Wherever you are in Costa Rica, you are never too far away from nature trails. Even when you are in the most urban region of the country, the Central Valley. One such place is Sector Prusia, which is the forest trails section of the Irazu Volcano National Park. Multiple marked hiking trails across various difficulty levels make Sector Prusia popular among hikers and trail runners. As you work your way through the forest, catch drops of freshness from tall coniferous trees, charming viewpoints and cool climate. In this post, you will find everything you need to know about how to visit Sector Prusia in Costa Rica.
How to reach Sector Prusia?
Like the volcano crater sector of Irazu Volcano National Park, Sector Prusia also belongs to the Cartago province jurisdiction. To visit this section of the national park, you need to take the route towards Finca Sanatorio Durán and then drive around 3.5 km further north. However, if you avail public transport to visit Sector Prusia, you will need to make your own arrangements for this stretch from Sanatorio Durán to Sector Prusia.
Sector Prusia, Cartago is only about an hour’s drive away from the Central Valley region. The distances from the major cities of Central Valley and from Cartago are as follows:
- San Jose: 40 km
- Heredia: 52 km
- Alajuela: 61 km
- Cartago: 18 km
As with most places in Cartago, the drive is a scenic one, passing by the green countryside. The road condition is generally good. But after Sanatorio Durán, the road becomes narrow, suddenly winding through forest roads for the major part. On the day of our first visit, we watched white clouds floating over the forest canopy as little rain drops blurred the visibility through our windscreen.
How to buy tickets for Sector Prusia?
You can purchase tickets from the ticket counter at the entrance of Sector Prusia, Irazu Volcano National Park.
Entry fees
- For foreign nationals: 10 USD
- For citizens and residents: 1000 CRC (~1.72 USD)
They do accept card payment.
Other important information
- Hours: 8:00 am – 3:30 pm.
- Parking: Yes, but paid, 1000 CRC.
- Restrooms: Available. Near the ticket office and the parking lot.
- Food: No restaurant inside [as of June 2020].
When is the best time to visit Sector Prusia, Cartago?
Since you will visit Sector Prusia primarily for hiking on trails, you can choose any time of the year, rain or sun. But please be informed that the rainy season in Costa Rica runs from April/May to November/December.
What to wear for your trip to Sector Prusia, Cartago?
Sector Prusia is around 2,680 meters at the starting point of the hike. But the elevation reaches upto 3,400 meters in certain sections of the trail. Hence the climate is often cool.
Wear a light jacket to beat the cold. But we were not carrying any. The old woman who screened our backpack at the entrance warned us that we would feel cold without a jacket. However, as our bodies warmed up as we hiked up, we did not feel the need for one. To be fair though, we had not ventured on the trail that reaches the elevation of 3,400 meters.
Wear hiking pants and t-shirt/top of breathable fabric, and comfortable walking/hiking shoes. And, as with anywhere in Costa Rica, always carry a raincoat.
What to see at Sector Prusia?
People visit Sector Prusia in Cartago primarily to hike in the forest section of Irazu Volcano National Park. As you move along the trails in Sector Prusia, you get rewarded with pretty sights of forests and valleys. But, if you are more interested in seeing the volcano crater, you can read our post on how to visit Irazu Volcano.
From the parking lot at Prusia, you need to hike up a steep main road for a few hundred meters before you come to a fork. At this point, you can either take the right for the shorter hiking trails or keep walking straight for the longer hiking trails.
The shorter trails
If you take the right, it starts with some stairs. Follow the boards for directions to all the trails. As you walk, admire the way the trees and their roots, trunks, branches and leaves have settled in comfortably.
But do not just look up and sideways, remember to look down as well. Every now and then you will find wild mushrooms popping out from the ground with their bright red heads.
Pinos
Taking Los Abuelos trail, you will reach the pine forest section, an area packed with tall pine trees. This is arguably the most picturesque section of Sector Prusia.
Try to measure the height of these pine trees with your eyes as you move your gaze from the bottom to the top of a pine tree. Get mesmerized to see how the top of the trees tower together at top, as if competing with each other to pierce through the sky.
But what we liked best about the pine forest is how the mood of the place changes with the alternate play of the shining sun and the drifting clouds.
Arbol Embrujado
Amidst all the soaring pine trees, you will also find a bare tree with dark colored trunk and branches, against the contrasting background of light brown barks of the pine trees. In misty weather settings, this tree can give you an eerie feeling. That is why it is actually named as the haunted tree. Look for the board with sign ‘Arbol Embrujado’, which literally translates to ‘Haunted Tree’.
Mirador
You will reach the Mirador (meaning viewpoint) at the end of the pine forests. It is a small viewpoint area from where you can get a glimpse of the pastel green valley below, adorned with dark green trees. However, you need to be in luck to get a proper sight of the green scenery below. White clouds often blanket the valley, restricting visibility. In fact, as we approached the Mirador, a bunch of thin white clouds floated in and gradually covered the valley. But, after a few minutes, the clouds cleared again revealing the verdant valley.
El Roble (partial)
While walking back from the Mirador, instead of retracing your arrival route, you can take the El Roble trail. Either cover a part of it and circle back to the start of the pine forest, or walk the full trail. If you walk the full trail, you can connect to La Gruta trail that eventually branches out to the other trails that you could have taken from the first fork.
The longer trails
If you have more time, instead of taking the right from the fork, you can head straight and start with the longer trails. The longest trail in this section is Cabeza de Vaca stretching over 6.35 km. The other trails are El Roble (3.75 km), Chiverrales (2.13 km), Ahorcado (1.1 km) and La Gruta (0.7 km).
Is it worth visiting Sector Prusia, Cartago?
Whether you are a local or a visitor in Costa Rica, Sector Prusia of Irazu Volcano National Park can be an ideal place to rejuvenate your mind, body and soul. Also, if you are a photography enthusiast, you will be delighted to discover the amazing photo opportunities in this area of Cartago. So, if you are up for some hiking while taking in fresh air oxygen, do visit Sector Prusia. In fact, now that we all are living in the era of self isolation and social distancing, spending time amidst nature is a great way of satiating your wander thirst. Sector Prusia perfectly fits the bill.
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What an amazing description!
Respective informative data are quite informative for would be visitors.
Hi,
Trying to figure out how long we need in this park? We wanted to to try and hit the volcano quickly at 8 am and potentially spend the rest of the day in Prusia. Do you think thats doable? THANK YOU!
Hi Alison. That sounds like a good plan! You can visit Irazu volcano at 8:00 in the morning, then make the drive of about half an hour to Sector Prusia to hike the trails. You can spend half a day or the rest of the whole day at Sector Prusia depending on the trails you choose to hike. If you do the shorter trails, that include the pine trees, the haunted tree and the Mirador, couple of hours should be good enough, even if you stop for photo ops. Pura vida!