Irazú Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

The last time Volcán Irazú awoke was in the first half of the 1960's, when, for four years it showered the residents of Cartago and San José with ash, clogged the air with smoke, and sent glowing boulders rolling down its sides. Today, as you travel along the southern slope of the volcano to the park, the potato, onion, and cabbage fields give way to dairy farms at higher elevations. The next eruption can't be predicted with much accuracy, but currently the only activity in the crater is from fumaroles releasing toxic steam.

Attractions
The summit of Volcán Irazú is near tree-line, and the wind and volcanic activity conspire to give the effect of a moonscape. There are several craters rimmed by gnarled, scorched trees, and lined with brilliantly colored rain fed mineral pools. There are few inhabitants in this harsh environment, but two you should keep an eye out for are the aptly named Volcano Junco and Volcano Hummingbird. There is a small visitors center and displays explaining volcanism (if you are interested in how volcanoes work, there is an extensive visitors center and museum at Poás Volcano National Park).

In the region:
Irazú National Park is an easy day trip from most locations in the central valley, and can be combined with a number of other activities.

A tour of a coffee farm is the perfect way to drive the chill out of your bones after an early morning battling the winds on Irazú.

Lankester Botanical Gardens outside Cartago specializes in orchids, but there are hundreds of other rainforest species on the 26 acre (11 hectare) grounds. The butterfly and hummingbird garden are especially popular.

Although we don't know of any organized tours to do this, Irazú is a great downhill ride. Hire a taxi, get an early start, see the park in the morning then spend the afternoon coasting down 7,500 feet (2,300 meters) to the central valley. Just be careful what you drink from the roadside stands near the dairy pastures (Drink the Water, but don't Drink the Natilla).

When to visit:
This is the most visited National Park in Costa Rica. Many people come up on day trips from San José. Your best bet to get a view of the crater (and possibly all the way to both coasts) is early in the morning between December and April. One advantage of the extreme elevation of Irazú is that it's often above the clouds. Even when the central valley is socked in the sun may be shining on the crater.

Don't forget to bring at least a sweater and a windbreaker, and some have commented that they would have worn a parka if they had one. If the sun is out remember that you are near the equator at significant elevation and the intensity of the sun can cause burns in less than an hour. Carry and use sunscreen.

Volcanoes
by Mauro Rosi (Editor), Paolo Papale, Luca Lupi, Marco Stoppato, Franco Barberi (Editor), Jay Hyams (Editor), Paperback, 335 pages, Publisher: Firefly Books, (March 2003), ISBN: 1552976831

not yet reviewed
Written by experts in the field and beautifully illustrated. The first section covers the science and the second the details of over 100 active volcanoes around the world.
Buy from Amazon $US 17.47 -or-
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Encyclopedia of Volcanoes
by Haraldur Sigurdsson, Bruce Houghton, Hazel Rymer, John Stix, and Steve McNutt, Hardcover, 1456 pages, Publisher: Academic Press, (October 1999), ISBN: 012643140X

not yet reviewed
Complete coverage of every aspect of volcanoes in a beautiful and accessible form.
Buy from Amazon $US 99.95 -or-
Barnes&Nobel $US 99.95

Volcano information on the Web
Scientific site in Spanish tracking the activity of the volcanoes of Costa Rica