Although Turrialba Volcano is one of the least visited national parks in Costa Rica, there are many good reasons to include this park in your trip. The Center for Tropical Agricultural Research and Education (CATIE) is one of the leading tropical research centers in the world and it is located just outside Turrialba. Admission is free and is open weekdays from 7 - 3. 

To reach the summit of Turrialba Volcano, you will ascend 7 miles of trails on foot (or horseback). You will be rewarded with spectacular views, and on a clear day see all the way to the Caribbean coast. There are 3 craters in the upper section of the summit with fumaroles activity, and continuous steam and vapors indicating that Turrialbo Volcano is still active even though the last eruptions were from 1864-1868. It gets quite chilly at the top, so pack a jacket. The trails will pass thru primary and secondary forest.

Established in 1955, the Turrialbo Volcano National Park has an elevation of 10,919’ and 3900 acres. The average rainfall is between  120-150” annually. 

Turrialbo Volcano National Park is located in the Central Highlands region of southeastern Costa Rica about 40 miles east of San Jose.  The GPS coordinates are 10.03 degrees N, 83.77 degrees W.

You will need a 4 WD to get to the trailhead in the village of La Central de Turrialba, and that is even in the dry season!