Exploring Volcanoes is a Unique Adventure Activity

Arenal Volcano blowing smoke
Arenal Volcano blowing smoke

With a truly remarkable diversity of ecosystems and natural landmarks, Costa Rica is the ideal destination for adventure travelers from all over the world.

Plan with Time

Such travelers should certainly plan out their vacation ahead of time, in order to enjoy every possible activity the country has to offer, including scuba diving, surfing, cave exploration and horseback riding.

Another experience that tourists will not soon forget is volcano exploration. Some of the country's most exciting features are its mountain ranges and volcanoes, and exploring these unique landscapes is an adventure in and of itself.

Costa Rica boasts a significant number of active, steaming volcanoes, which are surrounded by lakes and rivers that provide tourists with opportunities to enjoy swimming, fishing, hiking and even whitewater rafting.

Arenal Volcano

One of the volcanoes that adventure travelers should make a priority to explore is Arenal Volcano, which features a number of secondary forests and molten rock that exists due to previous eruptions. For these daring tourists, safety will not be an issue, as Park Rangers are constantly monitoring the volcanic activity and will inform visitors which trails are open and which are not.

Barva Volcano

Barva Volcano is another exciting place to explore, as its active crater is reportedly the widest of any volcano in the world. On clear days, travelers can even see to the bottom of the 300-meter deep crater, perhaps spotting some low-level geyser eruptions as well. While exploring Barva Volcano and the surrounding area, travelers can expect to view birds such as the fiery-throated hummingbird, the mountain eleania and the black-billed Nightingale-Thrush.

Irazu Volcano

Another volcano that adventure travelers should make a point to explore is Irazu Volcano, which, at 3,432 meters above sea level, is the highest point in the Central Volcanic Cordillera. This volcano sits above the city of Cartago and has a violent history that has done a number on the surrounding landscape. Explorers and history buffs alike will enjoy a trip to the summit, where they will notice a significant number of craters that make it seem like the surface of the moon.

With at least 14 volcanoes found in Costa Rica, adventure travelers can enjoy exploring these natural wonders throughout the country.