Overlooking the town of Turrialba is the Turrialba Volcano. From the center of Turrialba, you will need to drive 15 miles and these are Costa Rican miles so expect winding, mountainous roads, with dogs, potholes, and a few one-way bridges to keep the adventure exciting.
Turrialba Volcano comes from the same lava chamber as the Irazu Volcano. So if you are old enough to remember a flex capacitor from Back to the Future that is sort of like what we are dealing with. Turrialba proper has three craters of dry lava but still has gases that make it look like it’s doing minor eruptions almost constantly but these are mostly gases and mist from the crater’s heat.
At its top elevation, Turrialba Volcano is almost 11,000 feet / 3352 meters. Just short at 10,958ft which case you think the municipality office would load some dirt to hit the 11,000 feet mark but this has yet to happen.
Its average temperature during the day is around 55 degrees Fahrenheit and the volcano can get as much as 13 feet of rain a year.
That is the general intro to the stratovolcano of Turrialba which is the second tallest volcano in Costa Rica only second to Irazu. Now let’s take a look at those looking for an adventure need to do to experience one of the most magnificent accents in all of Central America.
The Hike up the Volcano
The hike starts at a private entrance to a farm and you must sign up ahead of time with a guide. This is no hike in the park and compared to volcanos like Irazu and Poas, this is a legit trek to the top of the Turrialba Volcano where you can look down into the crater.
You will first need to drive the 15 miles from Turrialba which will take about 50 minutes due to the windy nature of the road.
The hike is straight up and will take you through cow pastures and loose volcano gravel as you enter the national park. Walking sticks are highly recommended.
Best time to go
The best time to hike the Turrialba volcano is in the morning. One of the tours leaves the hiking area at 6AM, which means a Turrialba departure of 4:45AM. There are other times and depending on the season they vary from every hour to every couple hours depending on demand.
The best time of year to visit the Turrialba Volcano if you are willing to leave for an early departure can range from February to July and realize that this is a hit-or-miss event. You will be governed by the weather and even during some of these months which technically fall into the green season like May through July you will notice that the majority of the time the rain comes in the afternoon.
What to bring
When packing for any trek you want to know the difficulty and here you will want to prepare for an extreme hike. This means preferably a camel pack if you have one so you will have two free hands for poles. If you decide to hike without poles you will want a backpack that has a water bottle. Along with your water bottle you will want sunscreen as you will be at high elevations and you can burn easily. Rain gear and a light jacket as the temperatures on a cloudy day can drop down into the 40’s.
A good set of hiking boots and shoes and any other personal items such as medications, inhalers, braces, or things of such.
Reservations
Along with an entry ticket, you’re required to have a guide. To schedule a guide you will need to visit this website or send an email to info@icetur.com
Tickets can be paid by credit card and range around $2’s for locals and $15’s for foreigners. If you happen to be over the age of 65 and in shape (my mother in law crushed it at 68) then you don’t have to pay.