Hiking Cerro Chato is tempting because your sweat and hard work are rewarded with a swim in an emerald green volcano crater lake. But a word of warning: the hike is illegal.
There are 2 main volcanoes in La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica. These are Arenal Volcano (1,633 m), which is active, and Chato Volcano (1,140 m), or Cerro Chato, which is extinct.
I’d heard about hiking Cerro Chato from a few people who had conquered the dangerous trail and cooled off in the crater lake.
I’d also been told about how it was actually illegal to do this hike and, if caught by park rangers, you could end up in trouble. Not knowing the full extent of the reasons why the hike was illegal, I went ahead with it, giving in to temptation.
In this Cerro Chato hike guide, I’ll explain why the hike is illegal to help you decide whether to do it, how to get to the trail start point and the trail conditions.
Legality of hiking Cerro Chato
Firstly, let’s discuss why this adventure was made illegal. Consider this information before making plans to hike Cerro Chato.
Costa Rica takes environmental conservation and tourist safety very seriously. Back in 1998, the authorities made hiking the Arenal Volcano illegal. The unpredictable state of the volcano was too much of a risk and there is now a 4 km exclusion zone.
After the ban, some hikers began using the trail that leads to the summit of Cerro Chato to access Arenal Volcano. In 2017, the authorities tried to stop this by making the Cerro Chato hike illegal too.
Before hiking Cerro Chato, I knew about the previous reason for the hike being outlawed. But as I had no intention of going to Arenal Volcano, I ignored the law. After the hike, I found out that another reason why the trail had been closed was for environmental concerns.
There’s not much information online about what exactly the concerns are, but apparently illegal hiking here is causing damage to the local environment. Obviously, knowing this, it wasn’t great that I hiked the volcano.
I don’t know what the punishment is if caught and you do the hike at your own risk.
Getting to Chato Volcano trail
The hike starts at Green Lagoon Wellbeing Resort/Arenal Waterfall Lodge, close to the Fortuna Waterfall.
To get to the hotel, leave La Fortuna town heading south on the Ruta Nacional Treciaria 702. Then turn onto Diag Avenida 301 and head west almost all the way to La Fortuna Waterfall. Just before the waterfall car park, the road forks and you need to head uphill to the right. This brings you to the hotel.
You can either walk, drive or taxi to the trail head; buses don’t head this way. Walking from La Fortuna will take around 2 h. I don’t recommend this as you’ve still got a tough hike ahead of you. Instead, I recommend taking a taxi. This should cost around $10 US.
How much is Cerro Chato?
Hiking Cerro Chato costs $15 US. A good chunk of the trail runs through private land owned by Green Lagoon Wellbeing Resort and they charge this fee.
Before the hike became illegal, there was another, official route starting from the Arenal Observatory. Hiking this route cost $8 US.
Cerro Chato hike trail
- Distance: 5.5 km (there and back)
- Duration: 3-4 h
- Elevation gain: 596 m
- Difficulty: hard
Hiking Cerro Chato is tough and you need a good level of fitness and confidence in your abilities to do the whole thing. It’s a good idea to start early in the morning so you can reach the crater lake when the sun is high in the sky and temperatures warmest.
This hike has 2 distinct sections: the easy, maintained trail running through the hotel property and the difficult, technical trail running though Arenal Volcano National Park.
The final descent to the crater, and the subsequent accent, are dangerous. The trail conditions are terrible here and ropes have been installed to help you. It’s really steep and muddy and you could get seriously injured falling.
I do not recommend doing this hike in the rain – it would be extremely dangerous. With warnings out of the way, now I’ll break down the 2 hike sections.
Hotel property section
The hike starts at the hotel entrance. Here someone takes your payment (have cash), shows you a map and warns you about not crossing into the national park.
In my opinion, these guys know full well that hikers are heading to the volcano. And it’s ironic that they charge the same entry fee as the government does for national parks.
From the hotel entrance, follow the paved road that winds uphill behind and away from the hotel. After around 15 min the road ends and you join a gentle hiking trail.
The trail takes you through forest and thick tree routes crisscross the muddy ground. Once you leave the forest, the tree coverage disappears for a while and there are several viewpoints.
After the viewpoints there are a couple of flights on wooden steps to climb. Then, in the final part of this section, the trail becomes narrow and steeper as you approach the national park boundary.
At the park boundary there is a sign warning you that going any further is illegal. This is your 1 and only chance to turn back and not risk any trouble.
Arenal Volcano National Park section
If you choose to continue, then from here on things get tougher. Before long, the trail becomes a deep, narrow, muddy trench, and looks more like a scene out of World War 1.
In this part the trail isn’t too steep, but there are a few places where the muddy ground has worn away so much that you’ll have to use your hands to scramble. You hike under the cover of lush green, vibrant forest and animal sounds fill the air.
Not long after crossing into the park, I noticed a capuchin monkey was tracking me from up in the trees. The monkey followed me most of the way to the summit. Whenever I stopped, it would stop and peer at me while semi-hidden behind branches and leaves.
You’ll know when you reach the summit because things flatten out. Unfortunately, the total tree coverage means there are no views from this point.
Descent to Cerro Chato crater
This part is steep, technical and dangerous. It’s muddy, even in dry season, and much of the trail has worn away heavily creating drops. Ropes are in place to help you get down, and back up, but you’ll still need to go carefully
Even on hot days there can still be mist shrouding the crater so views of it might not be that good. But the mist can clear up quickly revealing the emerald green lagoon. I have to say, swimming in a volcano crater is a cool experience and a nice reward after the challenging hike.
When to hike Cerro Chato
I recommend hiking Cerro Chato during the dry season which runs December – April. This will increase chances of the trail being in a decent state.
That said, I did the hike on a hot day in March and it was still quite muddy and slippery in parts – especially the descent to the crater.
Avoid this hike during the wet season from May- November. The risks wouldn’t be worth the reward.
What does Cerro Chato mean?
The words ‘cerro’ and ‘chato’ translate to ‘flat’ and ‘hill’ in English. This is an interesting name considering Cerro Chato clearly rises above the surrounding area.
More Costa Rica adventure travel guides on A World Over
Hiking Cerro Chato is a challenging adventure and the cherry on top is swimming in the volcano crater. If you plan on doing it, then remember a towel. It’s chilly up there and after the swim you’ll want to dry off.
Finally, I mentioned it a few times, but keep in mind that the hike is illegal and there could be consequences if you get caught.
Check out these next articles for more Costa Rica adventure travel recommendations and planning.
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