Irazu Volcano, Costa Rica
Irazu is the highest volcano of Costa Rica with an altitude of 3,432 meters. It is still very active and its last eruption coincided with the day President Kennedy stepped off his plane here in 1963 to attend a meeting with the presidents of Central America and promote a plan known as the Alliance for Progress! Eruptions came and went for two years, throwing ashes, mud and gases all over the central valley. Since then, it has been relatively really calm and is considered to be dormant.
Getting there is pretty easy and straightforward. From San Jose, go to Cartago. As you near Cartago, follow the signs for Irazu, the road starts as a Highway, before it becomes a smaller sinuous road, going up and around the mountain. Because of the eruptions, the soil is very fertile and it is said that Irazu feeds the country with the potatoes, onions, and cabbages being cultivated on its slopes. It soon gets replaced by dairy farms further up. Soon the landscape changes again dramatically as the summit approaches. The ravages of the last eruptions suddenly give it the appearance of the survivor of a holocaust. Scorched half burnt up trees, huge rocks and a lack of shrubs and vegetation is the new look. Huge craters are like scars on its slopes. At this altitude, the vegetation would not be tropical anymore, but it is clear that it is still trying to recover from the blasts! Some birds can be spotted, a hummingbird that only lives in the area given the name of Volcano Hummingbird, and some other bird called Volcano Junco. That is about as much wild life as there is there!
When you reach the summit, you will find a parking area, and the entrance is right next to it. Irazu has a sulfurous green lake in its crater, a lake looking dangerously unhealthy and poisonous! Irazu is dormant but active, and though gases are all that it has been spitting for the last few decades, it could decide to give us a big one again anytime! This would have devastating effects on the inhabitants and on the flora and fauna of the central valley, and possibly the whole country!
Wondering around and about the crater is really fascinating, as you are really walking on gray ash, and the crater is just a few meters away. It used to be possible to go further down, but due to some fatal accidents, it is now prohibited. The lunar landscape never cease to amaze, and the view from up there is pretty fantastic too, as if the weather permits, you can see both oceans in the horizon. It is pretty cold up there so make sure you bring adequate clothing!
Worth a visit and definitely a must if you want to spend some time out there is the Prusia Sector, to the Southern/Western part of the volcano. It offers trails, guides and camping ground. It is the site of a reforestation program, where the last eruptions took away much of the flora and fauna in its fury.
by Mireille Darras.
I’ve never given this a try, but I think it’s about time I do.