Parque Nacional Volcán Poás

The park was open when I visited and the volcano looked quite active (steam coming out). VERY IMPORTANT: Buy your tickets beforehand! Buy them before starting for Poas Volcano (a few days prior would be even better to get your desired time slot). At the entrance, they do not sell tickets. There is some WiFi where you can attempt to buy but the signal is not reliable. They will not let you enter if you do not have a prepaid ticket and if you do not arrive for your designated time slot. Try to arrive before 10 am. It gets cloudy afterwards to the point where you wouldn't be able to see the volcano. From the secured parking, it's a short walk (5-10 mins) to the viewpoint on a gradual incline. Expect to spend 10-15 mins at the top, taking pictures and admiring the view (or more if you are waiting for the clouds to clear for a moment). It is quite an impressive site when the conditions are right! There are restrooms at the main building after the car parking. If you are calling Uber or something for your return, you may not get enough signal. Better to have your own car or arrange for return transportation beforehand. Typically, takes around 1h 10 mins driving from the airport area (give yourself 10-15 mins buffer because of strictness of entry and vehicle queue at entrance). On navigation, put "Poas Volcano main parking lot".

Visiting a National Park such as this one is not necessarily for those on a budget or who like to do activities on the fly. You have to get your tickets online in advance and it’s about $20 per person and then once you drive here (from San Jose depending on what part it can can be 1.5 to two hours) their hand is out for their mandatory parking fee. Please note they do check to make sure you have tickets before you are allowed to pay. Many people mentioned that they had a time limit of 20 minutes that was enforced, but that was not our experience. We were up there longer than 45 minutes and no one said anything to us. We did have on shades and I think that helped our eyes out. Really Breathtaking experience and since your in Costa Rica you minus well come on to see it. Some people mentioned it was cold at the top and again that was not our experience your blood should be flowing from the hike up there. They have a museum on site with a lot of valuable information. Also their bathrooms were clean , we did not go in the gift shop. The hike was easy peezy and only took us about 15 - 20 minutes. Have fun 🤩

Unique to see an active volcano so close. Highly recommended place to visit. The actual crater was a fairly easy walk of 15 minutes from parking 2 on a paved road. Be mindful that if you want to see the lake, the last entry to the lake gate is 2:30 pm. Even if you are in the park near the crater, you won’t be able to go see the lake because the close the trail gates.

Nice national park to visit while in San José. English speaking tourists: the bus times in the website are wrong. Check the Spanish version of the website for up-to-date information. I wish there was more information about the different trails, which ones are opened/closed. There could also be more historic and scientific information about the volcano. There were only a few signs.

Breathtaking views, if you are interested in geology it's definitely a must. The park offers two options: very easily accessible main crater with a viewing platform (about 10-15 minutes walk, can be done even by children and elderly) and also if you like a little trek there is the volcanic lake path for a bit of exercise.

Started the day early at Poás National Park and it was unforgettable. At first, I thought the park was closed due to volcanic activity, but luckily it was open. The hike up to Laguna Botos was magical—peaceful, serene, and filled with hummingbirds. On the way back, I took time to read all the signs and learned so much about the local flora. The highlight was reaching the volcano just before the clouds rolled in, offering a breathtaking view before everything disappeared into mist. A truly enchanting Costa Rica experience and well worth the visit!

Awesome place if you like breathtaking views. You should target good weather without clouds if possible. Also double check official website to make sure park will be open on your visit date. Take time and check the trail near volcano, it will lead you to the second crater with a lake inside through a cloud forest. Unforgettable journey, totally worth it if we are talking about your time and money.

Poás Volcano is something out of this world – absolutely breathtaking! Getting there is very easy, and the park offers top-notch facilities: viewing platforms at different heights so you can enjoy the crater from various angles, safety shelters in case of an eruption during your visit, clean restrooms, a small museum, and even its own shop and restaurant. I 100% recommend visiting this park!