Travel
to Costa Rica
Poas Volcano National Park**(5)
Like
the other volcanoes in the Central Volcanic Cordillera,
the silhouette of Poás Volcano as seen from the Central
Valley gives no hint of the power and pent-up fury
below the surface. But once at the summit and standing
on the crater's rim, it becomes easier to understand
the forces that have shaped this region of the planet.
With a diameter of 1.5 km., the active crater is
reportedly the widest of any volcano in the world.
If it is clear enough to see to the bottom of the
300-meter deep crater, you will surely observe some
type of activity ranging from fumaroles to bubbling
emissions on the surface of the small rain-filled
lake to actual geyser-type eruptions, but it is constantly
changing. During the early 1990s, there was enough
geyser activity to cause the lake to lose its water
by the end of the dry season (April/May); this resulted
in increased gaseous emanations that forced the park
to close on a few occasions.
Looking to the left of the crater you can see the
deleterious effects of the volcanic gases that cause
a localized form of acid rain. For several kilometers
downwind from the crater the vegetation is brown and
dying.
A few meters back down the trail from the active
crater overlook, a 1.5 km. trail leads off to Lake
Botos, a densely forested dormant crater filled with
rain water. A portion of this trail goes through an
eerie-looking section of stunted forest. The trunks
and branches of the small trees here are gnarled and
twisted from the harsh climatic conditions in exposed
areas at high elevations. At the Lake Botos overlook
you'll be near the highest point in the park which
is 2,704 meters.
At this elevation wildlife is not particularly abundant,
but there is usually a fair amount of bird activity.
Some of the more common species are the Fiery-throated
Hummingbird, Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, Slaty Flowerpiercer,
Mountain Eleania, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush,
and Black-and-yellow Silky-Flycatcher.
Given its high visitation, the National Park Service
has chosen Poás as a model park. One of the benefits
of this is the Visitors' Center which presents a thorough
explanation of vulcanism and the natural history of
Poás using a variety of entertaining and informative
displays.
Climate: It can get cool at this 2,500+ meter
elevation, so layers are advised. If it is sunny,
use plenty of sunscreen because the thinner air lets
the UV rays through even more intensely than if you
were at the beach. Mornings tend to be clear, but
the clouds can build up quickly. The driest months
are from January to April.
