Poás Volcano National Park

Poás Volcano National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Location	Alajuela Province, Costa Rica
Coordinates	10°11′53″N 84°13′52″W
Area	65 square kilometres (25 sq mi)
Established	25 January 1971
Governing body	National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC)
www.costarica-nationalparks.com/poasvolcanonationalpark.html

Poás Volcano National Park, in Spanish Parque Nacional Volcán Poás, is a National Park in Costa Rica that covers an area of approximately 65 square kilometres (16,000 acres); the summit is 2,700 metres (8,900 ft). One of the attractive features about Poás is that you can get all the way to the edge of the crater. The volcano is located in the Central Volcanic Conservation Area located in the Alajuela Province near the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, which encompasses the area around the Poás Volcano. The main crater is 290 metres (950 ft) deep and is quite active with frequent small geyser and lava eruptions, however the last major eruptions were during 1952-54. Two more craters make up parts of the park, the extinct Von Frantzuis crater and the Botos crater. Botos is a beautiful cold, green water crater lake with a diameter of 370 metres (1,200 ft). The Botos crater has not erupted for about 7,500 years. Well-marked trails will take you to see the two inactive craters. The park is frequently closed to visitors because of sulphuric gas emissions. Over the last decade there have been a number of indications that the volcano is slowly building up towards a new eruption.

Flora and fauna

The park maintains a variety of wild plant and animal species, such as the Poas magnolia tree, and Bangs's mountain squirrel. It is also home to 79 bird species, including the clay-colored robin, black guan, resplendent quetzal and varieties of hummingbirds, tanagers, flycatchers and toucans. Mammals within the park include coyotes, rabbits, and marmots.

Lake Botos is an inactive crater also located within the Poás Volcano National Park.

Fumarole activity at the Poás crater.

See also

• Tourism in Costa Rica
• List of volcanoes in Costa Rica
• National Parks of Costa Rica

External links

• Poás Volcano National Park at Costa Rica National Parks
• Poas Volcano National Park