Lakes Destinations

Lake Arenal

The majestic Lake Arenal is Costa Rica’s largest lake. Surrounded by rolling hills of pastured and forested land, the imposing cone of Volcan Arenal dominates its eastern vista. Following the 1968 eruption, Lake Arenal was enlarged to 3 times its original size, an area of 85.5 km (33 sq. miles). Now its basin forms a hydroelectric project that produces 9% of Costa Rica's electricity. Lake Arenal is the key driver in a nationwide hydroelectric project that currently produces the majority of electricity for the entire country. Water depth generally varies between 100 and 200 feet (61 m). The communities of "old" Arenal and Tronadora were submerged by the expanded lake.

Lake of Nicaragua

The lake has a surface of 8,264 km², and it is located in the central southern part of the country. The oval-shaped lake is relatively uncontaminated, although some serious environmental issues pose a real threat for the lake’s future. The lake, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Latin America, has been an important link for many years between inland Nicaragua and the Caribbean Sea, and the colonial city of Granada located on the northwestern shore of the lake was the first Nicaraguan city to be established by Spanish conquerors in 1524. As transportation methods modernized the lake lost importance as strategic link between the Pacific and the Caribbean, but its natural beauty and environmental importance remain important qualities not only for Nicaragua but also for Central America. Lake Nicaragua is part of the largest international drainage basin of Central America, and together with Lake Managua and the San Juan River it forms a tectonic valley with an area of over 41,000 km². The lake itself is not very deep with an average depth of 13 meters. Rainfall and inflow from numerous rivers feed Lake Nicaragua. Environmentally, Lake Nicaragua is a key element in the Nicaraguan landscape. Not only does the lake provide a habitat for spectacular aquatic wildlife, it is also an important water source for the vegetation located on the banks of the lake. With a perimeter of 425 kilometers there is plenty of coastline and several types of ecosystems can be found along the lake’s shores.

Lake Angostura

surrounded by rising mountains and a hydroelectric plant and where you will see some water birds such as Muscovian duck, green herons, snowy egrets, northern jacanas, montezuma oropendolas and more.

Lake Cachí

Lake Cachí was created when the Instituto Costariccense de Electricidad built the Cachí Dam across the Río Reventazón to supply San José with hydroelectric power. Surrounded by the rising mountains that have created this paradisiacal valley. The Presa de Cachi or Cachi Dam is one of the largest in the country and sits on the northeastern side of the lake.

Coasts & Mountains

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