If hiking is your thing, here you have 16 kilometers to go and enjoy the cool climate of Costa Rica, ideal to disconnect from the city in the middle of its mountain environment, vegetation with its impressive greenery, and a damp and fresh weather in the Irazú Volcano National Park, Prusia Sector.
| How to get there by car? It is located 4 kilometers to the north of the main entrance of Sanatorio Durán, Tiera Blanca, Cartago, Costa Rica. |
| How to get there by bus? If you leave from San Jose Province there are several options, you can board the bus in front of the Hotel Costa Rica (streets 1 and 3, avenue 2), every day at 8:00 a.m., its final destination is the Irazú Volcano; you must stop on the road that leads to the entrance of Sanatorio Durán (this is also a good place to visit) on the left, and from there walk to the entrance of the Park, you will have to walk 3 kilometers. The second option, that you can do at any time of the day, is to board the bus to Cartago Province in the Lumaca terminal, and once you arrive to the center of the province, you should head 200 meters to the north of the northeast corner of the Catargo ruins, and board the bus that leaves every hour, likewise you must stop on the road that leads to the Sanatorium. |
| Waze direction: Click here to go to Waze. |
| Tickets cost: Residents: ₡1,000 (older than 13 years) and ₡500 (children between 2 and 6 years old and students of primary and secondary school) – senior adult does not pay • Foreigners: $10 (over 13 years) and $5 (children between 2 and 6 years). Cash only. |
| Schedule: Every day from 8:00 a.m. at 3:30 p.m. Even holidays. |
| Difficulty: Medium. |
| Accessibility: The picnic area is accessible for people with disabilities, but the walking trails are not suitable for wheelchairs. |
| Clothing: Comfortable clothes and shoes, coat, umbrella and repellent. |
| Parking: Motorcycles: ₡300 • Light vehicle: ₡1,100 • Minibus: ₡2,300 • Bus: ₡2.800 |
| Is there a camping area? No, you cannot camp. |
| Are pets allowed? No, you cannot take pets. |
| Mobile phone reception: Kölbi ICE: ●○○○○ | Claro: ○○○○○ | Movistar: ○○○○○ |
| Contact Tel. +506 2200-4422 • Click here to go to Facebook of the place. |
We started our first adventure, we started our trip to the Irazú Volcano National Park, Sector Prusia. About the road, it is 98% suitable for cars that are not big, there is a small stretch of about 800 meters at the entrance of Sanatorio Durán, where the street is made of ballast, but with slowing down the speed a little it can be transited easily. The journey between the Sanatorium and the entrance to Prusia is in good conditions, and there are also good scenarios to take some photographs.
The Park has 3 parking spaces, there is one at the beginning; however, we do not recommend leaving the car here, since there is a considerable distance to the first trail and you may arrive exhausted without having started any route. If you keep going up, you will find the second parking lot, it is spacious and next to it there is a beautiful picnic area with tables and bathrooms (in the second 00:00:33 of our video you can appreciate this area). The third parking lot, up about 1 kilometer of the second, is near the trails, but is smaller, it fits at least about 10 vehicles.
TIP: Between the second and third parking, is the trail “El Roble”, you can identify it with the corresponding sign on the right side of the road and also because you will find a large tree in the middle of the street. On this trail it is easier to reach the “Bosque Los Abuelos”, where there are pine trees, with high tops, and dry vegetation. Also, a few meters away is a lookout and “The Haunted Tree” (you can see this in the minute 00:01:11).
We start the tour from the third parking lot. While walking the trails in the middle of the mountain, you can feel the cool breeze, common in mountain weather, which hit the skin with delicacy. We recommend you to close your eyes for a moment to perceive the environment from another direction, listening to the song of the birds and that subtle sound of the leaves being moved by the wind. Without a doubt, it is a perfect place to get away from the sound of vehicles and the smoke of the cities, just relax with a moderate walk and fresh air.
During all the routes there are maps, you can easily locate them and decide where to continue. Along the way, you can see in some trees bottle caps of the color corresponding to the trail, with them you can guide. At the end of this article, in our gallery you will find the map of the trails, so that you arrive prepared.
The whole place is impressive, but one of the most colorful trails is the “Bosque Los Abuelos”, a place surrounded by pine trees with an imposing height, just look up to realize how small we are; you will feel a characteristic smell and the landscape is visually different from other trails, we came from green and fresh vegetation to bump into an autumnal place, with dry leaves and broken colors. Be careful becauses the floor is slippery, due to the large amount of dry leaves that cover it like a carpet. You can take your picnic things and eat there, enjoy and why not, lie down and look up, we assure you it will be wonderful.
In this same trail is the “Haunted Tree”, yes! A bit dark but at the same time impressive, you must have a photograph of it. Continuing the walk, a few meters from the tree, is a small lookout where you can see from the top the lower area of Cartargo, a comforting place.
We recommend you to wear comfortable clothes and shoes (if you had hiking shoes, it would be ideal for this place), because of the damp and still vegetation, the floors can become slippery, so wearing some type of shoes could cause some fall or foot pain. Also, it is imperative to bring a coat and some type of raincoat or umbrella, since the weather is very changing, it can quickly change from being cool to very cold, or being clear to having a thick fog.
Good hydration is essential, something to eat if you get hungry on the road, always use sunscreen and repellent. Safety should always be taken very seriously, no matter how short or long the route is.
It is important to mention that if you travel by bus you should walk from Sanatorio Durán to the entrance of the Park, about 3 kilometers. If you want to avoid this route and arrive with good energy to face the trails, you can request a UBER to take you to the entrance.
Come and discover the abundant flora and the wildlife that Costa Rica has to offer you.
NOTE: Near Prusia, there is the crater sector of the Irazú Volcano National Park, you can take advantage of the proximity and visit it too.
… es mil veces más bella mi tierra con su palma, su brisa y su sol.PATRIÓTICA COSTARRICENSE
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