Poas Volcano National Park - Admission Ticket

The volcano was suburb even in the rain. HOWEVER, the tickets were not from Viator directly and it was close to impossible to deal with the company they used. Thy gave us a whatsapp number no one picket up. We wound up spend hours to get the code number, and had to change the day as a result, and hoped the code we finally got would work at the gate, and it did. TOOOO much aggravation with viator on this trip.

Don’t go if any chance of rain, lighting yesterday and flooding over the roads, 6 hour drive and couldn’t see anything

I had a very disappointing experience. The tour guide never showed up and did not respond to any of my emails, WhatsApp messages, or phone calls. I also never received the entry code required to access the park. As a result, the park staff had to assist me in purchasing new tickets so I could enter. This situation caused unnecessary stress, inconvenience, and additional expenses. Given that the service I paid for was not provided, I am requesting a full refund of the amount I paid. I look forward to your prompt response and resolution.

An amazing view and great experience. Foot traffic was minimal and photos came out great. Staff was helpful.

It was a short, but nice walk. The patch was fully paved, but could present some challenges with steps and steep sections. We did have to deal with some fog and impending storm and weren't able to view the lake unfortunately. There was also a lack of wildlife, but also could have been sheltering from the storm. As added comfort, there were several shelters we could have used if it decided to pour on us. The view of the crater was breath taking! That alone made the visit worthwhile. There were also restrooms available at the visitors center. With the required reservation system it is hard to plan for good weather.

Tickets for Costa Rica's national forests and parks are unnecessarily hard to get. Th prices for foreign visitors has also gotten higher over the years I've been visiting. Getting tickets for Manuel Antonio through the Costa Rican government.... forget about it. Confusing and timed. Going through a third party isn't my favorite way to go but it worked. Awesome place to see and the jungle walks through the park are dense. Not crowded except for a couple school tours. If you have breathing issues, be warned, if the wind is right the fumes can be a concern.

Excellent tour guide Walbert 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Breakfast was Excellent also Very educational tour

if you can figure out how to buy a ticket on the park website, just do that. It is $17 cheaper. We could not figure out how to purchase on the park website so we chose Viator to book through and pay the extra $. After you book it, you have to get a code through another third-party which Viator works with and it was not easy to get. I had to contact customer support and it took quite a bit of back-and-forth to get the code.It was a lot of trouble to get to see the Volcano but once we got it all straightened out it was worth the trip.

I would not advise to go to the volcano this time of year. You can see absolutely nothing as the fog is so thick. Itappears that it rains a lot, which is fine but the visibility is zero. The park person told us that if you come in April, you will be able to see the volcano. So unless you come in April, it’s a waste of your money Next thing you must be aware of, when you purchase tickets through TripAdvisor, can you get an email confirming your purchase. However, you must get a special code through the ‎Whats up app that was a bit frustrating as we had no clue how to do that. We did figure it out.

You may need to wait for the fog to clear up, but when it did for us, we enjoyed a spectacular view! The hike was great. The park was very organized and well maintained.

Definitely worth seeing. It was foggy so we didn't get to see the lagoon but we did walk the entire trail which was paved and nice.

We were told we had to book in advance that we couldn't book at the entrance so we were not able to see what the weather was like. It was cloudy and raining the day we went so we couldn't see anything

Cloud 9 experience. Hidden gem that cannot be missed during Costa Rica trip. We did combined the coffee farm visit and got best day trip planned from San Jose.

I think it was pointless. Too cloudy to see anything. They should only open when u can actually see something or have other things to do along the way. Bc $30+ to walk in rain and cloudy weather did not make any sense.

Guardians say i need a code with 2 lettera and 4 numbers.. kind of BS3892... They say you are notvofficial website and that confirmation code is not good. They not let us to pass. There was no internet, so not possible to call you. I fly over 10.000 km to see volcano. Because of you i didnt. You ruined my Christmas day. I show code, still they not let us in.

Highly recommend going! Had a great time viewing the volcano and the craters. The walking wasn't bad.

This is really a review of two things. First, gaining access to the park. You must purchase tickets to the park in advance. Tickets are timed. You can *try* to purchase tickets from SINAC, the Costa Rican national park authority. The SINAC website is very, very difficult to navigate. After spending a fair amount of time trying to work with the site, I gave up and went this route. Yes, it’s essentially double the cost, but it also means actually seeing Poas Volcano rather than wasting precious vacation time trying to navigate the SINAC website. Once you purchase tickets through this seller, read your confirmation email carefully. You must contact the seller via WhatsApp to obtain a code you must give to the gate guards at the park. The seller was very responsive and directions were clear. Second, the VOLCANO WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. We lucked into great weather and had a clear view of the crater. You cannot imagine the scale of the crater, and the views from the observation decks are great. We also got away from the crowds and hiked to the lagoon and through the cloud forest. In all, we spent about 2.5 hours at the park. There is a nice gift shop with a cafe. A great morning activity to combine with a tour of Doka Coffee Plantation in the afternoon.

Great experience. We loved all the local opportunities to stop on our drive up to the park. Even though we had a cloudy day and visibility was zero, it was still a great park all around. Prepare for a wet experience. Purchase/bring a poncho.

Trip was from our Lodge to Poas. Nice drive. The crater is, currently, somewhat active. The Park Service controls access to fixed-size groups, provides hard hats, and limits time at the crater to allow others to funnel through. Our visit was on a clear day. Wonderful views of the crater and the active, bubbling vents. A rather vigorous walk uphill from the visitor's center two the crater.

Website to get tickets is extremely difficult. This is second time on Costa Rica that I had to find another option. I bought tickets from s small souvenir shop on the way up., twenty minutes before our ticket time. Road is very good to the park, ample parking spots. Given colour coded helmets according to group. Shown a short video in large cinema Ten minute uphill walk to volcano. It was raining so visibility was nil, though we could hear bubbling. Found out that the park was closed the next day because of activity. So sorry not to see more.

I'm so glad I read the reviews before we went. Because of them, I knew to go directly to the website for the park itself where the tickets are $15 each & it even alerts you to save your confirmation # & about how much the parking is. Because of this, we were fully prepared when we got to the park & handed over our confirmation # at the 1st window & paid for parking at the 2nd window. Then we knew to get a hardhat & watch a safety video. The whole process was seamless due to reading the reviews beforehand & the volcano was awesome! Great experience!

We'd been fortunate to see the crater several times before, but this was a rare opportunity to visit when it's been active. Current restrictions limit time on the observation deck at 20 minutes (which is more than sufficient) and everyone has to wear hard hats. First we were directed to a theater to watch a safety video. I noticed that each "cohort" wore a different color hard hat (we were yellow). The group before us were green, and after, red. This is a clever way to keep track of how long visitors have been up there. There are small shelters to run into if needed (fun). I had not noticed these before. I had bought tickets from home, knowing that dealing with the SINAC website can be tricky. You also pay to park, I believe it was about 6 USD.

Bad, we have to wait and wait because the park did not had our entrance ticket. They suggest to buy another tickets directly with them. And the price was double with this company.

Wasn’t able to see anything since it was raining and fog cloudy really poor experience, cold weather, other than that cafe nice experience great food

I was disappointed FOR THE PRICE WE PAID we were not allowed to be dropped off near the restaurant and had to walk 200m in rain and slippery conditions.

Was eagerly anticipating this incredible natural wonder however it was misted over pretty heavy and while we could smell the super-like air, we did not get to physically experience mother natures beauty. Also our guide was dedicated to one family who were highly engaged but left us out of learning more about this phenomena. Learned more from the video.

buy the tickets from their actual website it’s half the price! also most of the park is closed from an eruption. Not to mention they have 5 different phone numbers for the park and none of them work.

I really suggest taking the hike up to the Laguna, it makes the trip well worth it. The crater is interesting, it's a beautiful expansive view, however, you are restricted to 20 minutes on a small platform from a long distance away. The Laguna hike is a challenge with an amazing view at the end. Also, enjoy the Cafe drinks and snacks they are great value for the quality of the food. I suggest the 'Dirty Chai' coffee drink and the Potato (Papa) empanada is delicious. All in all, worth the park entrance fee.

Réservation one the Day before, we arrived 4 mn before the slot, at 9:00 am parking was 6 dollars, The walk is very easy from the parking The sun was there !!!!

Horrible experience with the entrance customer service. They did not accept the tickets I had bought with trip advisor. After two hours driving up the mountain I had to wait an hour while trying to contact trip advisor. I had to buy tickets through the park website which is not friendly user. It requires you to create an account first and wait for the system to email you the password; the bad WIFI delays the process plus all the information you are required to enter before buying the tickets. The customer service at the entrance of the park was rude and uncooperative. Never coming back

The reservation # you give is not the One they ask for at the entrance It was cloudy and then it begins to rain Do we didnt see nothing at all

Wonderful experience in spite of pouring rain. The main crater was very visible at times when the clouds dissipated and was quite impressive, completed with the faint smell of sulphur gasses. Very wel maintained walking paths, both to the main crater as to the blue lagoon.

The gate would not accept the TripAdviser ticket. They said my reservation was not in their database and I had to buy a ticket there along with parking. I would like a refund for my $32.00.

Was pretty lucky as I heard it clouds over frequently after 9am. But It was clear and noon so unsure about that. It was fun and interesting to be able to go to the rim. Make sure you get reservations before you get there as there is no reception near the gate had to backtrack a few miles to get crawling service on side of the road. No bueno, get the reservation prior to arriving.

It is easy to reach. Everything worked out with the access code, the local organizer was very reliable. A great experience.

The trip is great! However, the payment is much cheaper through the Costa Rica Parks website via SINAC CR.

The entrance tickets were not accepted at the entrance, so we had to pay for entry again. We would not recommend tickets ordered online. Double costs.

We were lucky, we arrived at 8:00 the volcano 🌋 was in the clouds and drizzle but by chance and with the help of the wind it is discovered On the other hand the reception of the entrance staff for the reception at the parking lot which costs 6 dollars, is an impressive cold no response to our hello "just a 6 Dollars " Arrived at the parking lot like that, you say hello he doesn't answer you and you look Arrived at the center at the level of toilets and reception, all visitors sought or go we were left to ourselves Of all the parks we visited it is surely and by far the one where the reception is the least warm

We were disappointed by our visit to Poás Volcano National Park. The day we arrived, the weather was grey and cloudy, which totally prevented us from seeing the volcano crater. Unfortunately, despite the total lack of visibility, the ticket price remains very high. It would really be nice if the park offered a reduced fee when the weather conditions did not allow to enjoy the main site. As it stands, the value for money is very disappointing. Tip for future travellers: do not allow too much time on site, as there is not much to do around the park. Rather, this visit should be considered a “joker” to make only if the weather is perfectly clear. Ideally, go as soon as you arrive in Costa Rica from San José airport if the weather is good, or at the end of your stay if you have a little time before returning to the capital for your return flight — always carefully checking the weather. In short, an expensive and frustrating experience. If there is any cloud, it is better to postpone the visit to another day.

The visit to the National Park was frustrating. Although the area is very nice and has good infrastructure, we could not see absolutely anything of the crater or the lake due to the dense layer of haze. In addition, road access from San Jose is very heavy due to heavy traffic. In this sense, the cost we paid for income was too high. I suppose, under other conditions, the visit can be very good.

Best time for this summer tour. In November there is a lot of mist and it was not possible to observe the volcano.

Impossible to go with stroller, it became much more comfortable to go with babysitting for my baby although if it is medium difficult the walk. I arrived early and could appreciate very well and time for photos, but when I returned from the lagoon there was already a lot of fumarole and it was no longer appreciated the same.

We bought the tickets online and saw the crater and some of the lagoon! It is worth climbing up to the lake boots, everything very well marked and preserved! The staff is very friendly, we love everything! Come early!

Ne faites pas cette activité , la météo est la plupart du temps exécrable et ne permet pas de profiter .

I hesitated to go because it is far away and not go on tour suddenly it is a bit expensive to arrive on your own but it was worth the experience. Beautiful view

Not really worth the $50, the crater is beautiful but all hiking trails are closed for whatever reason, so no access to the lagoon and other viewpoint! Very disappointing

Thanks to Byron from Tico Paradise Costa Rica we got tickets for the poas vulcan which we would never have got on the homepage of the vulcan because it didn't work for various reasons. You have to register properly and then something doesn't work again... With Tico Paradise everything was settled very simply after booking via WhatsApp. Top. However, a little more expensive than booking with the right homepage. 15 to 30 dollars.

Important: You have to buy an entrance ticket online in advance. This was really annoying and didn't work through SINAC, the national park administration of Costa Rica. We then booked these tickets online through Tripadvisor because you can't buy a ticket on site!!! You have to specify the day and time of your visit. But nobody there was interested in the time. However, they didn't want to accept the tickets we bought through Tripadvisor. We had to argue for ages (at least 20 minutes) even though they had our personal details such as passport number etc. It was only because we were really persistent that they let us in at all. The view of the volcano is spectacular, no question about it. The other possible circuit is pleasant to walk and you can see a beautiful lagoon. We paid almost 30 dollars per person through Tripadvisor. The way we had to be treated on site, even though we had tickets, was just outrageous and really spoiled the overall experience. Therefore, this visit was not worth the entrance fee. And anyway, this method of exclusively buying tickets online is discriminatory. There are also people who don't have an internet-enabled cell phone or don't want to spend time on it every day of their vacation. This group is not allowed into Costa Rica's state national parks. For these reasons, we skipped Tenorio Park and instead went to privately run parks. You can still pay with cash there, as is proper.