Arenal Volcano National Park

Arenal Volcano National Park, established in 1991 and covering about 121 square kilometers in the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area of central Costa Rica, protects eight of the twelve life zones found in the country between the Guanacaste and Tilaran mountain ranges. It is built around Arenal Volcano, the most active volcano in the country, which was believed dormant until a major and destructive eruption in 1968 began an eruptive period that continued until the volcano returned to dormancy in December 2010. The park, an IUCN category II national park managed by the National System of Conservation Areas, also includes Lake Arenal and the older, long dormant Chato volcano with its crater lagoon.