Volcano! Costa Rica has six (count 'em, six!!) still-rumbling volcanos! Open for anyone to visit! Running from the northwest corner of the country down to the central valley just east of San Jose, they are: Rincon de la Vieja, Miravalles, Arenal, Poas, Turrialba and Irazu.

Aside from those six active volcanos, Costa Rica has fifty-four other, long-dormant or dead volcanos. The country is, quite literally, a hotspot to visit hot spring hopping, and smokin' good times. The really active volcanos, and the three with great access for visitation, are Poas, Arenal, and Irazu.

Poas National Park is one of the most visited places in the country, and covers and expanse of nearly fourteen thousand square acres of stunning beauty. North of Alajuela Province, the park centers on the crater region and descends into a dramatic landscape covered with extraordinary forested beauty. Poas is considered to possess the world's largest crater of an active volcano and has a long history of eruptions, with the most notable recent eruption in 1910, when it spewed a could of ash reaching over a mile and a half into the sky. Since 1989 gas emissions have increased greatly, and currently surrounding areas are experiencing increasing problems with loss of crops assumed to be an increase in emissions from Poas. Poas has two craters, a primary crater with a diameter over a mile wide and a depth over six hundred feet. It is cirucular, hot, and cone-shaped with active emission of smoke from several locations within the cone. The second crater creates the base of Botos Lagoon, a spectacular cold water lake that feeds all the way to the Caribbean via the Angel River, affluent to the Sarapiqui.

Active since it returned to life in a dramatic eruption in 1968, Arenal sits in the northern part of the country, a perfect cone, the most active volcano in Costa Rica. In addition to being a breathtaking sight at night with glowing lava streaming down its sides, viewable from the entire northeastern side of the slopes, Arenal is an important hydro-electric resource for the nation. Hot spring resorts around Arenal are a popular destination for locals and international visitors both. To the southwest of the volcano lies Lake Arenal, a very picturesque body of water great for fishing and windsurfing.

Irazu Volcano National Park is centered around the summit of the country's highest volcano, eighteen miles north of Cartago, with an elevation of over eleven thousand feet. Many rivers have their source in the Irazu area, particularly the Chirripo, Reventazon, Sarapiqui, and the Grande de Tarcoles. Irazu has a long history of eruptions and eruptive cycles, but is currently considered a dormant stratovolcano, meaning it can still erupt with lava flows or ash. The summit is cool and misty, best viewed early in the morning before cloud cover moves in.


The other three volcanos of the big active six, Miravalles, Rincon de la Vieja, and Turrialba, might not rival the scope and visitation of Arenal, Irazu, and Poas, but all offer an exiting visit.

Miravalles offers one of the most unique and singular experiences in all of Costa Rica, the only live volcano where participants can walk around inside the crater, see, feel, and bathe in the smoke rising out of the boiling mud and hot springs. Visitors can bathe in bubbling mud pots and hot spring water, then ride horsback through to swim in a waterfall. The area surrounding the Miravalles is home to the ambitious Miravalles Geothermal Project, turning geothermal energy into electricity for Costa Rica.

Rincon de la Vieja sits solidly near the Nicaraguan border and is the center of Rincon de la Vieja National Park. There's one active crater that's filled with an acid lake, among four main craters, and large numbers of hot springs and mud baths exist on the slopes of the volcano. Many many minor erruptions occur in the park, with the latest one of note being in 1998. Camping areas are open 24 hours with restrooms, showers, and picnic areas, and the park's well marked trail system leads visitors through tropical rainforest to the park's attractions. Thermal mud pools, waterfall swimming areas and freshwater lakes are available for visitors to use.

Turriabla Volcano lies southeast of the central valley, and consists of the volcanic edifice and very steep sides covered in mountain rainforest. The town of Turrialba lies at the foothills of the volcano, and the area is known for its steep ruggedness, where four-wheel drives are advised. Guayabo National Monument lies just northeast of Turrialba and contains the largest and most important archaecological site in the country. Rafting the Reventazon and Pacuare, horseback riding, and hiking are three big attractions in the area.