Volcanoes

This past Saturday we made our way up to Costa Rica's tallest volcano, Irazú. We were able to drive all the way to the top, which was better than hiking any of the 3000+ meters upward. In addition, the views of the cloud covered city of Cartago while we were driving were as beautiful as those from the summit itself.

At the top we were able to peer down into two of the recognized craters, Cráter Principal and Diego de la Haya, and roam around the third crater, Playa Hermosa. I got a pretty mean sunburn wandering around Cráter Playa Hermosa, probably because it was shadeless field of black rocks and sand, but the pain has mostly dissipated now and the experience was entirely worth it.

Upon exiting the park we drove down a dirt road along the side of the volcano to catch a better glimpse of another volcano, Turrialba, which as of late has been fairly active. It began spewing ash and acidic gasses about two weeks ago and the area been entirely closed off to tourists. Nevertheless, blessed with a clear day we were able to view the column of smoke and steam rising from its summit safely from the distant peak of Irazú.