Welcome to the highest volcano in Costa Rica! Just 21 kilometers from Prussia, our first destination, is located the Crater Sector of the Irazú Volcano National Park.
| How to get there by car? From San José you should take route 252, from Florencio del Castillo highway to Taras de Cartago, turn to the north on the road to Irazú Volcano, passing through Tierra Blanca, Potrero Cerrado and San Juan de Chicuá. The journey consists of 54 kilometers and will last approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. |
| How to get there by bus? In San José, you can take a bus with a direct destination to the Volcano, you can to board it in front of Hotel Costa Rica (street 1 and 3, avenue 2), every day at 8:00 a.m. |
| 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: $15 (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: None. |
| Accessibility: Suitable for all people. |
| Clothing: Comfortable clothes and shoes, coat, and umbrella. |
| Parking: Motorcycles: ₡300 • Light vehicle: ₡1,100 • Minibus: ₡2,300 • Bus: ₡2,800 |
| Text. No, you cannot camp. |
| Are pets allowed? No, you cannot take pets. |
| Mobile phone reception: Kölbi ICE: ○○○○○ | Claro: ○○○○○ | Movistar: ○○○○○ |
| Contact Tel. +506 2200-5025 • Click here to go to Facebook of the place. |
Your trip is not complete if you do not visit the two sectors of the Irazu Volcano National Park, both the volcano and the forest are perfect places to be in direct contact with nature and to observe its magnificence. We showed you Prussia (you can find the article here), now it’s time for the Craters Sector.
You can go in any type of vehicle because the road is asphalted and in perfect condition. During the trip, it is very common to observe the great agricultural activity of the place, it has extensive grounds full of crops that catch the attention and are ideal to take beautiful photographs.
The park has three parking lots, two are very close to the main crater and the crater Diego de la Haya. The parking lot next to the souvenirs store is ideal for people who use wheelchairs, since access is easier from here. The third is following the road, this one it will take you to a higher area, and there is a lookout where you can see in greater detail the spectacular landscape.
The volcano has four craters, two main and two secondary. It has an irregular sub-cone shape and is at an altitude of 3,423 meters above sea level, being the highest in Costa Rica. To pass from the parking lot to see the main crater, you should only walk about 300 meters on a sidewalk that is in perfect condition for all people.
The vegetation that you will find is formed mainly by bushes or shrubs. Although the wildlife is a bit sparse, you will see some birds lurking around the place (like in the second 00:00:29 of our video). In front of the main craters, there is a wide and fascinating area called Playa Hermosa, with shrubs and a floor covered with ash, you should take a few seconds to contemplate its beauty and also to take some good photographs.
Without a doubt the mountain atmosphere that is perceived is incredible. The cloudiness is very constant, but the wind can clear the view so that you can enjoy for a few seconds the beautiful panorama and the two craters, one of them with a green lake of variable depth during the year (you will watch it in the minute 00:01:15).
Because of its height, it is very cold; we recommend you to wear a thick coat, scarf, gloves, and cap. The breeze is always a bit damp and there is a good chance that it will rain. Although most of the land is flat, we suggest you wear comfortable shoes, the amount of moisture on the ground could cause a fall. In Costa Rica we only have two seasons: Summer with great sun that goes from December to April where we recommend to take sunscreen and repellent, and winter with enough rain that goes from May to November where we recommend to take an umbrella or a raincoat.
The Park has a cafeteria and a souvenir shop, where you can buy representative items of our country, which will be excellent memories of this trip, and why not take a rich coffee made in Costa Rica.
All in all, this is a beautiful place and with almost no difficulty to see the craters, the walk is short and the land is almost flat. If you are or are thinking of going to Costa Rica in the metropolitan area (San Jose, Cartago, Heredia or Alajuela) you can add this Volcano to your list of places to visit, you will not regret it.
We are grateful with Melissa Chavarría, our companion of this experience.
This website is completely bilingual and you can always see all our destinations in both English and Spanish.
Do not forget to follow us on our social networks and get to YouTube for more videos about the beautiful areas of Costa Rica. Share this article with your friends, tell us what other places in Costa Rica you know or would like to know.
The beauty of the natural world lies in the details.NATALIE ANGIER
Comments are closed.