Our favorite hotels around the Poas Volcano area include

Perfect for a day trip, or even for a couple of nights stay nearby, Poás is an active volcano in Costa Rica's Central Valley, close to the capital city of San José.

The Best Places to Stay around Poas Volcano, Costa Rica

Poás Volcano Lodge

Poás Volcano

Costa Rica Coffee, the Flavors, and Unique Varieties 

Coffee Plantation Visit

Culture

Hiking in Costa Rica

Hiking

Nature & Wildlife

National Parks

Most people coming to Poás stay in San José or near the airport. There are, however, a few boutique inns and cute bed and breakfasts here.

Explore the national park and experience the volcano. There are also coffee farms and rural activities to take part in, from horseback riding to hiking.

<h2>Poas Volcano: For Adventurous Day-Trips</h2>Located north of San José, in the province of Alajuela, Poas Volcano is one of Costa Rica’s most famous active volcanoes to visit. Because it is only an hour and a half from the capital, visiting this volcano and the national park makes for a great day trip. Standing at almost 8,900 ft above sea level, Volcan Poas National Park is home to three craters. However, most visitors experience only two of them.&nbsp;The first crater is the main one, called Laguna Caliente (Hot Lagoon). It's one of the largest volcano craters on the planet, measuring almost a mile across its diameter. Visitors can walk right up to the edge here, where a fence protects them from a 900-foot drop to the bottom of the crater, where the hot lagoon lies. This blue-green lake often bubbles and boils and emits sulfurous gasses. This crater is often a visitor's first ever experience of an active volcano. It is easily accessible from a paved pathway from the parking lot and the visitor center about half a mile away.Poas Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Costa Rica, with increased activity noted in recent years. In April 2017, authorities closed the national park for over a year due to volcanic activity, causing a massive smoke plume to rise almost two miles. Now that the park is open again, you will see steam and gasses coming from the crater and occasional geyser-like eruptions.To the south of the main crater, the second crater is extinct and contains a beautiful lake, Botos Lagoon, surrounded by verdant cloud forests. Visitors can access a viewpoint looking out over this cold water lagoon through a well-kept trail which takes around 25 minutes to walk.There's also a third crater, called the Von Frantzius crater, which most day-trip visitors won't see. It's a long-extinct crater, accessible only to the fittest and active hikers, rarely visited.Visitors to Poás can also enjoy a modern visitor center and museum, where they can learn a lot about the park and volcano in particular and volcanic activity in general. However, because of the higher elevation, it can get quite chilly and damp, so a light jacket or rain parka and appropriate walking/hiking shoes are recommended when visiting this national park.Surrounding the craters, the park is full of dense vegetation and small wildlife, including birds, coyotes, squirrels, rabbits, snakes, and frogs. Larger mammals are not typically found here due to the higher elevation.&nbsp;<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/vacationscostarica-com/image/upload/v1648150984/alajuela_poas_crater_panoramic_view_23f9be0410.jpg" alt="alajuela-poas-crater-panoramic-view.jpg" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/vacationscostarica-com/image/upload/v1648150985/thumbnail_alajuela_poas_crater_panoramic_view_23f9be0410.jpg 245w,https://res.cloudinary.com/vacationscostarica-com/image/upload/v1648150986/small_alajuela_poas_crater_panoramic_view_23f9be0410.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/vacationscostarica-com/image/upload/v1648150985/medium_alajuela_poas_crater_panoramic_view_23f9be0410.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/vacationscostarica-com/image/upload/v1648150985/large_alajuela_poas_crater_panoramic_view_23f9be0410.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw"><h3>Best time to travel to Poás Volcano</h3>The best time to visit Poás is in the early morning before the clouds roll in and cover the crater (usually, before 10 am is best), a widespread occurrence. This early-morning recommendation applies year-round, although you're more likely to see a clear crater during the December to April dry season than any other time. This is because Poás lies above the frost line and is one of the few places in Costa Rica where the temperature can drop below freezing at night.<h3>Weather in Poás</h3>Poás is one of those rare parts of Costa Rica where you can pretty much count on it to be cold, cloudy, and windy all year round. Although, of course, it's less cloudy and windy from December to April, but only marginally so.<h3>Is Poás safe?</h3>As a national park surrounded by rural communities and farms, the Poás area is relatively crime-free. You're extremely unlikely to be a victim outside of the golden rule about never leaving anything in your car. The biggest dangers come from the volcano itself, which is still active. Be aware that some trails in the park are still closed after the 2017 eruptions and that they can close the park at any moment if the volcanic activity gets too hairy. Oh - and don't get lost, either. Stay on the trails.&nbsp;<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/vacationscostarica-com/image/upload/v1646943559/coffee_farm_visit_tasting_session_costa_rica_bbebbea9b7.jpg" alt="coffee-farm-visit-tasting-session-costa-rica.jpg" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/vacationscostarica-com/image/upload/v1646943560/thumbnail_coffee_farm_visit_tasting_session_costa_rica_bbebbea9b7.jpg 234w,https://res.cloudinary.com/vacationscostarica-com/image/upload/v1646943561/small_coffee_farm_visit_tasting_session_costa_rica_bbebbea9b7.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/vacationscostarica-com/image/upload/v1646943561/medium_coffee_farm_visit_tasting_session_costa_rica_bbebbea9b7.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/vacationscostarica-com/image/upload/v1646943560/large_coffee_farm_visit_tasting_session_costa_rica_bbebbea9b7.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw"><h2>How to Get to Poás</h2>San Jose Airport (Airport Code SJO) outside San Jose is the closest international airport to Poás.<h3>Distance &amp; Driving Time to Poás</h3>From SJO Airport: 21 miles (33 kilometers), about 1 hourAll Costa Rican Vacations packages include an airport "meet and greet" service and private transfers with English-speaking drivers, which means you're all set when you arrive in-country - just sit back, relax. Our driver will get you to your destination.If you're driving to Poás from SJO Airport,&nbsp; give yourself about an hour, plus an hour or so, to arrange your car rental. Make sure you arrive in Costa Rica early enough in the day to not drive at night.Come out of the airport and onto the junction, and follow the signs into the city of Alajuela. You'll pass by the City Mall on your left, and soon you'll be downtown. Make sure you have Waze on not to get lost in the city center.The road will take you up to Poás as long as you don't deviate as it starts winding through the countryside on an uphill trajectory.Soon you'll get to the village of Pilas, where you'll follow the road to the left at the church. Keep on up - if you see signs for the Starbucks coffee farm, you're all good. Pass the farm and more villages and coffee plantations, keep on until you reach Flores de Poás, and follow the road to the left. Keep on up, and soon you'll get to the park entrance after a beautiful drive.You're okay as long as you don't deviate from this road as it leaves Alajuela and passes through rural Costa Rica on a slow uphill route. Pass through farmland and small villages until you reach the community of Flores del Poas. By now, you'll be seeing a lot of signs for the Peace Lodge or La Paz Waterfall Gardens, so you know you're on the right track.