Irazú is an active volcano in Costa Rica. It is one of the 29 national parks in the country. It is located on the Central Volcanic Mountain Range, 30 km northeast of Cartago city, only 40 minutes from the Capital San José.

Its maximum elevation is 11.260 feet (3432 m) above sea level, being the highest volcano in Costa Rica. The upper part of the volcano shows low vegetation and very wet cold weather. It has an average annual temperature of 41 fahrenheit (5 ° C) to 48.2 fahrenheit (9 ° C.).

The summit of this volcano along with Chirripó National Park (the highest elevation in Costa Rica, 3800 m.snm) covers a very small portion of the ecosystem known as Páramo.

Páramo is a grass or shrub dominated ecosystem that occupies the cool and wet upper slopes of a tropical mountains, at alpine elevations above the timber or tree line and bellow the snow limit (Cuatrecasas, 1968). This tour is an opportunity to know plants species that grow in the high lands of Costa Rica.

The main attraction in this volcano is the active crater which shows a turquoise color lagoon. This is a great opportunity to learn about the volcanic history and activity in Costa Rica. It takes approximately one hour to complete the visit around the crater area.

On the other hand, Lankaster Botanical Garden situated in the outskirts of the city will give you the opportunity to see an extraordinary collection of plants that includes not only orchids but also bromeliads, cactus and heliconias. Many of the plants in the nurseries come mainly from botanical expeditions that have been organized to different regions of the country. This is definitely a great opportunity to learn about orchids and its conservation.

Bring your camera to photograph this beautiful flowers!

*Crater visibility depends on weather conditions*