Irazú Volcano, Costa Rica
It was my first up close and personal with a volcano!
One beautiful January day my Costa Rican friends took me on a trip to see this beauty. It's about an hour drive from San José and luckily there is no extensive hiking involved. Although if you wanted to there are some trails you can try out.
It is the highest still active volcano in Costa Rica (3432m above sea level!) and the water inside the crater is being watched closely as it apparently changes colour before eruptions. The last time it rumbled was 1994. In the early 60ties for about four years it was covering Cartago and San José with ash, that's how massive the eruptions were.
Best time to visit is between December and April as those are the driest months and very often you get the view of the clouds below, although fair warning, weather changes quickly and it can get cold.
It gave me serious goosebumps to look inside this magnificent force of nature. I cannot describe the feeling!
For more info on Irazú and Costa Rica you can click here. Or to read more about my adventures there, click here.