- TURY.CLUB
- Tourist Objects
- Costa Rica
- Cartago Province
- Irasu Volcano National Park
Irasu Volcano National Park is located in Costa Rica, in the province of Cartago. The park was created in 1955, covers an area of 2309 hectares. On its territory is the highest active stratovolcano of Costa Rica - the volcano Irasu, derived its name from the Indian word Iztarú, which means "powder keg". The height of the volcano is 3432 meters, it has four craters - two main and two side, lagoons and fumaroles. The history of the activity of the volcano dates back to 1723, in which the strongest eruption caused a number of earthquakes in the region. Eruptions of high power were recorded in 1962-1963 and 1965. The main (active) crater is 1050 meters in diameter and 300 meters deep. At the bottom of the crater formed a lake with highly mineralized water, which changes color from brown to bright green. The diameter of the second main crater Diego Fernandez de la Haya is 600 meters, its depth is 100 meters. The territory of the park is of great hydrological importance for Costa Rica; several rivers supplying the basins of the Chirripo, Reventazon, Sarapiki, Rio Grande and Tarkoles rivers take their sources here. The flora and fauna of Irasu Park is quite poor. Near the crater, due to the high acidity of the soil and the frequent loss of volcanic ash, there is only rare vegetation that has adapted to life under "extreme" conditions. The farther from the top of the volcano, the richer the plant world, there are secondary forests and sections of the primary forest. The fauna is represented by coyotes, armadillos, porcupines, weasels, red squirrels and rabbits. Among birds you can find woodpeckers, brown owls, hummingbirds, blackbirds and nuthatch. Several routes are organized for visitors to the park, one of which, to the top of the volcano, is especially popular with tourists. On clear days, the west side of the main crater offers stunning views of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and most of Costa Rica. With a telescope, you can even see Lake Nicaragua.
