Guanacaste

To Bagaces 194 kms northwest of San José along the Interamerican Highway. From there to Guayabo , 30 kms north of Bagaces.

At the Guayabo-Fortuna crossroads, 600 meters above sea level, stands the imposing Miravalles Volcano which soars 2,026 meters high. The summit is usually shrouded in thick layers of cloud and curtains of rain. Due to its location, it interceps the cloud flow from the Caribbean, preventing rains from reaching the dry lands of Bagaces. Also the main crater is dormant, there is some terminal solfataric activity as evidenced by the mudpots on the southern flank.

The land around the volcano (10,850 hectares) has been declared the Miravalles Forest Reserve to protect the watersheds of the rivers that flow into the plains south of Nicaragua or that feed the River Bebedero, which flows into the Gulf of Nicoya. It also protects a cloud forest that is very rich in coconut palms, epiphites and ferns and is home to felines, white tailed deer, coyotes, pacas, collared peccaries and white faced capuchin monkeys, among other species. Climbing the peak takes the visitor from the hot and steamy plains at Bagaces (90 mts.) to the very cold rim where temperatures range from 6-9°C, but can on occasion drop to 0°C.