Poas Volcano, Costa Rica

Visit the Poas Volcano, in Costa Rica, and admire the world’s largest geyser crater

Poas Volcano, Costa Rica
Poas Volcano
© Patricia Niselbaum

The Poas Volcano is located just 23 miles from the north of Alajuela, through a meandering and picturesque road. It is one of Costa Rica’s most visited national parks.

It was inaugurated in 1971 and occupies an area of 25 square miles that surrounds the Poas Volcano, which is 8858 ft tall. This giant is still active despite its million years, but it remains dormant . The main crater is 985 ft deep and has a diameter of almost a mile: it is the largest “geyser-type” crater in the world. At the bottom of the crater there is a lagoon which has high concentrations of sulphur, and when the lagoon evaporates, this evaporation provokes acid rain.

This visit is ideal for those who want to watch closely a volcano crater but without the necessity to climb up any slopes, since this volcano is one of the few easily accessible volcanoes in the world.

There are two more craters, the Botos Lagoon and the von Frantzius Cone, and another six of minor importance in their surroundings, which are composed of dry lava and ash.

The last important eruption took place between 1952 and 1954, but recently the park has had to stay closed due to minor volcanic activity.

It is advisable to get there early in the morning, since even on the dry season, a cloud layer covers the crater and makes it impossible to observe it completely.

There exist diverse types of ecosystems inside the park, for example cloud forests, stunted forests, areas with scarce vegetation and humid forests. This area has a large biodiversity: squirrels, groundhogs, bats, toucans, quetzals, orchids, bromeliaceae and many more species inhabit the park.

This is a very important zone for the country due to its huge potential for the production of hydroelectric and geothermal energy.

More information:

Location:

23 miles away from the north of Alajuela, Alajuela province, Costa Rica.

Horario:

Everyday from 8 to 16

Admission prices:

Domestic visitors: Kids 400 colonos - adults 1000 colonos.

Foreign visitors: Kids $1 - adults $10.

Telephone number:

(+506) 2482 2165

Website:

http://www.costaricaexplorerguide.com/php/atracciones.php?atract=11

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