Costa Rica Guide
The Valle Central and the highlands
Parque Nacional Volcán Irazú
The blasted lunar landscape of PARQUE NACIONAL VOLCÁN IRAZÚ (daily 8am–4pm; $7; 
200-5025) reaches its highest point at 3432m and, on clear days, offers fantastic views all the way to the Caribbean coast. Famous for having had the gall to erupt on the day President John F. Kennedy visited Costa Rica on March 19, 1963, Irazú has been more or less calm ever since. But while its Diego de la Haya crater is far less active, in terms of bubblings and rumblings, than that of Volcán Poás, its deep depression and the strange algae-green lake that fills it create an undeniably dramatic sight.
Looming 32km north of Cartago, the volcano makes for a long and entirely uphill but scenic trip, especially in the early morning before the inevitable clouds roll in. Up at the top you'll see very little vegetation, and what does grow has an otherworldly quality, struggling to survive in this strange environment. There's not much to do around here after viewing the crater from the mirador – no official trails cut through the park, though you can clamber up the scraggly slopes of a few outcrops and scramble among the grey ash dunes. Whatever you do, watch your step, as volcanic ash crumbles easily, and you could end up falling into the ominous-looking lake.
A visit to Irazú is strictly for day-trippers, since there's nowhere to stay or camp in the park. Only one public bus runs to the park, leaving from opposite San José's Gran Hotel Costa Rica at 8am daily; get there early in high season to get a seat. The bus stops to pick up passengers at Cartago (from Las Ruinas) at 8.45am.
At the crater parking area, you'll find toilets, an information board and a reception centre with a snack bar that serves cakes and hot drinks. A small gift shop rents out waterproof ponchos ($2) – it can get cold at the summit, so bring a sweater. The bus returns to San José at about 12.15pm. You can also get to Irazú on any number of half-day tours, run by travel agencies in San José, that whisk you back and forth in a modern minibus for around $50, not including the entrance fee.