• Costa Rica Guide

  • Introduction to Costa Rica
  • Weather
  • Things not to miss
  • Getting Around
  • Public Holidays
  • Entry requirements
  • Money

• Explore Costa Rica

  • San José
  • The Valle Central and the highlands
  • Limón Province and the Caribbean coast
  • The Zona Norte
  • Guanacaste
  • The Central Pacific and southern Nicoya
  • The Zona Sur

• Cities

  • San José
    

Costa Rica Guide

The Valle Central and the highlands

Parque Nacional Volcán Poás

• Accommodation

PARQUE NACIONAL VOLCÁN POÁS ( 482-2165 or 482-2424; daily 8am–3.30pm; $7), just 37km north of Alajuela, is home to one of the world's most accessible active volcanos, with a history of eruptions that goes back eleven million years. Poás' last gigantic blowout was on January 25, 1910, when it dumped 640,000 tons of ash on the surrounding area, and from time to time you may find that the volcano is off limits due to sulphurous gas emissions, so check conditions with the ICT in San José before you set off.