Volcan Irazu, Costa Rica’s National Park, is the right place to have a walk along it’s slopes and see how tons of ashes are falling from the sky. You will probvably need an umbrella in order to avoid getting dirty but the feeling is awsome.

The Irazu Volcano (in Spanish Volcán Irazú) is an active volcano in Costa Rica, situated in the Cordillera Central close to the city of Cartago. Its name is believed to be a corruption of Iztarú, which was the name of an indigenous village on the flanks of the volcano. In Costa Rica it is known by the name of “Colossus” due to the catastrophes that it has provoked in the past. Irazu has erupted frequently in historical times—at least 23 times since its first well-recorded eruption in 1723. Its most famous recent eruption began in 1963 and continued until 1965. It began on the day US President John F. Kennedy began a state visit to Costa Rica and showered the capital San Jose and much of the central highlands of Costa Rica with ash.

The park that includes this volcano covers 2309 hectares, its highest point being 3432 meters (approxim. 10,300 feet) above sea level. There are two theories for the name “Irazu”, one being that it’s a combination of “ara” (point) and “tzu” (thunder), and the other being that it’s named after “Istaru”, a 16th century Indian palisade built in the nearby town of Cot. The park is remarkable because of its surreal lunar landscape. There are two main craters, one is called the “Diego de la Haya” crater that contains a strangely colored lake (some days it’s light green and others it’s red) and the other is 300 meters (900 feet) deep. Even the scarce and austere vegetation contributes to the other-worldly feeling of the place. Nevertheless, there are some species of animals that manage to live in this severe and rugged area – coyotes, tiger cats, long-tailed weasels and some species of birds like the clay-colored robins.

The windswept 100-meter-deep Diego de la Haya crater contains a sometimes-pea-green, sometimes-rust-red, mineral-tinted lake. Fumaroles are occasionally active. A larger crater is 300 meters deep. Two separate trails lead from the parking lot to the craters. Follow those signed with blue-and-white symbols (don’t follow other trails made by irresponsible folks whose feet destroy the fragile ecosystems). The crater rims are dangerously unstable. Keep your distance if you are unexperinced volcano explorer….. but the views from the Volcan Irazu are breathtaking and stupendous. Every corner reveals another picture looking perfect landscape.

A sense of bleak desolation pervades the summit, like the surface of the moon. It is often foggy. Even on a sunny day expect a cold, dry, biting wind. Dress warmly. The average temperature is a chilly 7.3 degrees C (45 degrees F). Little vegetation lives at the summit, though stunted dwarf oaks, ferns, lichens, and other species are making a comeback. Best time to visit is March or April, the two driest months.

Don’t be put off if the volcano is shrouded in fog. Often the clouds lie below the summit of the mountain–there’s no way of telling until you drive up there–and you emerge into brilliant sunshine. On a clear day you can see both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The earlier in the morning you arrive, the better your chances of getting clear weather.

Part of the peak is off limits to visitors due to the precipitous sides and unstable surface. Climbers have fallen hundreds of feet to their deaths in this area. Volcan Irazu is the only place in America from which it is possible to see both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the same time.

Some Tips

There are no telephones there so if you need phone call go to the ranger booth, which is two km below the summit, is open 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., but you can visit at any time. A mobile soda serves food and drinks on weekends, and the site has toilets and picnic benches beside the crater, but no camping or other facilities. Entrance is $6.

The Prusian Forestry Reserve (Reserva Forestal Prusia), tel. 551-9398, within the park, on the southwest flank of Irazu, five km north of Potrero Cerrado, is a reforestation project with a recreation area, Ricardo Jimenez Oreamuno, which features hiking trails and camping and picnic sites set amid pines. There’s a “mushroom forest” there too.