Cartago Highlights Costa Rica, Irazu Volcano & Hot Springs

Cartago Highlights Costa Rica, Irazu Volcano & Hot Springs.
Private Tour from San Jose

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Our Cartago Highlights & Irazu Volcano from San Jose start with the pick up at your hotel. After it, one-hour transfer will take you to the summit of this beautiful volcano. Irazú Volcano National Park is a National Park in the Central Volcanic Conservation Area of Costa Rica. The volcano is still active although the last major eruptions were between 1963 and 1965, with occasional minor eruptions and some small lava flows since that time.

The Crater Principal lake has an unusual greenish yellow coloring caused by rainfall dissolving the minerals along the craters walls. It has also been known to change colour to rust-red depending on the minerals present. The name could come from either the combination of ara (point) and tzu (thunder) or a corruption of Iztarú, which was the name of an indigenous village on the flanks of the volcano. In Costa Rica, it is known by the name of El Coloso (The Colossus) due to the catastrophes that it has provoked in the past.

The volcano´s summit has several craters, one of which contains Diego de la Haya, a green crater lake of variable depth. At 11,260 feet (3,432 m), the Irazú Volcano is the highest active volcano in Costa Rica. It is easily visited from San José, with a road leading right up to the summit craters. From the top, it is possible to see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on a clear day. However, such clear days are rare, and the volcano´s summit is usually cloud-covered.

The national park contains both primary and secondary forests and is home to armadillos, owls, rabbits, foxes, woodpeckers, and hummingbirds. Temperatures at its summit vary between 3 and 17 °C (37 and 63 °F) Irazu volcano is a stratovolcano with a summit elevation of 3,432 metres (11,260 ft). Its five craters are easily differentiated. The most important ones, because of their activity, are The Main Crater and the Diego de la Haya crater. The Main Crater is almost circular, has very inclined walls and it measures 1,050 metres (3,440 ft) in diameter and 300 metres (980 ft) deep.

After the visit to the volcano, you will enjoy other Cartago Highlights, such the beauty of the Orosi Valley and Town. Orosi Church is an Iconic place. This small town puts travelers in an ideal spot to view some of the country´s most historic landmarks, including the Iglesia de San Jose de Orosi, which was built in 1743 and is the oldest church in the country still in use today. The church´s whitewashed walls and classic Spanish-colonial architecture are a testament to the long hours and artistic dedication that went into this church´s design. Nearby this town, our volcano tour from San Jose will visit  Hotel Rio Perlas, a beautiful Hotel and Hot Springs complex where you will be able to have a great lunch and enjoy the thermal pool, gardens and rain forest.

By 3:00 PM, departure to San Jose, arriving to your hotel by 5:00 PM.

PRICE PER PERSON: $295 adults / $236 Children (If you have a group contact us for a special rate)

Greenway Nature Tours is a Certified Travel Agency and Tour Operator by the Costa Rican Tourist Board with special certification in Sustainable Travel (CST). We offer 40 unique private tours from San Jose Costa Rica.

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