Irazu Volcano and National Park, Cartago Costa Rica

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Irazu Volcano National Park
The Irazu Volcano and National Park is located in the Province of Cartago in the Central Valley of Costa Rica.

Irazu Volcano
The Irazu Volcano National Park (declared as a National Park in 1955) is located in the northeast region of the central valley in the Cartago Province. It is approx. 45 miles from San Jose and approx 18 miles from the City of Cartago. Between 1963 to 1965, the Irazu volcano was very active and practically destroyed the cities of San Jose and Cartago. Standing at an elevation of 3,432 meters, it is the highest volcano in Costa Rica. Technically the Volcano is classified as a stratovolcano because it is formed from different layers of volcanic material and has a odd shaped cone.

Irazu Volcano is an active volcano with five craters:

Laguna

Pyroclastic crater

Diego de la Haya: 690 meters in diameter, 80 meters deep

Playa Hermosa: dormant and mainly a large ash beach

The main crater

Visitors can easily observe three of these craters. The main crater is 1,050 meters in diameter and 300 meters deep. In the photo below you can see the sulfurous green lake at the bottom.

The Main Crater

The above photo is of the main crater of the Irazu volcano in Costa Rica taken in 1998. Once a threat to the Ticos (people of Costa Rica) who live around it, it is now a sleeping monster which serves only as a tourist attraction.


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