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DCtoTB
There is no lagoon/lake at the bottom so you drive a long way and you look down and see dry ground. It is chilly at the top and the views below are very nice if you go on a clear day. And it is cool to say you were on the top of the highest volcano in Costa Rica but I would not do it again.We stopped in Cargago and Osoroni on the way back to the hotel and wasn't impressed by either. I would not recommend especially when you have to pay $16 per person.
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353davea
We were lucky that the day we visited the volcano park the clouds did not roll in until just before we were going to leave. Advice go early morning. The volcano basin was dry which is not typical. The views are absolutely stunning of the volcano, rim, and of Cartago ... and if you have never been above the clouds elevation other than in an airplane you will be amazed. Make sure you take the fork in the road to where the radio towers are for even greater views. There is wildlife around. One my visit we were greeted by several Ardvarks (ant eaters) in the parking lot then on our way back we had a raccoon come say hi, right up to me... very cute. This is a must see for anyone traveling to San Jose or Cartago.
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JamesH226
I can understand the mixed reviews as it looks to me to be completely weather related.If you have a great day like we had you have amazing views over the clouds and it is certainly not cold.The crater is huge and the views are fantastic.We thought that it was going to be cloudy but we drove through the cloud up to a perfectly clear day.If you get the weather its a great trip to make
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LorrainPoznan
To get to Irazu National Park you have to take a very long trip up the mountains so be sure you're car is up to that. Irazu is over 3400 m high, so if you're travelling on foot or by bike take the thin air into consideration.The entrance fee for a foreigner was 15$ or 8,000 colones in February 2015.What you get for that is the possibility to look down from the volcano top. On a cloudless day you're supposed to be able to see both the Atlantic and the Pacific there but unfortunately cloudless days are pretty rare. A guy working at the park told us he was able to see both of the oceans once in his life... But still the view on the sea of clouds seen from above is pretty spectacular.The lake in the crater visible on many photos is no more and only a crater is left. The area is a plat plane covered with volcanic sand and rocks. The park has 2 parking lots, toilets, a souvenir + snacks shops charging exuberant prices and some picknic tables. There is honestly not much to do there, so once you see the views and take a walk around the volcano you can head down the mountain.
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289donm
A trip to Costa Rica is incomplete without visiting a volcano. Irazu looms above the countryside as you drive from San Jose through Cartago and beyond. As you rise in elevation the last thing you think of is steaming tropical jungles. The air is "frescita" and one could almost imagine the views were from Switzerland, with small orderly farms everywhere the eye can see.At the summit, the black volcanic ash is everywhere as you approach the rim; and the vastness of the crater is impressive. Somewhere down below is a pool of green water, though not always visible depending on cloud conditions (at this elevation you are in the clouds).This volcano last erupted in the early '60's, so there is not much to fear. Definitely worth a 1/2 day paseo.
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gleason64
The views on the drive up were spectacular. The peak was above the clouds when we visited, so we couldn't see the land below the volcano. They say that on a clear day you can see both coasts of Costa Rica from up there, but we couldn't see much other than the crater, which was visible for a portion of the time we were there. It's windy and very cold up there. The trick is to get there early in the AM when it's most likely to be clear. It's not every day I get to visit the peak of a volcano.
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TimWandMelG
We decided to visit the Irazu Volcano on Friday Jan 2nd 2015 while driving from the La Paz Peace Garden to the Costa Rica Marriott for the final day of our trip to Costa Rica. As anyone who has driven in Costa Rica will know, you should always double the GPS-estimated time to travel around the country and as such we arrived at the main entry gate 30 mins before the site was due to close for the day. The folks in the ticket booth advised against continuing but this was our second attempt to see the Irazu crater and so we purchased a ticket and continued on to the summit. In our very limited time at the top we saw that the facilities close to the crater included restrooms, information booth, cafeteria and a well-stocked gift shop. There is a 100m long concrete pathway from the car park to the viewing platform that crosses the black volcanic sand that the locale has become over time. We battled through the weather to reach the object of our journey and unfortunately the visit to the volcano crater was very disappointing simply due to the weather. Even though we visited in the ‘dry season’ it was cloudy and rainy on the day of our trip and very cold and windy on top of the crater (tip - take warm clothing and waterproofs regardless of the time of year). When the weather is like this you have no option but to stand in the cold and rain and hope that the clouds part and give a view of the crater so understand that you might make a significant investment in terms of time and money to get there and see nothing. All we saw at the top was a wall of fog and while the immediate environs were interesting, overall it was not a positive experience.
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surfer02025
We visited Irazu by driving ourselves from the San Jose area. The drive is very well marked, making this an easy trip. It was a windy, windy day in San Jose and from the city we could see the slopes of Irazu shrouded in clouds. But the weather report said it was to be a sunny day so we headed off, filled with hopes for a clear day. As we ascended the mountain, we drove through mist and clouds, enjoying the views of the agricultural lands above Cartago and the variable landscape as the types of foliage changed with the altitude. Just after making the final turn into the park, we rose above the clouds to a find a green and grey moonscape with bright blue skies above us, and white clouds below us. It was quite surreal. Having gotten an early start, we were ahead of the tourist vans and had the park to ourselves and just a few other couples for the first hour. We walked all the trails and peered into the craters, photographing the interesting colors, lines, and shapes we saw. The clouds below never did clear, so we did not get to see the distant vistas we were hoping for if the day had cleared completely. The only regrettable part is the missing lake which is so often shown in photos of the area, but we were aware from other reviews that it has disappeared for now. We spent almost 2 hours in the area, and by the time we left tourist vans were discharging their passengers. Many seemed quite unprepared for the destination. This is not really the place for flip flops and shorts. It was quite chilly and we were glad we had our fleeces and our closed toed tevas. It is regrettable that the price of this destination was recently doubled along with many others. Maybe it was a bargain for too long? But, all in all, I would say the $16 was a fair price for the experience and we were happy to contribute to the maintenance of this marvelous environment.
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NJTravellingfool
As part of a recent tour we ascended to the Irazu Volcano Park. There is a little cafe in the parking lot and after a short walk you reach the rim where you can, weather permitting, see the active volcano continuously hissing steam. The path is very close to the center and is in a caldera itself made up of fine gritty sand and dirt. There is little vegetation on the floor but there is much greenery around the edges. We were lucky during our visit in that when we arrived at the viewing point, the sky was clear and there was a breeze blowing. In less than ten minutes we were enveloped in dense clouds that rolled in and stayed for the remainder of our visit. It is a wonder to see and I hope you have good weather for your visit.
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mat-bavaria
Entrance fee: 16 USD/p.p(Overprized)Only go if weather is good.Employees in ranger station are very friendly and helpful.
