The walk starts out harmless: a few hundred meters through gnarled cloud forest.
Then the trees open up – and in front of you is a hole almost a mile across.
At the bottom, a lake with a pH close to zero. It steams. You have twenty minutes.
Scroll –
from the cloud forest to the crater rim
Poás Volcano National Park is open. On 27 August 2026 an eruption during the night threw material about 600 m (2,000 ft) from the crater; the next day the park authority SINAC tightened the rules. Since then only 1,064 visitors a day are allowed in, and helmets are mandatory at the viewpoint. There is no end date – and a same-day closure remains possible at any time.
A paved, nearly level path from the visitor center to the mirador on the rim of the main crater. Entry only at the booked time, no more than 56 people at once and a maximum of 20 minutes at the mirador, helmets mandatory. Last entry at 2:00 pm according to the Tico Times.
A short nature trail through the dwarf forest, named after the giant Gunnera leaves along it (“poor man's umbrella”). Listed as open in the reports of 28 August and 3 September 2026 – also with a helmet.
The trail to the cold rainwater lake in an extinct side crater was closed as a precaution in 2024 and 2025. The 2026 reports name only the main trail and Sombrilla de Pobre as open. We found no evidence of its status today – do not build your plan around it.
The crater itself and the ground beside the approved trails are off limits. Since 30 April 2026, Law 10,861 sets the fine: three base salaries, considerably more for guides, plus the cost of any rescue.
Photo: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Poás is one of the few active craters in the world where you walk to the rim on a paved path. That is exactly why the visit is timed so tightly.
From the visitor center it is a few hundred meters, nearly level, through low, wind-bent forest. Then you are standing at a railing and the ground drops 300 m (about 1,000 ft). The main crater is roughly 1.5 km (0.9 miles) across. At the bottom lies Laguna Caliente, a milky turquoise lake with a pH close to zero – one of the most acidic in the world. Steam and gas rise from its shore, and when the wind turns, you smell the sulfur.
At around 2,700 m (8,900 ft) it is windy and much colder than in San José. Automatic sensors measure sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide around the clock. The shelters at the mirador hold exactly 56 people – hence the limit. After 20 minutes it is the next group's turn.
And sometimes you see nothing at all. From late morning, fog rises into the crater almost every day; in the rainy season from May to November often by around 10:00 am. There is no refund for that. Booking the earliest available time slot gives you the best odds.
The crater visit itself is short: a few hundred meters of trail and at most 20 minutes at the mirador. Tours from San José therefore pair it with a coffee farm and La Paz waterfall. According to the operators, tours from San José include the national park ticket – check the inclusions before you book, because nobody gets through the gate without a named online ticket.
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 21 September 2026. Whether the crater is clear or full of fog is up to the mountain – and if SINAC closes the park, the crater stop is canceled.
There is no ticket office at the park gate – not since the 2018 reopening, and the environment ministry MINAE confirmed it again in 2025. Tickets are sold exclusively through SINAC's SICORE system at serviciosenlinea.sinac.go.cr. Here is how the reservation works:
Register a user account in SICORE. The password arrives by email, sometimes with a delay. If it has not come after a day, write to reservaciones.sinac@sinac.go.cr. SINAC recommends Chrome or Edge in incognito mode.
Select “Parque Nacional Volcán Poás”, then the day and time slot. Take the earliest one available. Since the capacity was halved, slots on weekends and holidays go quickly.
Name, ID number and country of origin for every person. Tickets are issued by name, and names cannot be changed afterward. No more than 10 tickets per transaction.
Credit or debit card with 3-D Secure; allow pop-ups in your browser. Adults US$16.95, children aged 2 to 12 US$5.65.
You are admitted only at the booked time. If you are running late, the park asks you to let them know by email beforehand.
Not for fog or rain either, and tickets cannot be transferred to other parks. Only if the park closes because of an emergency will SINAC move you to another date, by email.
| Foreign visitors aged 13 and over (US$15 + 13% VAT) | US$16.95 |
| Foreign children aged 2–12 (US$5 + VAT) | US$5.65 |
| Children under 2 | free |
| Costa Rican nationals and residents: adults / children (no VAT) | ₡1,000 / ₡500 |
| 24 August (National Parks Day) – a ticket is still required and the quota still applies | free admission |
One day after the 27 August eruption, SINAC put the visit back on its strictest model. The park stays open, but with half as many places as before.
It used to be 2,052. If you want to come on a weekend or holiday, book the ticket first – and the rental car or hotel after that.
That is how many fit under the shelters against volcanic projectiles. The number applies at any one time; after 20 minutes at most, the group changes.
On the main trail and on Sombrilla de Pobre. Whether helmets are handed out at the entrance, and whether that costs anything, is not stated in any source we could access.
According to the Tico Times the park is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, with last entry at 2:00 pm. The tourism board ICT gives 8:00 am to 3:30 pm. What counts is the time on your ticket.
Poás does not erupt with lava flows but with sudden explosions of steam, mud and ash. There is no glow for visitors to see. Two agencies assess the situation independently of each other.
The start of the most violent phase since 2017. On 21 and 23 April ash columns rise more than 4 km (2.5 miles), and the emergency commission CNE declares a red alert for the park. Last major eruption: 19 May 2025.
The CNE drops back to green on 2 July. The park opens with 19 groups of no more than 108 people at 20-minute intervals, tickets online only.
Material lands about 600 m (2,000 ft) away – in the middle of the night, outside opening hours. The next day SINAC halves the daily capacity and brings back mandatory helmets and the limit of 56.
A preventive civil-protection alert for the national park and five surrounding districts. According to the CNE, the activity may last days, weeks or months. On 7 September OVSICORI reports that Poás keeps degassing, with no notable deformation.
Yellow on the volcano observatory's scale: marked activity, small eruptions, acid gases, projectiles close to the crater, light ashfall possible. Chart dated 24 July 2026, accessed 21 September 2026.
Poás is not a hike. The path to the crater is paved, nearly level and a few hundred meters long. No source we could check gives lengths or walking times for the side trails.
| Main trail to the Mirador Cráter Principal | From the visitor center at the parking lot to the viewing platform on the rim of the main crater, with shelters. Paved, nearly level. 20 minutes maximum at the mirador, helmets mandatory. Included in admission. |
| Sendero Sombrilla de Pobre | Short nature trail through the dwarf forest with giant Gunnera leaves. Open according to reports of 28 August and 3 September 2026, helmets mandatory. Included in admission. |
| Trail to Laguna Botos | From the mirador to a cold rainwater lake in an extinct side crater. Reported closed as a precaution since January 2024 and again March 2025; status in 2026 not documented. |
Photo: MongeNajera · CC BY-SA 3.0
By car: From San José/Alajuela airport via Alajuela and Fraijanes, or via Heredia and Vara Blanca, to Poasito and on to the park gate (three routes according to ICT). Parking lot at the visitor center.
Book the earliest available time slot: from late morning, fog rises into the crater almost every day, in the rainy season (May to November) often by around 10:00 am. December to April brings the most clear mornings but is also the most heavily booked; since the daily capacity was halved in late August 2026, weekends and holidays are especially tight. On the morning of your visit, check the OVSICORI webcam and the SINAC channels – closures come without notice.
The selection is thin here: these tours have only a few reviews so far. We list them because they offer something different – a semi-private group, a guided visit to the park alone, or a start in Alajuela near the airport.
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 21 September 2026. Before booking, check that park admission is listed in the inclusions.
Yes, as of 21 September 2026 the national park is open. According to press reports on SINAC announcements, stricter rules have applied since 28 August 2026: only 1,064 visitors a day, no more than 56 at the crater at once, mandatory helmets. The authorities can close the park at short notice at any time.
Online only, in SINAC's SICORE system at serviciosenlinea.sinac.go.cr. Create an account, choose the date and time, enter a name and passport number for every person, and pay by card. No tickets are sold at the park.
There are no refunds, not for fog or rain either. Only after an emergency closure of the park will SINAC move you to a new date – by email to reservaciones.sinac@sinac.go.cr.
According to the operators, tours from San José include the ticket. Do not take it on faith: read the inclusions before booking, because tickets are issued by name and nobody is admitted at the gate without one.
In thick fog you see nothing of the crater, and there is no refund. Your odds are best in the earliest time slot, and the dry season from December to April brings the most clear mornings. On the day, check the OVSICORI webcam.
No. Poás is active, but its eruptions are explosions of steam, mud and ash. What you see is the acid lake, fumaroles and gas plumes.
Foreign adults pay US$15 plus 13% VAT, so US$16.95 (about €15). Children aged 2 to 12 pay US$5.65, toddlers nothing.
No more than 20 minutes at the viewpoint, and never more than 56 people at once. That number matches the places under the shelters against volcanic projectiles.
Currently, yes. Since 28 August 2026 safety helmets have been mandatory on the main trail to the crater and on the Sombrilla de Pobre trail. The rule applies until the activity subsides.
No. You visit on your own, on a short paved path. The only binding things are the booked time slot and the rangers' instructions.
You do not get your money back, but after an emergency closure SINAC will move you to another date. Write to reservaciones.sinac@sinac.go.cr. Fog or rain do not count as a reason.
In the first time slot from 8:00 am if at all possible. During the morning the crater fills with fog almost every day, especially early in the rainy season. The clearest mornings come in the dry season from December to April.
It is an active volcano with sudden explosions of steam and ash; most recently, on 27 August 2026, material landed 600 m (2,000 ft) away. OVSICORI has it at level 2 of 4, and the CNE has declared an Alerta Verde. The visitor model with sensors, helmets, shelters and a short stay is meant to keep the remaining risk small – nobody can rule it out.
The path is easy; the issues are the gases and the elevation of about 2,700 m (8,900 ft). In 2018 SINAC advised against visiting with children under 12, for people over 65 and with health conditions. With asthma or heart problems, get medical advice first.
By rental car via Alajuela and Fraijanes to Poasito, roughly an hour and a half. Many operators run half-day tours from San José; the ticket has to be booked in advance in that case too.
That is uncertain. The trail was closed as a precaution in 2024 and 2025, and the current reports name only the main trail and Sombrilla de Pobre as open. Your best bet is to ask at the park or by email.
Sources · accessed on 21 September 2026
