The Arenal Volcano

Costa Rica's Arenal Volcano is the most active in Central America. Tourists flock to La Fortuna, the Nothern Zone's tourism mecca, to see the volcano's night-time lava shows. The volcano has been erupting on an everyday basis ever since it "blew its top" during the infamous 1968 eruption that killed many people and ended up shaping the tourism industry in Northern Costa Rica.

After the dust settled, the locals started to put things back together, taking advantage of the new rumbling giant that has gradually become a huge tourist attraction. The night-time lava shows are often impressive, and the waterfalls and hot springs around the volcano offer a number of different activities for the tourist. In light of these opportunities, La Fortuna has become a major tourism center for Arenal visitors.

• Check out La Fortuna
• Learn about Arenal's 1968 eruption
• See the Arenal Volcano Picture Gallery

When is the best time to view the Arenal Volcano?

In this video some La Fortuna residents talk about the best times to view the Arenal Volcano. They start out by saying something entirely true, that the guidebooks like Lonely Planet and Fodor's don't always have the best regional information in the country. Consequently, travel writers use a cookie-cutter approach to telling people when dry and rainy seasons are. La Fortuna's climate, for example, is quite different from that of the beach areas. So, watch the video and learn some insider information about the Arenal Volcano. Also, enjoy the great video shots of Arenal toward the end.