Volcan Irazu

My final trip in Costa Rica was with Becky and Ruth to Volcan Irazu. Irazu is the highest active volcano in Costa Rica, and by the time we reached the top, we were above the cloud layer, which was pretty cool.

Ruth and me at the summit, toward Cartago

The summit is 3,432m, which is about 11,260 feet, high. On clear days, you can see the Pacific and the Atlantic. I thought I maybe saw the Pacific, but I don't really know - and its really rare to have a day that is clear enough.

Main crater in the front left, with Turrialba smoking in the background.

Anyway, Ruth, Becky and I drove up Irazu, which is outside Cartago. The road winds up the mountain, and you can drive pretty much all the way up the summit.

Farms farms farms!

Because volcanic soil is good for agriculture, the sides of Irazu are covered in farms, growing all sorts of crops. As we drove up the road, we passed pick-ups full of farm workers headed to the fields for the day, or changing fields.

From the summit, you can see the main crater, as well as Cartago and other volcanoes and mountain peaks. We could see Volcan Turrialba, which has been smoking for about six months now.

Volcan Turrialba

The main crater has a lake in it, but we were unable to see it. The crater is pretty deep, and looks (to my admittedly very poor volcanological eye) like it was created after a larger crater.

From visitor's center, looking at the summit. That's a TV tower.

 From the summit, there is a steep, maybe 60m drop off to a more or less flat plain, which then drops off again to the main crater. That plain is mostly covered in grey, dusty, ashy soil, but there is a part in the center where they are trying to regenerate growth. Its covered is low ground cover - think creeping charlie type - and taller grasses.

Grasses and flowers on the plain

Irazu was pretty stunning in terms of vistas, but it doesn't look "volcano-y". (A very technical term meaning its not smoking or doing anything interesting, really). And I had a great time hanging out with Ruth and Becky. Plus, the drive up was beautiful - whats not to like about views off the side of a mountain on a clear sunny day?

View off the side of the mountain, on the road up. Cartago would be in the valley