Costa Rica Image
Poas Volcano National Park Map Preview

Poas Volcano National Park

Poás Volcano overlooks 14,000 acres (5,666 ha) of various habitats that make up Poas Volcano National Park (Parque Nacional Volcán Poás). Poás Volcano National Park is one of Costa Rica's most active volcanos, making it an awesome place to visit. At a height of 8,885 ft (2,708 m), Poás remains one of Costa Rica's largest and most active volcanoes. This fact alone is enough to attract thousands of visitors per year

Poas Volcano National Park
Poas Volcano National Park
Poas Volcano National Park
Poas Volcano National Park
Poas Volcano National Park
Poas Volcano National Park
Poas Volcano National Park
Poas Volcano National Park

More about Poas Volcano National Park

This is a highly accessible national park, and you can follow a paved road to the wheelchair accessible visitor's center near the top. The visitor center has information about the history of the volcano and current information about the geomorphic processes that shaped the ecological attraction. Other amenities include a cafe, restroom facilities, and a very informative museum.

Walking just 15 minutes from the visitor's center, the main crater offers a spectacular view. At almost a mile (1.6 km) in diameter, the crater's rain-fed sulfuric pool still bubbles and emits smoke into the air. Although the last major eruption was in 1910, visitors can still see geysers explode into the air up to 820 ft (250 m) high. Chances of getting wet are pretty remote as the crater descends almost 1,000 ft (300 m) and is one of the largest active volcanoes in the world.

Standing on the rim, visitors often smell the sulfur in the air, which at times has proven to be acidic enough for the park to close. It is from this crater that the effects of acid rain can be seen on the vegetation surrounding the landscape. Around the huge main-crater is the beautifully blue-green colored Botos Lake (Laguna Botos) and on the opposite side, the von Frantzius cone.

Except for the area around the main caldera, the park is full of dense vegetation and small wildlife. Sightings of the 79 species of birds that have been identified inside the protected zone including the quetzal, emerald toucanet, black guan, sparrow, hummingbird, and robin are common. Few large mammals are found inside the park, but smaller, less conspicuous critters such as marmots, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, snakes, frogs and a plethora of insects live here.

The different zones inside the protected area mainly include cloud forest, mountain rain forest, and very humid low mountain forest. Hiking along the Botos Trail you arrive at Botos Lake, a beautiful crater with a diameter of 1,312 ft (400 m). This lake has a beautiful jade color and is frequented by many of the bird species in the park.

Located about 1½ hours from San Jose, Poás Volcano National Park is a very popular day trip. Visitors often make the 68 mile (108 km) round-trip journey, which cruises along never-ending fields of coffee and flower farms that line the area around the park. From Ciudad Quesada, Poas Volcano National Park is 72 miles (116 km). The best time to visit is during the morning hours from January to April. Weekends are normally crowded and clouds normally roll in around mid-afternoon, making it difficult to enjoy the scenery. But on a clear day, it is possible to see both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

Poas Volcano National Park HIGHLIGHTS

Moments to look forward to

8 days | $$$

A Mother/Daughter Nature Expedition

I did not meet one unfriendly person. Everyone was friendly and helpful. I loved the experience of Costa Rica!
A Mother/Daughter Nature Expedition
Itinerary
View Details
Doka Coffee Tour and Poas Volcano
Alajuela & SJO Int'l

Doka Coffee Tour and Poas Volcano

18 days | $$

Epic Journey With a Friend

At Monteverde Lodge, we really appreciated that they placed water jugs in each room and offered ice and fresh fruit for the water each evening. This would be a great idea for other accommodations - we would be less inclined to buy water in plastic bottles for the room, and it would indicate that the tap water was great to drink (if that was the case).
Epic Journey With a Friend
Itinerary
View Details
Poas Volcano, Doka Coffee Tour and Sarchi
San Jose

Poas Volcano, Doka Coffee Tour and Sarchi

15 days | $

A Coast to Coast Family Adventure

Our trip went very smoothly with all of our pick ups on time. The hotels, destinations and tours recommended by Roy Soto, our tour organiser were all of an excellent standard. For future reference, a lot of our trips were very early so we often missed breakfast at our hotels. It may be useful for fellow travelers to have a list of local cafes/hotels in each location that open early for breakfast. All in all our trip was very enjoyable, the scenery is suberb, the beaches beautiful and unspoiled, the wildlife abundant and incredibly diverse, and the people of Costa Rica are friendly and very hospitable. I would recommend a trip to Costa Rica for an unforgettable experience and I'd recommend Anywhere as a fantastic way to organise the trip of a lifetime, tailored specifically for you.
A Coast to Coast Family Adventure
Itinerary
View Details
Combo Tour Poas Volcano, Doka Coffee Tour and La Paz Waterfall Gardens
San Jose

Combo Tour Poas Volcano, Doka Coffee Tour and La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Resplendent Quetzal

Resplendent Quetzal Image
Flora & Fauna
View Details
Make the adventure yours

My dream trip in Costa Rica

That I’ll spend with Group type

Is filled with Trip type

Start my Adventureor
5 Starts
Loading...
View all reviews
Let’s dream together

Sign up to receive the latest news and offers from Anywhere

We care about the protection of your data.
Read our Privacy Policy.
© 2024 Anywhere Inc. All rights reserved.