Seeing Arenal from a plane6 ★
A near-perfect cone that erupted almost constantly from 1968 to 2010; its first blast destroyed the village of Tabacón. Look for the lake beside it.
10 of our routes pass it. Costa Rica · rated 6 of 10
The easy pick
Fort Lauderdale to San Jose: sit on the right, on the way down.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta to San Jose | Right | 194 min after takeoff |
| Dallas-Fort Worth to San Jose | Left Best seat for the whole flight: right | 195 min after takeoff |
| Fort Lauderdale to San Jose | Right | on the way down |
| Houston to Quito | Right | 167 min after takeoff |
| Houston to San Jose | Left | on the way down |
| Houston to San Jose | Left Best seat for the whole flight: right | on the way down |
| Miami to San Jose | Right | on the way down |
| Miami to Liberia | Left | on the way down |
| Newark to San Jose | Right | 260 min after takeoff |
| Orlando to San Jose | Right | 157 min after takeoff |
From the real paths of every nonstop on these routes in the last 10 days, at the usual time of day. Where the best seat for the whole flight is on the other side, you'd trade this sight for more elsewhere.
Questions
Which side of the plane do you see Arenal from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (6 of 10). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Arenal from a plane?
Near the airport, on the climb or on the way down, and mid-flight on longer routes: see the table for each route.
Do clouds matter?
Yes. These answers assume a clear day. Within 3 days of your flight, pick your exact flight in the app for the cloud forecast.
More
Poás Volcano Rincón de la Vieja Volcano Carara National Park Irazú Volcano Lake Nicaragua Atlanta (ATL) Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Fort Lauderdale (FLL) Houston (IAH) All routes