Monday, March 18
What a wonderful day we had today! There's so much to share that we'll divide the day into two posts.
The day started at 7:00 am when our driver and guide, Walter Rameriz, picked us up at our condo in his van. We left Atenas and headed off to Poas Volcano via Grecia. But we took a different road than the one we had taken on previous bus trips. This road to Grecia was much shorter, but it was even narrower and steeper, with even sharper hairpin turns and switchbacks. A van could handle this terrain, but a larger bus could not have made some of these turns. The scenery was gorgeous.
We arrived at Pos Volcano National Park (Parque Nacional Volcan Poas) a little after 8:30. We were incredibly lucky that the ride here and the volcano itself were in sunshine with clear views. In the past weeks, the mountain has been shrouded in clouds many of the days, and Walter told us that many tourists had been disappointed to have arrived here and not been able to even see the crater.
We were also fortunate to have arrived early, before the crowds arrived and while there was still room in the parking lot. Walter told us that the Park only admits 100 cars at a time. Once the lot is full, a waiting line forms - one that Walter tells us could be quite long at peak tourist times. Poas Volcano Park is evidently the second most popular tourist site in the country, second only to Manuel Antonio National Park.
We were able to drive almost all the way to the top. We walked about 15 minutes from the parking area to the view spot overlooking the crater. Below are a few still photos and a video from Poas.
Sign describing the main crater, Poas Volcano, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)
Main crater with active fumerole, Poas Volcano, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)
Altitude sign, main crater, Poas Volcano, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)
Connie with guide Walter Ramirez, Poas Volcano, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)
Bob preparing to shoot video, Poas Volcano, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)
Main Crater and surrounding area, Poas Volcano, Costa Rica. Guide Walter Ramirez is sharing information about the volcano with Connie. (Video by Bob)
Sign informing visitors about what to do if the volcano activity becomes too intense. There are sulfurous gases emitted during fumerole activity that can cause asthma and other breathing problems, eye and skin irritations, and the like. Poas Volcano, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)
Bob and Connie at main crater, Poas Volcano, Costa Rica. (Photo by Walter)
There is another main trail that we could have taken in the park. It circles around to a view of an older second crater now called Laguna Botos. But Walter discouraged us from taking it, saying that it was very steep and sometimes slippery. He told us that about a month ago, a sixty year old man slipped on this trail and ultimately died from his fall. That was enough for us to decide to give it a miss. Besides, we had other fish to fry.
We left the park around 10:15 am and headed for La Paz Waterfall Park, which was about 45 minutes away. La Paz was our main objective for today's trip and we wanted as much time there as possible.
Along the way, we passed many fields of strawberries under cultivation. Walter tells us that strawberries will soon become a major agricultural export for Costa Rica, along with coffee, pineapples, bananas, cantaloupe, watermelon, mangoes, and cashews. We stopped at a fruit stand along the way and bought a box of freshly picked strawberries. And of course we sampled them right away. These were THE MOST DELICIOUS strawberries I have ever eaten!
And then, we arrived at La Paz. There is so much to say and show about this magical place that we are devoting a separate post just to La Paz. So, to be continued in "Day Trip to Poas & La Paz - Part Two".
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