On the Poas Volcano half day tour, you’ll visit one of the most popular active volcanoes in Costa Rica. Your bilingual guide will lead you up to the main crater sharing fascinating facts about the natural history of the area.
Your tour will begin when you are picked up from your hotel and driven towards the lush cloud forest surrounding Poas Volcano. Upon arrival, you’ll hop out of the vans and go for a short, easy hike through the National Park. The paths are paved and well maintained, leading you through interesting volcanic activity which actively occurs all year round.
Geysers, bubbling mud, and smoking fumaroles are sporadically spaced along the horizon. You will see these features in action, proving the intense heat and pressure is continually being released by the volcano’s core. The fenced-in path creates a safe distance but is also close enough for you to clearly view all the action.
Poas Volcano has a few curious features that call the attention of visitors from all over the world: two large craters that have interesting and opposing characteristics.
One crater is filled with hot water and is called “Laguna Caliente” (Hot Lake). There is a layer of sulphur along the bottom causing a strong sulphuric smell. The water perpetually evaporates and falls to the ground in the form of acid rain, causing damage to the surrounding vegetation and leaving a barren Mars-like landscape.
In the second crater, there is a clear and cool water lake called Lake Botos, providing fresh healthy rain that supports a booming, abundant cloud forest ecosystem surrounding this crater. The one-mile long crater and deep, clean lake create an ideal habitat for many birds such as tanagers, hummingbirds, and toucanets. You might even get to see the resplendent Quetzal, a rare bird that exists only in cloud forest environments.
Your informative guide is well educated about the natural history of the area and will provide a fascinating narrative throughout your hike. When the hike is over, you will be driven back to your hotel.
This tour includes a bilingual guide, entrance fees, and transportation from Alajuela, Alajuela suburbs, Escazu and San Jose. One way transportation usually takes from 1 to 2 hours depending on the location of your hotel and traffic conditions. Total time of volcano hike and round trip transportation is typically between 5 and 6.5 hours.
Please wear comfortable walking shoes and you might like to have a jacket for the cooler altitude. Sun block is recommended as the sun can be quite strong this high up. You’ll also want to bring your camera and binoculars along.
3 and up
Data unavailable
12/28/2015
Excellent tour. We had a bonus stop over at a coffee plantation. Guide was fantastic and she explained everything very clearly.