Peering into the bowels of Irazu Volcano

Last weekend, we attempted to continue our adventurous streak by doing a day trip to an active volcano located just north of Cartago, the old capitol of Costa Rica.  The drive was gorgeous. We snaked our way from the valley that is San Jose up into the foothills.  Then, with Ethan (our car) shifted into 2nd gear, we pushed our way up the volcano.  The rarified air was cool and the terrain looked suddenly like the Swiss alps.  Cows stared at us wondering why we'd drive up a volcano in the rain season.

When we got to the national park, they accepted our protestation that we were not tourists, but actually nationals and we we got a seriously discounted admission.

Once at the top, we saw a sign for the highest point of the volcano.  We parked and decided to hoof it.  At 10,000 feet, we certainly felt the effects of the altitude.  When we reached the peak of the peak, we gazed out over the vast main crater and saw . . . clouds.  So, we desperately snapped photos of a sign saying we'd reached the highest point.

We lunched back at a picnic table near our car and were visited by some furry masked creatures which were hounded by the 11 year old paparazzi.  Then, we got a nice sprinkling of rain.  But we were not to be deterred.

We drove down to the main parking area and venture out on the boardwalks that lead you right to the edge of the main crater. With the rumble of the neighboring volcano, Turrialba, in our ears, we leaned out over the fence and peered down into the bowels of the . . . more clouds.


On the way home, we did see some coati and a really cool weasel crossed in front of our car.  The moral of the story is, during the rain season, it's hit or miss as to whether you'll be able to see the volcano from the top of the volcano.  Better to wait until the dry season.