Costa Rica: no artificial ingredients: Volcan Arenal

A must visit, Volcan Arenal is one of Costa Rica's most famous landmarks. The colossal volcano lies on the northern province of Alajuela, in a plain that exalts the power of the volcano. The volcano is most famous due to its nightly eruptions which fill the sky with fire. Many tourists from around the world flock to the La Fortuna area to watch the night concert at the volcano; after all, its the closest thing to natural fireworks.

The story of the volcano is as follows: before 1968, there was no volcano. Whats now a huge mountain of fire was known as Cerro Arenal, or Arenal Mountain. This was because it had never shown any signs of volcanic activity nor any seismic events had occured close to the area. Many towns grew around it and people even climbed to the top of the so called "mountain". On July 29th, the mountain suddenly blew up. A massive, explosive eruption threw tons of rock and ash unto the unsuspecting towns which were completely destroyed and buried. Lots of people died. Fifteen square kilometers were buried and the explosion affected over 232 square kilometers. Since that date, the volcano has been restless, with constant eruptions of both lava and fire and ash and rocks. This eruptions can be safely seen as long as people stay inside the safety perimeter.