Poás Volcano is one of the most famous and most visited active volcanoes in Costa Rica. It is also one of the most active volcanoes in the country, with the most recent eruption occurring in April 2017. Despite its activity, Poás Volcano is still a safe and popular tourist destination, with visitors able to do a short hike to the summit and observe the volcano’s crater from observation platforms. However, due to the potential hazards associated with the volcano, the national park is periodically closed to visitors so check on the SINAC website before your visit to see if the national park is open.
The volcano is part of the Poás Volcano National Park, which covers an area of approximately 16,000 acres. The summit of the volcano is characterized by a large crater, known as the Main Crater, which is approximately 1.5 kilometers in diameter and 300 meters deep. The crater contains a highly acidic lake, which changes color depending on the level of activity of the volcano. In addition to the Main Crater, there are two other craters on the summit: the Von Frantzuis Crater and the Botos Crater.
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Plan your visit
Hours and Entrance fee:
The park is open every day from 8am to 4pm. The entrance fee is $15 USD for non-residents and $5 USD for children. Residents and nationals pay ¢1000 colones and their children pay ¢500 colones. You can purchase your tickets online in the SINAC official website. Have in mind that there are also parking fees but they are not high.
How to get there:
Driving to Poas Volcano takes only 1 hour and 30 minutes from San Jose so its a perfect destination for a day trip from the capital city. If you don’t have a car there are two available bus routes you can take, one departing from San Jose and the other from Alajuela.
Bus option from San Jose:
The bus route is managed by TUASA and costs $3.8 USD.
Bus option from Alajuela:
The bus route is managed by TUASA and takes one hour and 30 minutes.
Departure time options from Alajuela: 9am
Return time options from Poas volcano: 12:30pm
