Poás Volcano
Image 
Poas Rent A Car takes its name from the volcano closest to the country’s capital and the agency’s first office. Poás reflects the company being “proudly Costa Rican” as the volcano and surrounding national park are symbolic of the country’s natural beauty, and environmental commitment. Costa Rican owned and operated, Poas offers local warmth and international standards of vehicle quality and professionalism.
And so, for my childhood years, my father and his Poas partners felt that every visitor should be taken to view the volcano that gave our company its name. I have blurred memories of the winding road through rolling hills with family, friends, and business associates to the famed aquamarine lake of Poás Volcano.
Recently, I returned to the Poás National Park with my cousins, Santiago and Yessenia, from the United States to continue the family tradition of a day out and was pleasantly surprised at how unchanged it was from my recollections. Yessenia was less than enthusiastic at the dawn start to reach the volcano peak before it clouded over, and at the idea of leaving her new bikinis unpacked to take a waterproof jacket, but we persuaded her that the trip would be worth sacrificing her sleep and fashion sense. We headed off towards Alajuela for the hour’s drive, aiming to get to the park as it opened at 8:00am for our best chance of clear views across the acidic Lago Caliente or Hot Lake that bubbles with volcanic activity.
We left the city on the main Pan-American Highway to head through the airport city of Alajuela before taking the smaller route to San Pedro de Poas out of the city center and started to climb up the hillsides. The air was fresh and wispy clouds lay low on the pastures where cows watched us pass, as we drove around the bends on the mountain road to the park’s entrance. As a popular tourist attraction, there is a safe parking lot just before the visitor’s gate and my cousins paid the $10 entry fee to begin our adventure. The short trail to the center point of the park is paved and was an easy stroll although we had to pause along the way to pose against the huge, tropical foliage for Yessenia’s Instagram shots.
We were so lucky that the panorama over the mile-wide crater was clear. On previous visits, cloud cover has disappointed visitors and we’ve huddled together in our rain jackets to peer hopefully into the mists for a glimpse of the lake below. Our crack of dawn exit from the house was rewarded with the spectacular sight of the blue-green waters and the tell-tale aroma of sulfur emitted by the volcano’s rumblings under the surface. And you better believe that it stinks! Although Costa Rica has other volcanoes, each with their unique characteristics, there is no other crater lake with such incredible color. As more visitors started to join us at the viewing platform, we left – the sign asks that visitors move on after ten minutes so that everyone can get the best views.
As we still had the whole day ahead of us, we headed for Lake Botos trail that starts near the crater lake. The less-visited crater is also filled with a lake, but unlike the Hot Lake, the waters are completely transparent and it’s surrounded by cloud forest for a peaceful scene. The trail’s downward slope is steep and unpaved, although it is not that long – allow an hour to walk around to the lake and along the Escalonia trail. We had our eyes peeled but weren’t fortunate enough to see any of the rare Queztales that are occasionally spotted here. We did see loads of squirrels and the little brown yiguirro, which is Costa Rica’s national bird, as well as more brightly colored birdlife that had Santiago reaching for his camera. The winds at this height stunt the tree growth, and push the branches into strange angles to create what is known as a dwarf cloud forest. The hike was not a challenge although we were glad to have switched to sneakers as the gravelly path and incline would have been difficult wearing sandals. With the temperature picking up despite the descending clouds, and our exercise, we were ready to ditch the rainproof jackets and finish the trail in t-shirts and hastily applied sun-screen. One of the big pluses for Santiago was that the altitude was high enough that mosquitoes weren’t around to plague him, as he is usually a magnet for biting bugs.
Our stomachs were growling as we waited for Yessenia to browse the selection of souvenirs at the gift shop, but we decided to skip the small, crowded café to get a hearty gallo pinto with all the works — sour cream, eggs, and sausage — at a restaurant with mountain views. After washing this down with fresh orange juice and coffee, we were ready for the rest of our day. We debated whether to visit the La Paz Waterfall gardens or to see the painted ox-carts at Sarchi, but eventually settled for a nearby coffee tour so that Santiago could see his favorite beverage from the bean to the cup. I stopped at a roadside stand to pick up the some punnets of the sweet strawberries that are famous in the region to take home to my mom, and our day was complete.
I’m glad that I have these memories, both new and old, of my times visiting the volcano with loved ones, as I’m sure many others are as well. I’m looking forward to sharing it with my son — once he’s old enough to walk on his own. Carrying him is just too much! 😉
When you arrive in Costa Rica, please try to experience our national treasure and company namesake — Volcán Poás. It’s worth it.
