Main crater
A vast pit.
Bernard Gagnon — CC0 · Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC0
Costa Rica's highest active volcano, rising about 3,432 metres above the city of Cartago, nicknamed «the Colossus» for the disasters it has caused, most famously the 1963-1965 eruption that covered San José in ash for months. The summit has several craters, the largest being the main crater, a vast pit with grey and brown walls dropping hundreds of metres, sometimes holding a small lake that changes colour. Beside it lies the older Diego de la Haya crater, and plains of grey ash with sparse mountain plants make the place look lunar. Visitors walk short paths between lookouts, and it is said that on rare clear days both the Pacific and the Caribbean can be seen from the top. The road climbs through vegetable and dairy farms on the slopes. The summit is very cold and the air thin, so bring warm clothes and walk slowly. Volcano parks sometimes close when activity rises, so check their status before going, and go early before the clouds gather.
A vast pit.
Lunar views.
On clear days.
Irazú Volcano National Park, north of Cartago, about an hour and a half from San José
So it is said on rare clear days, but clouds often cover the summit, so go early in the morning.