Arenal Volcano National Park
Encyclopedia
Arenal Volcano National Park is a Costa Rican national park
in the central part of the country, forming the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area
. The park encompasses the Arenal Volcano
, the most active in the country, which had previously been believed to be dormant until a major eruption in 1968. It neighbours Lake Arenal
, which is the site of the country's largest hydroelectricity
project, the Lake Arenal Dam.
The park also contains a second volcano, Chato, whose crater contains a lagoon. It is also called Cerro Chato (literally Mount Chato) as it has been inactive for around 3500 years–coinciding with the creation and growth of Arenal itself. The site has accommodation in the form of the Arenal Observatory Lodge and also the Museum of Vulcanicity, as well as a ranger station.
The park lies within the 2040 square kilometre Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area
, protecting eight of Costa Rica's 12 life zones and 16 protected reserves in the region between the Guanacaste and Tilarán mountain ranges, and including Lake Arenal. The park is most directly accessed from La Fortuna, but is also easily accessed via Tilarán and the north shore of Lake Arenal.
National Parks of Costa Rica
There are currently 26 National Parks of Costa Rica, which are managed under the umbrella of SINAC , a department of Costa Rica's Ministry of Environment and Energy ....
in the central part of the country, forming the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area
Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area
Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the central part of Costa Rica, near the Arenal Volcano and covering the Cordillera de Tilarán...
. The park encompasses the Arenal Volcano
Arenal Volcano
Arenal Volcano, in Spanish , is an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica around 90 km northwest of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna....
, the most active in the country, which had previously been believed to be dormant until a major eruption in 1968. It neighbours Lake Arenal
Lake Arenal
Lake Arenal is an artificial lake in Costa Rica, located in the northern highlands of the country. It was enlarged to its present size as a part of a 1979 hydroelectric project by the Costa Rican government to provide electricity to the country.- Geography :...
, which is the site of the country's largest hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
project, the Lake Arenal Dam.
The park also contains a second volcano, Chato, whose crater contains a lagoon. It is also called Cerro Chato (literally Mount Chato) as it has been inactive for around 3500 years–coinciding with the creation and growth of Arenal itself. The site has accommodation in the form of the Arenal Observatory Lodge and also the Museum of Vulcanicity, as well as a ranger station.
The park lies within the 2040 square kilometre Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area
Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area
Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the central part of Costa Rica, near the Arenal Volcano and covering the Cordillera de Tilarán...
, protecting eight of Costa Rica's 12 life zones and 16 protected reserves in the region between the Guanacaste and Tilarán mountain ranges, and including Lake Arenal. The park is most directly accessed from La Fortuna, but is also easily accessed via Tilarán and the north shore of Lake Arenal.
See also
- Tourism in Costa RicaTourism in Costa RicaTourism in Costa Rica is one of the fastest growing economic sectors of the country and by 1995 became the largest foreign exchange earner. Since 1999, tourism earns more foreign exchange than bananas, pineapples and coffee exports combined...
- List of volcanoes in Costa Rica
- National Parks of Costa RicaNational Parks of Costa RicaThere are currently 26 National Parks of Costa Rica, which are managed under the umbrella of SINAC , a department of Costa Rica's Ministry of Environment and Energy ....
- La Fortuna, Costa Rica
External links