Arenal National
Park:
Travel
to Costa Rica
Undisputedly one of Costa
Rica's foremost tourist attractions, the highly eruptive
Arenal Volcano is the centerpiece of this new national
park declared in October of 1994. In addition to including
in the national park system what is currently one
of the world's most active volcanoes, the area now
under park service protection encompasses the watersheds
of several rivers and streams that flow into Lake
Arenal, the country's most important source of
hydroelectric power.
The imposing Arenal Volcano
rises in nearly perfect conical form out of the western
end of the San Carlos plains. Its periodic eruptions
of ash and molten rock, accompanied by thundering
sonic blasts, are an unforgettable experience anytime,
but become extremely spectacular after dark. When
the light of day has dimmed, the glowing red igneous
rocks ejected with each eruption trace fiery arches
in the night sky before crashing down on the steep
slopes and finally extinguishing themselves.
Columns of lava also
push their way down the sides of the volcano and pieces
of the advancing sections continually break off under
the weight of new flows bearing down from above. At
night, these falling pieces are visible as chunks
of rolling red rocks, adding to the natural fireworks
display between the frequent eruptions.
From the 600-meter elevation
where visitors are allowed to approach atop a lava
flow from the 1968 eruption, Arenal rises another
1000 meters to its 1,633-meter summit, and although
the peak is still 3 kilometers away, it is definitely
"in your face!"
There is little vegetation
or wildlife to be seen in the immediate area of the
main viewing site since the effects of the major devastating
eruption of 1968 are only slowly being overcome. Nevertheless,
this area offers a unique opportunity to witness the
early stages of lava flow colonization by a handful
of plant species adapted to the task. Farther away
there are other areas which escaped direct damage
and provide better wildlife viewing in the forested
sections, however, as yet the park service does not
maintain any well-marked trails in these areas, which
include the dormant Volcano Chato to the southeast
of Arenal.
Getting there: A
bit of a long way from anywhere, Arenal National Park
is most quickly reached from San José by taking
the PanAmerican Highway west to the town of San Ramón
and the road north through Angeles, La Tigra, and
Chachagua to La Fortuna. Driving west out of La Fortuna,
the road takes you 180 degrees around the volcano
to the park ranger station.
There is public bus service
from both San José and Ciudad Quesada to La
Fortuna.
An alternative, and equally
scenic, route for those coming from Guanacaste is
to take the PanAmerican Highway to the town of Cañas
and then drive up into the hills to the town of Tilarán
and follow Lake Arenal around its northern
shore to the base of the volcano.
Climate: Being
under the influence of Caribbean slope weather patterns,
Arenal Volcano receives anywhere from 3.5 to 5 meters
of rain per year. Even when it isn't raining, clouds
often gather around the volcano's peak, obliterating
a full view of the mountain. At lower elevations within
the park (e.g., the viewing area at the volcano's
western base), the temperatures are warm during the
day, but can get chilly at night, especially if there
is a breeze.
History: The settlers
that colonized this region in the early part of the
20th century referred to Arenal Volcano as "the mountain"
and apparently, despite its conical shape, did not
realize it for what it is. Thus, when the quiescent
volcano exploded on July 29, 1968, producing a cloud
of hot volcanic gases and covering several square
kilometers with lava, some 87 people living in the
areas of Tabacón and Pueblo Nuevo lost their
lives.
Since this tragic eruption
(the first following at least 300 years of inactivity,
according to some geologists), Arenal has remained
active, but fortunately at a level posing little threat
to visitors.
