Life Between Volcanoes
Arenal Volcano and Lake, La Fortuna
The beating pulse of volcanic eruptions shaped Costa Rica. They have molded its contours, fed its soils, and given its people quite the stories to tell. They are the dormant sentinels reminding us, every so often, that this country was born from the fires deep in the Earth.
Take Turrialba, for instance - the one that used to be calm. Perched above rolling hills making their way down to the Turrialba Valley, it’s a volcano that has been the home of everything that made up Costa Rica: indigenous roads, colonial settlements, and the patient rhythm of rural life. When it last erupted, a huge column of smoke reminded us that it’s still in charge of these lands. Turrialba stands for endurance, and if you get the chance to climb its slopes on a clear morning, you’ll get a glimpse of the glittering Caribbean Sea in the distance—a reminder of how these landscapes are intrinsically connected.
On the other side, there’s Arenal, the influencer of the lot. Perfectly conical, dramatic, ominous, and, up to 2010, one for drama: displaying nightly fireworks visible from the surrounding towns. Today it’s quiet, but powerful. Visit La Fortuna and you’ll encounter steaming vents and hot springs all fed from this quiet showstopper.
Poás Volcano Crater
Poás is a different creature altogether -part scientist, part artist. Its turquoise crater lake looks like it belongs on another planet, a strange beauty formed from boiling acid and gases that hiss from deep within the land. Hope for a clear day, and wake up early, before the fog rolls inland, you’ll understand why ancient cultures viewed volcanoes as sacred and unpredictable - you can’t control them, only admire them.
Now, if you want to stand in the heart of Costa Rica, don’t miss Irazú. Just a short drive from San José. Irazú is the highest volcano in Costa Rica, which means that early morning on really clear days, you can see both the Pacific and Caribbean from its summit. It’s as if the country’s entire geological story is laid before you: between the fir and the ocean, everything living in between.
These volcanoes aren’t just dormant geological formations. They’re living systems, rain factories, affecting the movement of clouds, encouraging rainfall that nurtures the tropical rainforests below and the fertile valleys that sustain Costa Rican life. The same minerals that once exploded into the air nourish the coffee, pineapples, ferns, and everything that Costa Rica is known for. When active, the volcanoes can destroy, but they also give back - endlessly, quietly, over millennia.
Next time you find yourself gazing up at one of these giants, remember that you’re looking at the heart of the country - a heart that is still beating beneath the surface. Whether soaking in thermal springs beneath Arenal, exploring the ash paths of Turrialba, or hiking up Rincón de la Vieja, remember that Costa Rica’s volcanoes aren’t just destinations. They’re reminders that nature isn’t just a backdrop: they’re the very things that are giving life to the adventure you enjoy when visiting Costa Rica.