Cerro de la Muerte

Hiking to the summit of death – translating to mountain or the “summit of death,” Cerro de la Muerte is one of the highest points in Costa Rica. To be able to optimise your visit, it is very necessary that you begin the hike to Cerro de la Muerte in the wee hours. This is for two reasons – first, the hike is strenuous and would require more than average stamina to even make it to the top; second (plenty of hikers know this but still it is important to mention here), that mountain ranges tend to get very cloudy and foggy post noon. For the sake of enjoying the vistas and making it down safe, one must descend by 3 pm or maximum 4 pm, depending on which region, what altitude, the kind of mountain top. The “summit of death” has an infamous past when the highway was not as good. History has it that the travellers and hikers succumbed while on foot or on horses, primarily because of the condition of the road and bad visibility. The drive till here on the Highway Inter Americana can prove challenging due to curves, rains and fog. It gets dangerous during rains, and the route tends to get slippery, while being frequented by rock falls and landslides. Needless to say, the roads are very well maintained now and the summit is easily accessible, given that usual common caution to safety and health are kept in mind. Roughly 90 km away from the city, Cerro de la Muerte often makes it to the most dangerous roads in the world.