In the province of Cartago, Costa Rica, the highest volcano (11,260 feet above sea level) in the country is found in a crater at the Irazu Volcano National Park.

Volcán Irazú (Irazu Volcano in English) is one of five active volcanoes in Costa Rica along with Arenal, Turrialba, Rincon de la Vieja and Poas. The Irazu Volcano National Park is the namesake for the volcanoes locale, and it is also the site of a reforestation project that has been ongoing since the last major eruptions happened in the 1960s. One of Irazu’s last major eruptions happened in 1963 while President John F. Kennedy was visiting Costa Rica.

The walk up to the precipice of the two craters, which are filled with bubbling aquamarine pools created by the mineral deposits that have slipped into the pools with the falling rain, is often windy and a bit chilled. It would be a good idea to take a good jacket as well as hiking boots, binoculars, a camera, long pants and sunscreen. The drive up to the crater from the foothills in Cartago, Costa Rica, follows a long winding path with little restaurants overlooking the lush green pasture lands along the mountain foothills. Along the route up, there is also an abandoned psychiatric ward, Sanitorio Duran, which is believed to be haunted by the tortured souls that used to live in the accursed halls.

The vegetation in Irazu Volcano National Park is sparser than in other parks. The ground has been splashed with ash and the soil is acidic. Of what can be found in the park, there is the black oak, the cacho de nevado, the mountain blossom, the cedrillo, the arrayane, the sombrilla de pobre (beggar’s umbrella) and the papelillo. The park is 5,705 acres making it a bit smaller than some of the more expansive parks in Costa Rica, and the elevation and harsh soil conditions don{t make for the same kind of cloud forests or tropical forests found in other parks. Irazu Volcano National Park is, however, incredibly beautiful in its own way, and especially at sunset.

The fauna in Irazu National Park is also a bit less than the biologically rich parks such as Corcovado, Tortuguero, Cahuita and so on, but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t still a large number of creatures slogging about the park grounds. In Irazu, animals such as armadillos, mountain rabbits, some coyotes, porcupines, weasels and red squirrels can be found making their homes in trees, holes in the ground and the hollows of old stumps. Birders will also be pleased at the sight of woodpeckers, goldfinches, acorn woodpeckers, red climbers, eastern meadowlarks, long-tailed silky flycatchers, hummingbirds, brown owls, zacateras, juncos volcaneros and the yigüirro (clay-colored thrush). The yigüirro is the national bird of Costa Rica.

Location: Irazu Volcano National Park
Items to bring: a good jacket as well as hiking boots, binoculars, a camera, long pants, sunscreen
Species of fauna: woodpeckers, goldfinches, acorn woodpeckers, red climbers, eastern meadowlarks, long-tailed silky flycatchers, hummingbirds, brown owls, zacateras, juncos volcaneros, the yigüirro, armadillos, mountain rabbits, some coyotes, porcupines, weasels, red squirrels
Species of flora: the black oak, the cacho de nevado, the mountain blossom, the cedrillo, the arrayane, the sombrilla de pobre (beggar’s umbrella), the papelillo
Cities nearby: Cartago, Pacayas, Cipreses
Ways to get here: Rental Car, Private Shuttle, Taxi, Tour Bus