Poas Volcano

One of the most visited and most diverse parks in Costa Rica, Poas Volcano National Park should be on every itinerary, especially for first time visitors to this wonderful Central American country. Home to Poas Volcano, this park is easy to reach, situated only 47 kilometers (less than 30 miles) from the capital city of San Jose.

Truly, this park is one of the most biologically diverse in the country. Visitors will find four distinctly different habitats inside Poas Volcano National Park: an area of scarce vegetation, a cloud forest, a “stunted” forest, and an area of arrayans (myrtles). The intriguing stunted forest features trees that are unable to grow due to acid rain from the nearby volcano.

The Poas Volcano park is a wonderful place for bird and wildlife watching. At last count, about 80 species of birds made their home here including the unique Quetzal. This park also has its very own animal – the Poas Green-Yellow Squirrel – an unusual animal that's found only in this park and nowhere else on earth.

The volcano, of course, is the centerpiece of the park. Guests can drive to within 300 meters of the rim and then walk the Crater Overlook Trail, a 750-meter-long paved trail, for a gander at the volcano's two craters. One is about 300 meters (900 feet) deep and boasts an eerie lagoon that spews sulphurous gases. The other, about half as deep, contains a cold water lake. The Poas Volcano has had no significant eruptions since the early 1950s but remains on the active list.

Poas is one of the most developed parks in Costa Rica's national park system. Guests to this park will find an exhibit hall, an auditorium, a nature store/gift shop, a well-stocked café, public restrooms, and plenty of parking.