Volcanoes in Costa Rica are part of our daily life. We are used to their noises, their occasional explosions, their tremors and their sulfured perfume. However, they are not that bad. And actually in many senses are pretty good! Find here why!

Arenal Volcano – Volcanoes in Costa Rica (Photo by Carlos S. Sáenz)

These past few months we have been reporting the eruptions of the Turrialba Volcano, the magnificent giant that lives on the Eastern side of our capital city, and that has been causing occasional ash falls on our houses, cars, gardens, heads, and airports. And when there is too much ash… Well! It’s been causing the closure of the international airport of San José.

A volcano always sounds like a massive threat… It makes you think about Pompey, Saint Helen’s and the unforgettable Krakatoa. But actually, the truth is that in some regions of the World, – and Costa Rica is one of them- we are pretty used to these unusual forces of nature. But not only used to but thankful!

You see, we were formed by volcanoes and all of us we grew up with an eruption somewhere and earthquakes…. Volcanoes’ little siblings.

We are used to the shakes and the news telling us that there was a larger explosion in one of our six active volcanoes.

But, yes! We do have more than six volcanoes! That’s the thing! We have more than a hundred volcanoes!

We have a total of 112 volcanoes… and this is just inland.

If we count the ones under our oceans, the amount grows to an approx of 500 volcanoes in total… In a country a bit bigger than Denmark, or West Virginia.

But it is not only that we are used to them. It’s more than that. Volcanoes, after all, have become a blessing to our soils and a great source of income for those in the travel industry. So, as you will read in the following lines, having as many volcanoes, it’s not so bad after all!

Let’s cover a bit of all our active volcanoes… just to say:

“Thank You Life, for giving us these wonders!”

Poas Volcano main crater

Poas Volcano is the most visited National Park in the country.

Only one and a half hours away from the capital city, it shows a gorgeous cloud forest and in the surrounding area, you can find coffee tours, forest trails, waterfalls theme parks, rainforest zip lining tours, and an abundance of restaurants and picnic areas.

Irazu Volcano (Turrialba Volcano on the back)

The Irazu, our closest Eastern friend (Brother of Turrialba) has breathtaking landscapes in its surroundings.

Having some of the most fertile soils of the country and producing onions, potatoes, garlic, carrots and several other vegetables. Also with an abundance of restaurants and touristic attractions in its skirts.

• You may also be interested in Irazu Volcano! A great way to spend half a day in the Central Valley!

Arenal: The mighty one! This volcano that was fully active from 1968 to 2010 created one of the busiest tours areas of Costa Rica. There are hotels for all tastes and budgets, from gorgeous high-end options to nice and clean budget choices. A half dozen hot springs areas, several canopy tours, rafting options, waterfall rappelling, horseback rides, a rescue center and some agricultural tours and cultural tours, not to talk about several options for travelers with purpose who want to spend their vacation doing voluntary work.

• Read also: 7 things to know about the Arenal Volcano

Rincon de la vieja

Rincon de la Vieja: Close to the Liberia Airport and about five hours from San José, has hotels that are authentic adventure centers, forest trails, hot springs, mud baths and some of the most astonishing paths in the National Park. It also provides the country with clean geothermal electricity.

Miravalles Volcano: This volcano has several hot springs and mud baths complex with gorgeous hotels to stay around.

Turrialba Volcano

And of course, we cannot skip the Turrialba Volcano, our most active volcano and or nowadays trouble maker.

The area of Turrialba is a beautiful hidden valley with a nice warm temperature and several adventures, from rafting to canyoneering, from ziplining to mountain biking. It has Guayabo National Park with the only pre-Columbian city reminiscence of the country.

The volcano is a fantastic thing to witness if you are lucky enough to be around in one of its eruptions…. And as an interesting detail in the Turrialba Valley, no ashes have fallen. As it is the wind towards the West that spreads them in the Central Valley.

So actually, as you can see having volcanoes is not so bad at all. It is pretty good…. It creates jobs and makes us smaller in awe when we see them, with their revolving ashes, reminding us that Earth is, in fact, alive.