Arenal Volcano

Arenal is a 1,670-metre stratovolcano in northwestern Costa Rica and, at roughly 7,500 years old, the country's youngest volcano by geological age. From a catastrophic 1968 eruption that destroyed three villages and killed over 80 people until its quieter phase began around 2010, it ranked among the world's most continuously active volcanoes. Seismic activity and fumaroles remain measurable today. At its base lies the town of La Fortuna and Lake Arenal — Costa Rica's largest inland body of water, a reservoir whose rising waters submerged the original village of Arenal when the dam was built in the 1970s. Trails through Arenal Volcano National Park wind past solidified lava fields, while the surrounding thermal springs, most famously at Tabacón, draw visitors year-round.