Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the car park in the craters sector, a concrete path crosses the bare summit plateau, past the Diego de la Haya crater, to a railed viewpoint on the rim of the main crater. The crater is about 1,050 m across and 300 m deep, its grey walls streaked with yellow and red, and it often holds a small green or turquoise lake at the bottom. Return the same way.
It is 1.1 km there and back with 48 m of ascent; allow about half an hour, plus time at the rim. The grade is Easy: concrete paths, but at well over 3,000 m even a gentle slope can leave you short of breath.
The summit averages 5 to 9 °C and clouds over quickly, often by mid-morning, so come early with warm and waterproof layers. On clear days the view reaches the Caribbean coast. Raccoons and coatis beg at the picnic areas; feeding them is forbidden.
Tickets are sold only online through SINAC (US$16.95 for non-residents). The park opens 8am to 4pm, last entry to the craters 2pm, and parking costs ₡2,500 by card. A daily bus leaves San José at 8am and starts back at 12.30pm.
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
- At 3,432 m Irazú is Costa Rica's highest volcano, and on a clear morning both the Pacific and the Caribbean can be seen from it
- Its eruptions of 1963 to 1965 laid waste to the summit area and hit San José and Cartago hard with ash
- The name comes from Iztarú, an Indigenous village on its slopes; the word is said to mean mountain of tremor and thunder
- The Diego de la Haya crater is named after the governor of Cartago who described the eruption of 1723
Getting there
Start: Sector Cráteres car park. 9.97695, -83.84598
Directions to the start
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Central Valley: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
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.