Arenal · Easy · Circular

Senderos Las Coladas y El Ceibo, Volcán Arenal

A loop in Arenal Volcano National Park over a 1992 lava flow to viewpoints of the volcano, then round the forest past a giant ceiba tree.

Distance
6.6 km (4.1 mi)
Ascent
102 m
Time
About 2 h
High point
646 m
Grade
Easy

Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.

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Senderos Las Coladas y El Ceibo, Volcán Arenal
Yricordel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The walk

From SINAC's ticket booth at the Sector Volcán Arenal entrance, a broad path leads through young forest to the start of Sendero Las Coladas. The trail rises gently over the lava of 1992, now a jumble of dark blocks grown over with ferns and shrubs, to two viewpoints at its end: Mirador Volcán, up a short flight of metal steps, faces the cone, and Mirador Colada looks back over the lava towards Lake Arenal. Just before the end, Sendero El Ceibo branches off and loops through taller forest past a ceiba (kapok) tree thought to be over 400 years old, then rejoins Las Coladas for the walk back.

It is 6.6 km round with 102 m of ascent; allow about 2 hours. The grade is Easy: earth paths, rough and uneven on the lava and muddy after rain.

The cone is often in cloud, and mornings are usually clearest. Going beyond the viewpoints towards the volcano is forbidden. There is little shade on the lava, so carry water and sun protection.

The park is open daily from 8am to 4pm and non-residents pay US$16.95. The entrance is about 16 km by road from La Fortuna; the morning bus from La Fortuna stops 2 km short of it. Leave nothing of value in the car.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.

Good to know

  • Arenal erupted without warning in July 1968 after centuries of quiet, burying the villages of Tabacón and Pueblo Nuevo; it then stayed active for over forty years
  • The Las Coladas trail crosses a lava flow from 1992, now patched with ferns, shrubs and young trees
  • On the El Ceibo loop stands a ceiba (kapok) tree that SINAC reckons to be more than 400 years old
  • Lava flows have largely stopped since 2010 and the volcano is considered at rest; climbing the cone is forbidden

Getting there

Start: Sector Volcán Arenal entrance car park. 10.46160, -84.73933

Directions to the start

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Places to stay nearby

Rooms in and around Arenal: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →

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Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.