Visiting Poás Volcano National Park is an absolute must-do on your Costa Rica itinerary! It’s a short drive from San Jose, so it can easily be tacked on to the start or end of your trip. It’s an easy park to get to and navigate around, with some spectacular viewpoints and short hikes. Poás is an active volcano that last erupted as recently as April 2017. We actually were lucky enough to see it have several eruptions on the day of our visit. Small bursts of black ash would periodically shoot up and the air would smell like sulfur. Very surreal to watch a volcano erupt before your eyes! Here are my top tips for visiting Poás Volcano National Park!
Read More: 8 Things to Know Before Your Trip to Costa Rica
It’s chilly, dress warm!
Costa Rica is a very geographically diverse country, and with that comes microclimates! We were shocked to find that the mornings and evenings in and around Poás were very chilly! We arrived to the national park at 8:00 am, and I wore a tee shirt and shorts (because we’re in Central America, after all!). And I was COLD. I’m talking goosebumps and shivers- especially when the wind blew. I probably would have been just fine with a sweatshirt on top, but leggings would have been welcome too. Plan accordingly and make sure you check the weather specifically for Poás before you arrive. The weather here is very different than places like San Jose, which is only an hour away!
Reservations are required in advance
Reservations for visiting Poás Volcano National Park are required, and I’d recommend booking them as early as possible. These are made online, via the SINAC website (which is Costa Rica’s National Parks page). First, you’ll need to create an account with SINAC, and then you’ll choose the date and time of entry. You will also need everyone in your party’s passport number to book a reservation. At time of writing, it was $15 USD per person to enter the park, plus a few extra dollars in fees. Once your reservation is confirmed, you’ll receive an email with a barcode and confirmation number. I recommend screenshotting this ahead of time so you have it when you get to the entrance – connection can be spotty in these remote areas of Costa Rica!
Book the earliest time slot, if possible
When making a reservation, I highly recommend booking the earliest timeslot available. Our time was at 8:00 am, which is when the park opens. If you arrive a few minutes early, you’ll have to wait in your car for them to open the gates, but they were prompt and then we got a great parking spot in the lot. While it was definitely chillier this hour of the morning, we avoided a lot of crowds and were able to enjoy the park a lot more! Definitely eat before, as the cafe on-site didn’t open until about 8:30 am. We did all of our hikes and then sat down for snacks and coffee afterwards!
Don’t miss the lagoon hike
Aside from the mail trail that leads from the entrance directly to Poás Volcano, there are several other hiking options to fill your day! The entire circuit trail is about 2.8km and will take you around the whole park. If you don’t have time for that (like us), definitely do the Botos Lagoon trail at least! It is an 800m out-and-back trail from the main path out to a beautiful bright blue volcanic crater lake. When we visited in the morning, there was a light layer of fog that sat above it, which I think just added to the vibe. The trail is uphill on the way there and is packed dirt and gravel. Once you arrive, a boardwalk and viewing deck is the perfect place to take a rest and enjoy the views.
Mail a postcard back home!
One of my favorite things to do on trips is to mail postcards! Sometimes this can be logistically difficult. You need to buy a postcard, find a pen to fill it out, and then make your way to a local post office and purchase enough international postage (which can be difficult if you don’t speak the local language fluently!). Poás Volcano National Park makes sending postcards back home super easy. At the gift shop, you can pick up postcards and the exact international postage right on site. They’ll let you borrow a pen and then have a mailbox right on site to drop it in. My cousins sent some back to their niece and nephews who are going to love getting them in the mail in a few weeks!
Traveling soon? Check out my Travel Tips page to help you score good deals on flights, packing tips, tools to help you plan, and more!
No Comments