Early risers can enjoy the most beautiful view in the country
(Daily 0800-1530. National Park entrance of US$10 plus US$2.50 to park if you are driving. Most tour operators in San José have day trips to Irazú costing around US$36 per person. Buses Metropoli (T2530-1064) have daily services leaving at 0800 from Av 2, C 1-3, in front of Gran Hotel Costa Rica, returns at 1230, US$6.50. There are buses from Cartago going regularly to Tierras Blancas, and one a day even further up the slopes as far as San Juan de Chicúa, which leaves a refreshing but enjoyable 10 km hike uphill to the summit. A taxi is also a possibility with a group, and the recommended price is 10,000 colones (US$22) plus entrance. At the summit there is a small café serving snacks and coffee, as well as a few souvenirs of baseball caps, T-shirts and coffee table books covering Costa Rica’s exploding volcanoes.)
On a clear day, the silhouette of Irazú looms above Cartago, on a cloudy day the peak and much of the lower slopes are stuck in the clouds – at 3432 m it is the highest volcano in Costa Rica. With a road reaching to within a few hundred metres of the dramatic lagoon-filled craters, this is one of the country’s most popular national parks. Whether buffeted by freezing winds, or basking in glorious sunlight, the volcano is definitely worth visiting.
This ‘mountain of quakes and thunder’, named after the nearby indigenous village of Iztarú which once existed on the volcanic slopes, has a lively history. The first documented eruption was recorded by Diego de la Haya Fernández, the governor of Cartago at the time, in 1723. Violent eruptions began in 1963 damaging the crater and sending volcanic material down the western slopes to flood the Río Reventado and the community of Taras. This eruption showered Cartago and the capital San José with ash – a dramatic welcome for President John F Kennedy who was visiting at the time.
As recently as 1994 a sudden explosion in the north wall of the crater sent a landslide down the Río Sucio to within sight of the bridge over the main highway connecting San José and Limón. Today, fumaroles, small lava flows and light tremors are proof that the mountain still quakes and thunders.
Once at the top, the landscape is bare, covered in desolate grey sand which looks like the surface of the moon but for pockets of fragile vegetation slowly colonizing the harsh climate. The temperature range of -3°C to 17°C and the poor soil supports a hardy low scrub with thick leaves and stunted growth to cope with the fierce winds and sudden temperature changes near the summit. There are five craters in total, three of which can be easily visited. The main crater is a cube blown out of the earth, 1050 m wide, with vertiginous walls 300 m deep and complete with a sulphurous green lake at the bottom. The Diego de la Haya crater is slightly smaller. Playa Hermosa crater, slowly being colonized, is a good spot to see the ubiquitous volcano junco bird but otherwise little wildlife and few plants survive in this hostile desert.
The views, however, are stupendous. (The summit is often shrouded in cloud but your best chance of a clear view is in the morning.) Even if the lower slopes are cloudy, it is quite possible that the summit is above the clouds. The rainy season is from May to December, but take warm clothing and a wind-proof jacket as protection all year round....
