Top 10 Volcanoes in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is small but volcanically rich. The Cordillera de Guanacaste, Cordillera Central and Cordillera de Tilarán carry a chain of active and dormant volcanoes through the heart of the country, several within an hour or two of San José.
1. Arenal
The classic Costa Rican volcano — a perfect cone above La Fortuna that erupted continuously from 1968 to 2010 and is now quiet but warm. Hot springs at its base remain the country's most popular evening activity.
2. Poás
A drive-up active volcano less than an hour from San José, with a vast acidic crater lake. Access is closed during eruption phases; on calm days a short walk leads to the rim viewpoint.
3. Irazú
Costa Rica's highest volcano (3,432 m), with green and silver crater lakes and a road to the rim. A drive-up view on clear days reaches both the Atlantic and the Pacific.
4. Turrialba
The active volcano east of San José, with regular ash columns. Closed during eruption phases and reachable only by 4×4 in calm periods through its national park.
5. Rincón de la Vieja
The northern Guanacaste volcano, a long ridge of craters, fumaroles, mud pots and waterfalls. The national park has the country's best volcanic hiking.
6. Miravalles
A geothermal volcano west of Rincón with mud baths, hot springs and several geothermal power plants on its slopes — accessible from Bagaces.
7. Tenorio
Famous for the surreal turquoise Río Celeste, a river coloured by volcanic minerals on Tenorio's flank. The waterfall walk is one of the country's icons.
8. Barva
The dormant volcano above Heredia, climbed through Braulio Carrillo National Park for cloud-forest hikes to a peaceful crater lake.
9. Orosí
The northernmost of the Costa Rican volcanoes, near the Nicaraguan border in Guanacaste — a dormant pair (Orosí–Cacao) inside Guanacaste National Park.
10. Platanar / Porvenir cluster
Less-known volcanoes north of Poás, dormant but climbable as quiet alternatives to the more crowded peaks.
How to plan a Costa Rica volcano trip
A week is enough for the highlights: Arenal and its hot springs, a day at Poás, Río Celeste at Tenorio, and a long day in Rincón de la Vieja. San José makes a logical base for the central volcanoes.
Hazard and access
OVSICORI monitors the active volcanoes and issues bulletins. Poás and Turrialba are the most often closed; check before driving up. National parks publish opening times on their own pages, which can change with short notice.
See them on the map
Filter the map to Costa Rica and the cordillera chain appears as a north-west to south-east line through the country. Most volcanoes are within a half-day drive of each other — a rare convenience.