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Irazu Volcano

Last Updated: Apr 03, 2012

irazu volcano national park 
 - Costa Rica

Irazu Volcano last erupted during President John F. Kennedy's visit to Costa Rica on March 19, 1963. People living in the capital remember this eruption as the one that covered the San Jose area with a coat of gray ash.

Quick Facts

Location: Irazu Volcano National Park
Altitude: 11,260 feet above sea level
Hours: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Entrance Fee: $10

Photo Gallery

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Located in Irazu Volcano National Park, on the outskirts of Cartago, the volcano has entered a dormant phase after eruptions for the past 500 years. The word Irazu, meaning thunder or earthquake peak, was borrowed from indigenous tribes who lived on the slopes the volcano.

Irazu is made in an irregular subconic shape, broken into five different craters by centuries of eruptions. The main crater (3,445 feet wide) is circular in shape and 984 feet deep. The Diego de La Haya crater (named after Senor Diego de la Haya Fernandez, a Spanish Conquistador who reported volcanic activity here during the 18th Century) is 1,969 feet wide and 328 feet deep. The other craters are Playa Hermosa, La Laguna and El Piroclastico. Vegetable farms and pasture lands for cattle abound in the rich, mineral soils near the volcano. 

A trail leads from the information center to a lookout point over the craters. Visitors should keep an eye out for high-altitude wildlife such as sooty-capped bush tanagers, and the long-nosed sooty robin. Generally, the best time to visit is early in the morning, before heavy clouds move in. On a clear day, you can see the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea from the park. There is a paved road to the volcano from San Jose.

Nearby Destinations

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Attraction Types

Irazu Volcano Map

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