The Volcan Arenal (Arenal Volcano) is estimated to be around 4,000 years old and sits between the town of La Fortuna and Nuevo Arenal (New Arenal) with the man made Lake Arenal at its feet. The volcano is a andesitic (Igneous) startovolcano (Tall Conical Volcano) and its exact co-ordinates are (10.5N, 84.7W).

The volcano is the most active and youngest volcano in Costa Rica and is said to be the 3rd most active in the world and has been recorded active since the 19th century. You can easily see lava flowing and glowing on the Volcanoes western face. There are numerous hotels that make their income from the hotspirngs heated by the volcano and also the impressive views and lava flows.

The volcano was thought to be extinct until July 1968 it erupted due to an earthquake and 3 cones were produced at the top of the volcano. On average the volcano erupts every 48 minutes and if you are quiet you can hear the rumbling of the volcano.

The volcano is 1657m high and sits at the foot of Lake Arenal and is part of the Arenal National Park that surrounds the Arenal area. The Lake itself has not always been there as the dam was erected in 1979 by the Costa Rican Electricity Company ICE and it now produces 70% of Costa Rica’s electricity. Before there was a small lake there and the town of Viejo Arenal, which now sits under lake Arenal. Locals state that when the water gets very low you still see the spire of the old chruch.

The Arenal Volcano is Costa Rica is one of the major tourist attractions with millions of people seeing it each year.