A Sunday on the vulcan Poás and the cataratas La Paz

At seven in the morning, Jorge from the Don Quijote school picks us up and with Valentina we drive to the Poás, one of the active volcanoes in Costa Rica. The plan is to visit the park and later the Catarates La Paz.

We are lucky… we can see the Poás crater with the lake

Overtaking cyclists our car winds up and up through coffee and strawberry plantations (we buy strawberries sold along the road later) and at eight we reach the Poás vulcan on about 2700m. It is chilly… Valentina from Belgium feels cold – no mountains there, just “mon plat pays”. Good that I have two jackets with me.

We are almost alone. The park has just opened. On a wide paved road we walk 600m to the newest crater from an eruption in 1953.

This crater has been active again in the nineties. Because of the sulfur emitted from the crater it is only allowed to watch it from the lookout. I catch the photo with the steam cloud.

Walking through shady forest to the Laguna Botos

Up we walk on a well maintained path through a shady cloud forest to the next crater. It is extinct and holds the Laguna Botos.

The Sendero Canto Aves

We continue our way on the Sendero Canto Aves. Ursula and Valentina see hummingbirds – I hear many birds, but cannot see them in the dense forest. I enjoy the beautiful umbrellas of poor people,

the bromelias,

and the fern trees.

When we come back to the visitor center around ten, I think that I am at a different place than two hours ago. Everything is packed with tourists. Good that we were here so early!

Not far from here… the La Paz waterfall gardens

After a short ride we reach the La Paz waterfall gardens. We find a zoo with the birds, mammals, frogs, butterflies and snakes of Costa Rica, a pool, jacuzi and a pond for fishing trouts, a restaurant for lunch (very efficient, but good food) and several waterfalls in the jungle.

Here is a tame tucan.