Costa Rica has a sleeping giant which is still alive! The Arenal Volcano is inactive at the moment but scientists tell us it is still considered one of the six live volcanoes of Costa Rica. Arenal is a symmetrical shaped mountain (5,437 feet high) found in the northern lowlands and is a simply unavoidable attraction for tourists and locals alike.
Arenal is a strato volcano, a tall one built on layers of rock, ash, and lava. Because of the Oceanic and Continental plates, magma rises from beneath the Earth’s surface into the volcanic chamber and after time erupts from the top.
In 2010 Arenal’s most recent eruption cycle ended after being the nation’s most active volcano since 1968! The volcano is believed to have been formed 7,000 years ago. More recently, in ’68 a major explosion covered three villages over 5 miles, leaving 87 dead. From then until July ’10 the eruptions were constant but not severe. Smoke and lava were observed daily.
For the next months or years visitors will miss out on the explosions of smoke, lava, and ash. The area is still worth seeing because it’s beautiful and offers hiking, fishing, scenic outlooks, rafting, horseback riding, waterfalls, hot springs, and a national park.
If you are in the area and looking for a paradise for your accommodations think Tabacon Spa. Tabacon Grand Spa offers the unique combination of the energy of the active Arenal Volcano, the heat of the Tabacon Hot Springs and the purity and mystic of the surrounding rainforest blend into what many have described as “paradise” or “the eight-wonder of the world”.
By Kerry La
