Poas Volcano is a short trip from San José, the capital city in Costa Rica. The Poas National park and Poas Volcano is in the central volcanic chain north of Alajuela and north - northwest of San José.
The volcano is 8,885 ft or 2,708 meters above sea level. Poas is a composite or stratovolcano derived due to a continental margin in the earth's crust. The volcano is topped by numerous cones and craters, two of which have lakes. The national park is 13,838 acres or 5,600 hectares and is the best equipped in the country.
The main crater is 1 mile wide (1.5 km) and about 985 ft (300 m) deep. It contains on of the world's largest volcanic lakes named Botos which means "oilbags". It is surrounded by dense vegetation and the crater shoots up geyser jets of lake water with periods of inactivity ranging between minutes and weeks.
Poas National Park is 29 miles (47 kilometers) from San José, features short easy trails for hiking and is not difficult to traverse compared to many. This makes the park and volcano one of the most visited sites in Costa Rica.
There are no restaurants inside the park area. Bring lunch and drinks with you to satisfy your needs. Try to get there early in the day since clouds tend to roll in after 10:00 am most days from the Caribbean.
Due to Poas elevation the weather tends to be cool compared to lower elevations. Bring a light jacket or layer your clothes to remain comfortable.
See the Poas volcano and Botos Lagoon before 10:00 am.
See 80 different species of birds including the quetzal and green toucan, as well as other animals of the rainforest on easily hiked short trails.
Visit the La Paz waterfall gardens, one of the prettiest and fun areas around the Poas Volcano National Park.
Visit the town of Sarchi to see wonderful arts and crafts as well as an ox cart factory where woodworking is considered an art!
Make sure to identify the activities on any tour you choose. Some allow more time than others at each location. So if your family likes to move at a quick pace consider a 2 in 1 volcano tour and see Arenal and Poas in one day. If you are interested in a more leisurely pace just ask the length of time spent at each tour stop.
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