The 12,016-hectare Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal lies within the 204,000-hectare Arenal Conservation Area, protecting eight of Costa Rica's 12 life zones and 16 protected reserves in the region between the Guanacaste and Tilarán mountain ranges, and including Lake Arenal. The park has two volcanoes: Chato, whose collapsed crater contains an emerald lagoon surrounded by forest, and the perfectly conical Arenal.

Volcán Arenal (1,633 meters) is a picture-perfect cone. It's also Costa Rica's most active volcano and a must-see on any tourist's itinerary. Note, however, that it is most often covered in clouds and getting to see an eruption is a matter of luck (the dawn hours are best, before the clouds roll in; seasonally, you stand a reasonable chance in dry season, and less than favorable odds in rainy season). Arenal was sacred to pre-Columbian tribes (it is easy to imagine sacrifices tossed into the inferno), but it slumbered peacefully throughout the colonial era. On 29 July 1968, it was awakened from its long sleep by a fateful earthquake. The massive explosion that resulted wiped out the villages of Tabacón and Pueblo Nuevo, whose entire populations perished. The blast was felt as far away as Boulder, Colorado.

The area surrounding Arenal National Park is considered an important replenishment region because its waters, which drain into the Arenal Reservoir, are used for the protection of electricity and in fish farming projects in the Moracia Irrigation District. The flora is varied, with species such as the mountain guayabo, freijo, rosewood, chicle tree, balsa and others. The main species of fauna are the paca, baird's tapir, white-nosed coati, sloth, deer; birds such as parrots, parakeets, resplendent quetzals; and some snakes like the parrot snake, fer-de-lance and boa constrictor. These snakes can frequently be seen on the paved road which winds through the Arenal area, as the snakes tend to situate themselves on the pavement in the late afternoon; the hot remains heated long after the sun goes down.

This area that is crucial to the Costa Rican economy. Lake Arenal is a human enlarged lake that supplies up to 40% of the country's hydroelectric supply. Windmills catch the wind that whips along the top edge of the Tilarán mountains on the west side of the Lake Arenal. Volcanic activity also is tapped for its electrical power at the Miravalles Volcano Geothermic Plant.

The region is also a major supplier of beef and dairy products for domestic and export as well as being one of the major tourist attractions of Costa Rica.

<< Back to Activities