Chato Volcano, sometimes called "Cerro Chato" (Spanish for "Mount Chato"), is an inactive volcano in north-western Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

 north-west of San José

San José, Costa Rica

San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...

, in the province of Alajuela

Alajuela Province

Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north, and clockwise the provinces Heredia, San José, Puntarenas and Guanacaste...

, canton of San Carlos

San Carlos Canton

San Carlos is the name of the 10th canton in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of , making it the largest canton in the country. It has a population of 137,499 , ranking it fifth...

, and district of La Fortuna. It is southeast of the nearby 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....

It is believed Chato first erupted 38,000 years ago during the Pleistocene

Pleistocene

The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....

 period and last erupted about 3,500 years ago. One of the lava flows is now the route for La Fortuna Waterfall

La Fortuna Waterfall, Costa Rica

La Fortuna Waterfall is located in central Costa Rica, in the Alajuela Province. In Spanish, it is known as Catarata Fortuna. The waterfall drops about 70-75 meters and is located at the base of the dormant Chato volcano, about 5.5 km outside of the town of La Fortuna, near the Arenal Volcano...

. The hill has two peaks, named Chatito and Espina. A crater about 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) wide is filled with a lagoon, Laguna Cerro Chato.