristic sites in the surrounding area, such as the coffee plantations, coffee tours, and beautiful landscapes, among others. There are also public buses that go close to the Poas Volcano. The Poas Volcano bus station, Tuasa Co., is located in the Street 12-13, Ave. 2. The public bus leaves daily at 8:00 a.m. in the morning and returns around 2:00 p.m. The distance from San Jose to the National park is 55 km and the trip takes 1 hour and 30 minutes. To communicate with Tuasa Co., the phone numbers are (506) 2222-5325 and (506) 2442-6900.

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.

Irazu Volcano

The Irazu Volcano is one of the seven active volcanos in Costa Rica. The Irazu Volcano National Park is located in the Cordillera Central close to the city of Cartago, specifically in the Central Volcanic Conservation Area and encompasses the Prusia Forest Reserve. Although it has erupted frequently, at least 23 times since 1723, its most famous eruption began in 1963 and continued until 1965.

The US President John F. Kennedy was visiting Costa Rica when the volcano erupted showering with an immense cloud of ash the capital San Jose and much of the central highlands of Costa Rica. However, since then the volcano has remained dormant, with the exception of a small phreatic eruption that happened on 1994, and that killed vegetation and some small animals with acid rain.

Irazu Volcano has several craters. The main crater is usually greenish and yellow, caused by the rainfall and dissolve minerals. Sometimes it turns to a rust-red color because of the presence of certain minerals. The inactive crater has a green Crater Lake called Diego de la Haya, and it is sometimes filled with volcanic ash. It is the highest active volcano in Costa Rica. 

In very clear days, it is possible to see both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans; however, this is a very rare phenomenon due to the normal weather conditions of the country. The last Crater called Playa Hermosa, was a great asset crater at the beginning, right now the border of the crater is having its natural regeneration of flora.

La Cangreja National Park

La Cangreja National Park is located in the Cangreja Puriscal Canton, in the Province of San Jose. The area is known as Mastatal located inside the mountain and whose only form of access is through the use of wheel-drive vehicle; the road is, for the most part, weights and muddy due to the large amount of rain that falls in that area.

To reach this National Park people must take the road towards Puriscal; then take the road passing through villages like Parrita Puriscal, Saltpetre, and Mastatal among other smaller blowgun Santa Marta, San Martin and Santa Rosa. Among the interesting elements of this pathway is the Church of Puriscal, closed because of its location on a large seismic fault. Gradually, this church is sinking and it is at risk of falling because of a strong earthquake. La Cangreja National Park is the last patch of forest declared by the Government of Costa Rica as a National Park on June 5, 2002, Decree 30479-MINAE.

Ballena National Marine Park

Ballena National Marine Park is located in the Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific Coast, about 190 kilometers southwest of San Jose. It is a favorite Park for locals and tourist alike. The park includes the area from Playa Hermosa to Playa Piñuela, including Playa Ballena and Playa Uvita, covering around 15 kilometers of seaward. Ballena National Marine Park was created as a way to protect the many marine biological communities of the Pacific Coast, maintaining its productivity and preserve critical marine reproductive habitats such as coral reefs (the largest of the Pacific Coast of Central America), marine turtles such as Olive Ridley and Hawksbill turtles, and humpback whales. The landscape of the park includes beautiful forests, beaches, mangroves, rocky shoals and Las Tres Hermanas, which are small islands located in front of the shores of the park; Ballena Island is the name of the middle one. Its name comes from the many Humpback whales that visit the park each year when they migrate to the cold waters of the North part of the world, from December to April to mate. Among the activities that can be enjoyed in the park are hiking to Punta Uvita Tombolo, snorkeling (especially at low tide), beach combing, scuba diving, and turtle nesting (between May and November). Because this are was designated as a Marine Park 25 years ago, there is an abundance of marine life. The northernmost beach in the park is known as Playa Hermosa, and it is a favorite location for both surfers.

Ballena National Marine Park does not have a wide effective protection by park rangers; however, people are advice to enter the park and be conscious about the importance of maintaining this area trash free and to respect the presence of the nesting marine turtles.

Palo Verde National Park

Palo Verde National Park is one of the most amazing places for bird watching in Costa Rica. It is located in the northern province of Guanacaste. It is home of over one half million birds which migrate during the months of December through March, escaping the extreme cold weather of North America. They feed on the shallow swamps rich in small fish and flora. Some of the species that could be found in the area are egrets, storks, spoonbills, herons, ibis, and ducks among many other. Within the park lies the Tempisque River, with a small island called Isla de Pajaros. The Park protects tropical dry forest, brackish, freshwater marshlands, and mangrove swamps.

Chirripo National Park

Chirripo National Park is located around 151 km away from San Jose, close to the city of Perez Zeledon (San Isidro del General). It has an extension of 50.150 hectares and it is better to visit the park during the dry season, which is December through March.

It is truly an unique National Park in the country, due to its mist and cold weather, and the flora of the Paramo life zone. Besides the Paramo, it also contains extensive areas of lower montane and montane rain forest. Chirripo National Park was declared a "Biosphere Reserve" by the UNESCO in 1982, and a year later (1983) was declared a "World Heritage Site".

Among its main attractions are mountain hiking, wildlife observation and technical rock climbing. The park has its name because of the Chirripó Peak, which is the tallest mountain in the country (3.819 meters high). Visitors should be prepared for great temperature variations (from 24º C to below 0º temperatures).

Visitors should call the National Park and arrange their stay in the shelter up in the Park. Due to its great altitude it is advice for visitors to stay in the park at least 2 days. From the entrance to the park to the top of the mountain where the shelter is, there are 15 kilometers, which is around a 10 hours hike.

Link: 10 Wonders of Costa Rica