Senderos en el Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, Sector Volcán Barva. Mónica Quesada Cordero / El Colectivo 506
Who doesn’t fancy taking a nap when it’s cloudy and cold, with drizzle and downpours taking turns across the sky?
That must be what happens to Barva Volcano, which dominantes one of the two sectors that can be visited within Braulio Carrillo National Park. The volcano attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Braulio Carrillo National Park is located between Poás Volcano and Irazú Volcano, both national parks, and extends from the canton of Moravia in the province of San José, to the canton of Sarapiquí in the province of Heredia, spanning the entire elevation of the Central Volcanic Coordination of that area. Although it is considered a dormant volcano, it still has fumarolic activity at some points.
The visitors who walk the trails of the Barva Volcano Sector are of all ages, and come with many different degrees of fitness and preparation. Visiting the park on a weekend or a holiday during the dry season—during the May-November rainy season, the roads to get there become very hard to navigate—makes for a day filled not only with natural wonders, but also a cultural experience.
Trails inside the Braulio Carrillo National Park, Barva Volcano Sector. Thomas Enderlin / El Colectivo 506
Many people visit this park, especially in the dry season. Of those visitors, many are not prepared for the ever-present rain and mud. Thomas Enderlin / El Colectivo 506
Some visitors even come prepared with coolers. Thomas Enderlin / El Colectivo 506
Barva Volcano Lagoon. Thomas Enderlin / El Colectivo 506
Trails inside the Braulio Carrillo National Park, Barva Volcano Sector. Thomas Enderlin / El Colectivo 506
Laguna Copey, the end of the trail within the Barva Volcano Sector of the Braulio Carrillo National Park. Thomas Enderlin / El Colectivo 506
Trails inside the Braulio Carrillo National Park, Barva Volcano Sector. Thomas Enderlin / El Colectivo 506
Thomas Enderlin / El Colectivo 506
As you advance along the Barva Volcano trails, you reach the continental divide, which is the area on a mountain where the waters separate to run towards different coasts. Thomas Enderlin / El Colectivo 506
Views before entering the Braulio Carrillo National Park, Barva Volcano Sector. Monica Quesada Cordero / El Colectivo 506
Trails inside the Braulio Carrillo National Park, Barva Volcano Sector. Mónica Quesada Cordero / El Colectivo 506
