Last night I headed out to photograph this amazing beast, which stands at 1657 meters (nearly 5,500 feet) tall, often poking through a dense cloud cover. Even from my vantage point 16 km (11 miles) away in Monteverde, the volcano is incredibly massive. Together with the lake at its base, the volcano fills the field of vision from this location.
My goal was to arrive at the Mirador Lodge in Monteverde shortly after sunset and photograph the lava activity during the night and before sunrise, and then the sunrise itself. The Mirador is aptly named, as it has a breathtaking view of Arenal Volcano and Arenal Lake when the clouds do not interfere.
Costa Rica, which means "rich coast", is also rich with volcanoes. Most sources put the number of volcanic formations as high as 300, with an estimated 100 of those showing signs of recent activity.
Volcan Arenal is by far the most active and popular stratovolcano in Costa Rica. In 1968 it became active - prior to that the locals thought it was dead; just a mountain they called Cerro Arenal. But when the side of the mountain exploded after 400 years of rest, over 230 sq. km. of land was effected by the eruptions that lasted a few days, and 87 human lives were lost.
Since then, the volcano has been active nearly every day without loss of life, as the locals keep a safe distance from the massive source of volcanic energy. This is why I refer to it as the 'old faithful' of volcanoes. The Arenal area and city of La Fortuna, which is nearby the volcano, have become one of the most rewarding destinations in the country for the many adventure seekers who visit Costa Rica each year.
At night, the hot boulders that crash down the slopes glow as red as fireworks, and during the day they leave gray trails in their wake. Smoke and ash continuously rise from the crater, sometimes pluming high above the volcano before being swept away by wind. The photos above were all taken between 7-10pm.
This is very typical activity here - the orange/red glow is the glowing rocks tumbling down the volcano, the exposure on the camera was set to 20-30 seconds to capture a bit of the trail. The photo above, as well as the following photos were all taken starting at 4:30am.
The photo above shows a bit more lava activity, it is one of the last ones I was able to take before it got to bright to see the glow.
A crop (above) of the top of the volcano jutting through the clouds. The wind dropped off a bit after this, allowing for a larger plume to form above the crater.
The last shot (above) with a faint glow of lava, now enjoy the sunrise.
A crop (above) showing the top of the volcano with a plume, both in dark contrast to the sky behind.
The shot above is a bit surreal, a very faint coloring in the clouds now.
Above we see the sun is starting to rise, and the sky is turned almost pink. A nice contrast with the blueish tint in the clouds nestling around the volcano.
And that's it - the sun is up and the best colors quickly faded. I hope you enjoyed the show as much as I did!
Did you enjoy this? If so, please share: