Photograph: Turrialba volcano by gailhampshire, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Turrialba is a small town in the canton of the same name in Costa Rica's Cartago province, 646 metres up in a river valley about 64 kilometres east of San Jose, and it is a base rather than a sight. It grew up around the railway from the capital to the Caribbean, and when the line closed in the 1990s the town found a second life in adventure tourism: it is the closest town to the Pacuare, a river known for its whitewater, and it sits below Guayabo, one of only two pre-Columbian sites in Costa Rica open to the public, and an active volcano that shares its name.
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The photograph above is that volcano, seen from a distance: a long, forested mountain with a single white plume of steam and gas rising from the summit and flattening into a grey cloud, a wooded ridge below and a palm frond in the corner. It is the image that tells you most about Turrialba's character, because the mountain is not scenery here. Its ash has closed the capital's airports, and its park opens and closes with its moods.
What the frame cannot show is almost everything you would do here. The town itself, the crater seen close, the park trail and viewpoints, the Pacuare and Reventazon rivers and any raft on them, Guayabo's stone mounds, roads and aqueducts, and the cheese and coffee farms of the canton are all outside it.
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A Railway Town That Became a Rafting Town
The English-language encyclopaedia puts it simply: several towns developed and prospered because of the railway to the Caribbean, and Turrialba is one of them. The railway closed in the 1990s and the town lost its role as the gateway to the Atlantic, one of the nicknames the Spanish-language encyclopaedia records. Another is LLuvialba, a play on lluvia, rain, and that one is still accurate.
Today the town is compact and walkable, with a farmers market on Fridays and Saturdays, and the agricultural research centre CATIE and a campus of the University of Costa Rica give it a population of researchers and students. The surrounding communities, La Suiza, Aquiares and Santa Cruz, are farming country; Santa Cruz is where Turrialba cheese is made, and you will find it in town markets and bakeries.
The Pacuare and the Reventazon
Rafting is the main reason most visitors come. The encyclopaedia's article on the Pacuare names Turrialba as the closest town to the river, and several rafting operators are based here. The section the river is best known for is the Lower Pacuare, class III and IV whitewater running from Finca La Cruz down to the town of Siquirres, through a forested gorge with waterfalls coming in from the sides. It can be run in a single day or as a trip of up to three days.
The river nearly lost all of that. A hydroelectric dam was proposed on the Pacuare in the 1980s and finally rejected in 2005, partly over its impact on tourism. The neighbouring Reventazon was dammed in 1998, which pushed most of the rafting onto the Pacuare, though the Reventazon's Florida section still runs as a gentler class II to III trip, which is the better choice for a first time or for anyone unsure of their swimming.
The FCDO's advice on this kind of activity is short and correct: safety standards for adventure activities are variable, so use an established company with experienced staff. Ask whether a safety kayaker runs with the trip, keep the helmet and life jacket on throughout, and follow the swimming position taught in the briefing if you go in.
Check that your insurance actually covers what you came to do. The FCDO's adventure tourism section names quad biking, surfing, rock climbing and zip lining as activities that can be hazardous and ARE FREQUENTLY EXCLUDED FROM GENERAL TRAVEL INSURANCE POLICIES, which is the practical problem rather than the danger itself. It also says to use an experienced local guide in jungle areas and notes that there are fines for unauthorised entry into restricted conservation areas.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
Guayabo National Monument
Guayabo lies 18 kilometres north of the town on the southern slope of the volcano, in rainforest. The English-language encyclopaedia names the other pre-Columbian site open to the public as the stone spheres museum in the south. What you walk through are the stone foundations of circular buildings, which once carried conical wooden houses, paved roads leading out of the settlement, stone tombs, petroglyphs and three aqueducts; the Spanish-language encyclopaedia says one of the aqueducts still works. In 2009 the American Society of Civil Engineers named Guayabo an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark for its roads, walls and water channels.
The people who built it abandoned it before the Spanish arrived, for reasons nobody has settled, and only a small part of the site has been excavated. You can walk the trails on your own or with a guide, and a guide is worth it here, because the significance of a low ring of stones is not obvious without someone to explain it. Expect rain, mud and mosquitoes on the forest paths.
Turrialba Volcano: Check Before You Go
The volcano rises to 3,340 metres, which the Spanish-language encyclopaedia says makes it the second highest in Costa Rica after neighbouring Irazu, and its summit has three craters. Its national park was closed to visitors from 2012 and only reopened on 4 December 2020, with a closed perimeter of two kilometres kept around the crater. The worst of the recent activity was dramatic: on 12 March 2015 eruptions sent ash across the whole Central Valley and the capital's international airports closed because visibility fell below 100 metres. The Spanish-language encyclopaedia records its most recent eruption as 3 March 2025.
So the honest answer to whether you can visit is: sometimes. The most recent report we could find before publishing, from the Costa Rican news site Delfino on 27 August 2026, said the volcano park and Guayabo had reopened to the public from 26 August after a preventive closure for bad weather and an orange alert. That tells you two things: the park was open at the end of August 2026, and it closes for weather as well as for eruptions. Guayabo shares those closures. When the park reopened in 2020, visits required a phone reservation and a guided group, and the main access road was the subject of a dispute with a landowner, so an alternative route was signed.
The national authority for the mountain's behaviour is OVSICORI, the volcanological and seismological observatory of the National University of Costa Rica, which publishes volcanic activity levels, weekly bulletins and a webcam pointed at Turrialba. Check it, and ask your accommodation whether the park is open, the evening before you go.
Costa Rica has 16 volcanoes, several considered active, and the FCDO names a current series. It records that the risk of eruptions is always present and that there has recently been an increasing and significant series of eruptions at POAS VOLCANO. On earthquakes it says small tremors are frequent, movements above magnitude 6 occur periodically, and local infrastructure is well prepared so earthquakes seldom have widespread effects. Two practical notes rather than alarming ones: ash plumes affect air quality and anyone with a respiratory condition should expect symptoms to worsen, with a properly fitted mask offering some protection, and volcanic areas are most dangerous DURING AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER HEAVY RAINFALL because of the raised risk of flows. Check the status of any volcano the day you plan to visit rather than relying on a guidebook.
The warning to avoid volcanic areas during and after heavy rain lands in a valley where it rains in every month, and if the mountain is emitting ash, nobody should go up.
Weather: Rain in Every Month
The Spanish-language encyclopaedia makes the point plainly: because the canton sits between the Caribbean and the Central Valley, it has no defined seasons, and rain is spread through the whole year along with the sunny days. The town at 646 metres is warm; the summit, more than two and a half thousand metres higher, can be cold, windy and in cloud, so add a real warm layer for it.
Getting There
Buses run from San Jose, and a traveller guide describes two road routes in from the Central Valley, the quieter one recommended for scenery. The FCDO says main roads are generally in good condition, that in the rainy season heavy rain can cause potholes and landslides that block roads, and that bridges often narrow the road to a single lane. Drive in daylight. In town, the FCDO says official taxis are red, and they are the ones to use.
The Turrialba Packing List
Our merino base layers are 100% Australian merino at 17.5 micron, and a long sleeve merino wool base layer for women is the most useful thing in this bag: under a rafting splash jacket it keeps working when it is soaked, which cotton does not, it is the layer for a cold summit morning on the volcano, and it does not smell after two days on a river.
A packable Marmot PreCip Eco rain jacket, because this is LLuvialba and it will rain on you in any month.
A Columbia Fast Trek II fleece jacket for the volcano summit, the evening after a wet day on the river, and any early start.
Salomon X Ultra 4 GTX hiking shoes for the muddy forest trails at Guayabo and on the volcano, with Darn Tough merino hiker socks, which stay warmer than cotton when the trail is wet.
A waterproof dry bag for the raft. Operators carry a sealed bag for the group, but a small one of your own keeps a phone, cash and a dry layer together.
DEET insect repellent for Guayabo's forest paths and riverbanks. The FCDO lists dengue, Zika and malaria among Costa Rica's health risks.
Not linked, and why. River sandals or old trainers that can get wet are unlinked because the only water shoe in our register is unverified. Sunscreen and sunglasses are unlinked because the register carries no sunscreen and no eyewear. Anyone with asthma should carry a properly fitted mask. Bring a printed copy of your passport, which the FCDO says Costa Rican police will usually accept.
Is Turrialba Safe for Women Travelers
The FCDO does not name Turrialba, the town or the volcano, in its advice for Costa Rica, read on 8 November 2026. UK FCDO: the FCDO advises against no part of Costa Rica, and it says that although there is no history of terrorism in Costa Rica, attacks cannot be ruled out. Its advice is heavy on ordinary crime, saying muggings and theft are significant problems, particularly on the Atlantic coast, and heavier still on water; the two sections below carry the specifics.
The FCDO's wording on sexual violence here is unusually direct and it names tourists. It records that rapes and sexual assaults HAVE INCREASED, SOME OF WHICH APPEAR TARGETED TOWARD TOURISTS, warns against leaving drinks unattended because of reports of spiked drinks resulting in assault and theft, and adds the sentence worth quoting in full, that WOMEN TRAVELLING ALONE HAVE REPORTED HAVING TO PAY EXTRA ATTENTION TO THEIR PERSONAL SAFETY. Take that at face value rather than as boilerplate: it is the FCDO reporting what solo women have told it.
Muggings and theft are called significant problems, and the FCDO singles out one coast. Its words are that they are significant problems PARTICULARLY ON THE ATLANTIC COAST, which is the Caribbean side. The concrete instructions are to watch who is nearby at ATMs, to stay alert on buses and keep luggage in view because thieves work by distraction, to watch valuables on the beach, and never to leave luggage in a parked car whether visible or in the boot. One named method is worth knowing because it does not look like a crime: THIEVES SLASH A TYRE AND THEN OFFER TO HELP CHANGE IT while an accomplice empties the car. The same section says not to stop a hire car for strangers signalling for help, and that criminals sometimes cause deliberate collisions to make drivers stop, in which case the advice is to keep driving to a police station or garage.
Methanol in cheap spirits is a named and current risk. The FCDO records deaths and cases of serious illness from alcoholic drinks containing methanol in Costa Rica, and says criminal gangs have apparently used methanol in the manufacture of cheap brands of local spirits INCLUDING VODKA AND GUARO, the cane liquor sold everywhere here. The clause that matters is that even small amounts of methanol can kill and that IT CANNOT BE IDENTIFIED BY TASTE OR SMELL, so there is no sensory test a drinker can apply. Buy spirits in sealed bottles from established shops, prefer beer or wine where you cannot judge the bar, and seek urgent medical attention for anyone showing signs of methanol poisoning after drinking rather than waiting to see.
Essential Resources for Women in Turrialba
Emergency number in Costa Rica: 911 for ambulance, fire and police. For an ambulance, the FCDO says to call 911 and ask for one.
Medical care: the FCDO says medical care in Costa Rica is of a generally high standard, that ambulance services in remote areas may vary, and that only initial emergency treatment is free for visitors, with later treatment charged. A river gorge is where an ambulance cannot reach quickly, so hold insurance that covers rafting, evacuation and repatriation. The FCDO keeps a list of medical providers in Costa Rica where some staff speak English.
Volcano status: OVSICORI for activity levels and the Turrialba webcam, checked the evening before.
US State Department travel advisory: the Costa Rica advisory. Read the current level there directly rather than relying on a figure printed in any guide.
UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/costa-rica, and read the safety and security page rather than only the landing page, because that is where the substance sits.
Official health authority: the Ministerio de Salud, the Costa Rican health ministry, is the national health ministry.
US Embassy: the United States Embassy in San Jose.
Official tourism authority: the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, the national tourism board, publishes information on the national parks, which matters here because the volcano park's opening changes with activity and weather.
Solo women safety assessment: Turrialba is a calm, unshowy town that is easy to spend a few days in alone, and most solo visitors arrive to join a rafting trip, which puts you in a guided group for the riskiest part of the stay. The FCDO names nothing in the area. The real hazards are physical: whitewater, so pick an established operator and listen to the briefing; muddy trails at Guayabo; and a volcano that can close without warning and should not be approached when it is emitting ash or after heavy rain. In town, take ordinary care after dark, use red official taxis, watch your drink and avoid cheap spirits. 911 is the number for any emergency.
Reading On
Start with the Costa Rica travel guide for women and the Costa Rica packing list for the country-level advice. The nearest companion is the Cartago packing list, the provincial capital up the valley, which covers Irazu, the other volcano above this valley; the San Jose packing list covers the capital most people travel from. Down the old railway route to the Caribbean, the Puerto Limon packing list covers the port and the Tortuguero packing list the canals and turtle beaches. For another volcano with a town at its foot, read the Arenal packing list. For why merino rather than cotton somewhere it rains in every month and you get soaked on purpose, read the guide to merino wool base layers for women, and every destination we cover is indexed at the travel packing guide for women. The base layers themselves are in the Roman Trail collection.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
