Largest lakes & reservoirs in Costa Rica by acres
There is no widely-accepted minimum surface area that defines a lake. What LakeLubbers describes as a lake, you might call a pond. Acreage of a lake (or sometimes square kilometers) is most often measured at the top surface area when the lake is at normal elevation. The surface area can be considerably smaller or larger when lake levels are lower or higher than normal. North America’s Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by this measure.The other measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s water volume. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Lake Baikal in Siberia.
You can find many of the world’s largest lakes (acres) on LakeLubbers in the comparison table below. Note: For some lakes, "Largest Lakes - Acres" data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 3 articles we have published for Costa Rica lakes.
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Below are lakes within Costa Rica > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in Costa Rica, only the 3 Costa Rica lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name ![]() |
Surface area in acres ![]() |
Lake description |
---|---|---|
Lake Arenal, Costa Rica (Alajuela Region, Costa Rica, Costa Rica, Guanacaste Region, Costa Rica) |
21,128 ac | Also known as Lago Arenal, Laguna de Arenal Lake Arenal, flanked by lush rainforest and the magnificent Arenal Volcano, is a world-class destination lake. Known for its feisty rainbow bass and i… |
Angostura Lagoon, Costa Rica (Cartago Region, Costa Rica, Costa Rica) |
622 ac | Also known as Laguna Angostura, Lake Angostura, Angostura Hydroelectric Project Lagoon Nestled near in the peaceful town of Turrialba in Costa Rica’s Central Valley, Cartago Province, Angostura Lagoon constitutes the newest and largest h… |
Lagos Chirripo (Cartago Region, Costa Rica, Costa Rica, Limon Region, Costa Rica, San Jose Region, Costa Rica) |
13 ac | Also known as Laguna Grande de Chlrripo, Lago San Juan Seldom seen except by dedicated high-altitude hikers, the Lagos Chirripo or Chirripo Lakes are the highest in Central America. Located just below the… |