Volcan Poaz (2708 meters) and Volcan Barva (2906 meters) are located very near San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. Volcan Poaz is the more famous of the two because of volcanic activity and has a road to near the crater rim. Volcan Barva has a trail to the top and is considered to be extinct.

Volcan Poaz had a huge eruption in 1953. Another eruption occurred in 1969 as well as many small eruptions on several occasions since then. Last eruption was in 2006.

There is a bluish-green colored lake in the active crater. Barva hasn't had an eruption in thousands of years, and the craters are forested.

Both volcanoes slope's are rich in wildlife and covered with lush rainforest. The area is covered with clouds often, so a little luck is needed to visit the volcanoes on a clear day.

Butterfly on Poaz

Getting There

Vocan Poaz:

Most people visit Volcan Poaz on a guided tour from San Jose. Since every hotel and hostel in the country will book a tour to Poaz, there's little reason to list any of the tour companies!

Volcan Poaz can also be visited independently. Public transport is available to the crater daily. A bus leaves (about $3 one way) from Avenida 2, Calle 11 and Calle 12 at 8:30AM. The bus returns at 2:30PM.

Volcan Barva:

You must first take a bus to Herida. Buses leave from San Jose to Herida every 15 minutes 6AM to 10PM from Calle 10 & 12 and Avenida 2. From Herida, you must take a bus to Paso (passing through San Jose de Montana), Llano and then Sacramento. Buses currently leave at 6:30AM, 11AM, and 4PM. Ask the driver to let you off at the track to Volcan Barva. From there it's 3 kms to the actual trailhead and national park entrance station. Unless you either are lucky and get a ride or have your own vehicle, you will have to walk this distance.

Poaz Crater

Route Description

Volcan Poaz:

The hike is very easy. From the visitor center, simply follow the paved trail through the lush forest for 0.5 km to the crater rim. The route page has much more detail.

Volcan Barva:

From the entrance station, follow the sometimes muddy trail to Lago Barva, which is reached after 2 kms. Just past Lago Barva, keep an eye out for a faded trail up to the crater rim of Volcan Barva. The trail is steep in places and can be hard to follow. The summit of Barva is 4kms from the trailhead. The route page has much more detail.

Leaves along the Volcan Barva trail

Red Tape

There is a $6 entrance fee, payable at the gate for either national park.

When To Climb

December through March is the driest season, and the best time to visit the peaks. February is the driest month of all and has the best weather, but December and January are greener since those months are just after the rainy season.

It is sometimes very wet on both volcanoes, even in the dry season. There's a reason this area is called a rain forest and cloud forest! It can be very cool at higher elevations as well.

Blue-crowned Motmot

Camping

No camping is allowed in Poaz National Park.

Camping is allowed on Volcan Barva in the backcountry and national park rangers have set up tent platforms at Lago Barva and on the crater rim. No other facilities are provided.

Mountain Conditions

For volcanic activity updates for Poaz:

Eruption Updates

or

Eruption Updates

The links don't always work, but you should be able to get through.

You can check the weather forecast for San Jose at weather.com, but the weather is so much wetter and cooler on these two volcanoes, that the weather forecast for San Jose doesn't tell you much.

There are no on-line links for Volcan Barva, in fact the National Park headquarters doesn't even have a fax or phone number!

Sloth hanging around on the slopes of Volcan Poaz

External Links

Volcano Updates

Images



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