In a country that is liberally dotted with volcanoes, Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano is one of the most impressive. Arenal is a stratovolcano, meaning that it adheres to the typical symmetrical cone shape that one associates with a volcano, and at 5,437 feet it towers very impressively over the surrounding landscape.

After a long dormant period, Arenal erupted violently in 1968, covering a vast area of over 15km in lava, rocks, and ash.

For several years after this dramatic eruption, Arenal regularly lit up the sky with smaller eruptions and has become a popular tourist attraction.

The impressive volcano is surrounded by Arenal Volcano National Park, where you can go hiking in the rainforest, enjoy canopy tours and repelling adventures, or relax in a natural geothermal hot spring.

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