Volcanoes of Costa Rica
Costa Rica, which sits directly on top of the Pacific Rim of Fire, is home to 112+ volcanic structures, only five of which are active. However, one of the five, Arenal Volcano, is on the top ten list of most active volcanoes in the world: Arenal will gladly show off its red lava to you any day of the week when there's no cloud coverage.
The other active volcanoes are less reliable, and thankfully so, but a lot of fun to visit: Poas (the easiest to get to), Rincon de la Vieja, Irazu (the tallest volcano in Costa Rica), and Turrialba (which most recently has been very active and its national park is currently closed).
There are several other named inactive volcanoes, most of which offer hiking and / or horseback riding trails.
Volcanoes by Mountain Range
There are four mountain ranges in Costa Rica, three of which are volcanic in origin. The fourth, the Talamanca Mountain Range, houses the highest peak in Costa Rica, but no volcanoes.
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Guanacaste Volcanic Range: Cacao, Miravalles, Orosi, Rincon de la Vieja & Tenorio
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Central Volcanic Range: Barva, Cacho Negro, Congo, Irazu, La Platanar, Poas, Porvenir, Turrialba & El Viejo
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Tilaran Volcanic Range: Arenal & Chato
Volcanoes aren't only novelty pieces that are pretty to look at, they are huge contributors to Costa Rica's highly diverse landscapes and ecosystems. Due to countless eruptions over the past 65 million years, the soil around the volcanoes is rich in minerals, making it a very fertile environment where many different plants, birds and animals thrive.
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