Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal

Introduction

Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal lies in Costa Rica's northern Alajuela province, built around the 1,670-metre andesitic cone of Volcán Arenal, and is among Central America's most visited protected areas. The volcano erupted violently in July 1968, devastating its western slope and killing dozens, then entered a 42-year active period that continually reshaped the cone with lava flows and ash. The park's landscape of black lava fields set against vivid rainforest is that history made visible. One important clarification: since the eruption ended in December 2010, Arenal has been dormant— today you may see the occasional wisp of steam or hear a faint rumble, but there is no lava flow and no night-time crater glow. If a fiery eruption is the core of your trip, this volcano can no longer deliver; what it does offer is lava geology, rainforest ecology and the record of a monitored live volcano. The park splits into the Volcano Sector and the Peninsula Sector, with trails of 2–6 km taking 1–3 hours. Howler monkeys, white-faced capuchins, coatis, sloths and more than 400 bird species live in the forest; the Ceiba trail runs through the canopy, while the lava trail reaches the 1968 flow front. Nearby Tabacón hot springs, the Mistico hanging bridges, cloud forest and La Fortuna waterfall make it easy to fill a whole day. There is also a conservation logic worth noting: the park prices admission by nationality so that Costa Ricans, whose incomes are far below visitor incomes, can still afford to enter their national parks, with ticket revenue funding upkeep and protection—an idea that sits at the heart of Costa Rica's nature-tourism model.

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