One of our most popular tours here at Costa Rica Volcanoes is our day trip to Arenal Volcano National Park. Located approximately 90km northwest of San Jose near the town of La Fortuna, Arenal Volcano is one of the country’s most highly-sought tourist attractions.
Arenal Volcano National Park
Arenal Volcano is Costa Rica’s youngest volcano, only having formed within the last 7,500 years. It is also the nation’s most active volcano. Perfectly conical and symmetrical in shape, it has provided spectacular displays of fiery lava and ash eruptions from its peak right up until a decade ago; up to this time, it was common for there to be as many as forty eruptions every day.
The volcano had a single crater and was dormant for 450 years before a massive, unexpected eruption in 1968. This eruption destroyed the nearby town of Tabacon and created three additional craters; only one of these still exists. The volcano has been essentially dormant since 2010 but could erupt again at any time. There is confirmed seismic activity deep within the volcano, below 5km deep suggesting activity of magma. For this reason, despite the current lack of lava flow, a restricted zone exists around the top of the volcano.
The Arenal Volcano National Park and local area offer an array of tourist attractions and activities as well as the volcano itself. These include:
· Hiking lava trails within the National Park
· The thermal pools of the Arenal Hot Springs
· Zipline over the forest canopy and Arenal Lake
· Enjoy views from the Aerial Tram
· Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall
· See local native wildlife including iguanas, monkeys, sloths, tree frogs, and other fauna
· Visit Lake Arenal for a range of activities
· Go White Water Rafting on the Balsa River
· Explore the Venado Caves
· Visit the charming town of La Fortuna
· Visit the Cano Negro National Wildlife Refuge
Experience Arenal Volcano with Us!
We offer the very best Arenal Volcano Tours Costa Rica has to offer. On our full day Arenal Volcano Tour, your day begins early in the morning when you are collected from your hotel in San Jose or nearby. We travel west towards San Ramon and stop for breakfast where you’ll enjoy a great cup of coffee and savor traditional “Gallo Pinto” (a Costa Rican dish of black beans, rice, and salsa). Arrival in the late morning at Arenal Volcano offers incredible views, the possibility of hearing the underground rumbling of the volcano and perhaps even seeing rock or ash eruptions, and the opportunity to walk the National Park’s lava trails. Following lunch, the tour heads to Arenal Lake; you will see local iguanas, monkeys, birds, and other spectacular wildlife in their natural habitat. Relax in the thermal pools of the Arenal Hot Springs before we return you to your hotel at the end of the day.
Contact us today to learn more about our Arenal Volcano Tours in Costa Rica. We also offer comprehensive tour packages so you can experience a wide array of what Costa Rica has to offer. We look forward to hearing from you and helping make your Costa Rica experience a memorable one!