Submitted by Michelle Rind on the 2016 winter session program in Costa Rica sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
We visited the Irazú Volcano, located in the Cordillera Central Mountain Range, in the province of Cartago. In fact, we also visited the Turrialba Volcano first, which was a great surprise. The view was breathtaking. Irazú is 11,260 feet above sea level so the bus ride was long and completely uphill. I was so surprised to see so many bikers taking the same road as us all the way up! We absolutely lucked out because the weather was hot and the day was extremely clear. I came prepared with a rain jacket and several layers, but I was thrilled to find them all unnecessary. After a long and thin (due to the air) walk to the tallest point on Irazú, the view was breathtaking, both physically and aesthetically.
I absolutely loved the volcano. Thus far, this was my favorite place we have visited in Costa Rica. I have always been fascinated by volcanoes, so getting to stand in the actual craters, for example, was surreal. I was taken aback by how thin the air was up that high. The trek to the highest point of Irazú was certainly difficult, but extremely rewarding. This excursion speaks volumes to the immense biodiversity there is in Costa Rica. I am blown away that such a national park can exist in the same small country as the cities in the Central Valley, the rain forest, the beaches and I could go on!
