Poás Volcano National Park

Known by indigenous peoples as Sibú Mountain—a sacred name that means “Creator of the Earth and Its People”—Poás Volcano, which soars to 8,885 feet, cannot fail to impress. The active volcano is a perennial favorite with locals and foreigners alike, an easy 34-mile drive from San José. In addition to the majestic peak (the crater of which is among the world’s largest), you’ll find enchanting jade-green lagoons and some of the best scenic outlooks anywhere in Central America. The park offers great access to visitors of all ages all the way to the summit, including travelers with disabilities.

Costa Rica, like most of the rest of Central America, is volcanically endowed. Climbing up to the summit of one seems to be on everyone’s list--who doesn’t want to stare into a steaming crater? Do this easily near San José. The Volcán Poás National Park is very accessible, even without a car. (Lots of buses will get you up there and back, either from the capital itself, or from the nearby city of Alajuela.) You’ll head up through coffee plantations on the lower slopes. At the top, (2708m /8885ft) there’s plenty of cloud forest to hike in, and then the crowning glory: the mile-wide, 900ft deep crater, with steaming fumaroles surrounding the milky blue lake in its sulfuric center. Bring a jacket--even in the tropics, it’s cool up here, and rain is the rule most of the year...

Poas Volcano, located in the park of the same name, is one of only a few active volcanoes that you can get incredibly close to if you walk. It’s supposedly quite a site to see, if you happen to go when it doesn’t look like this. Driving there was fun, the walk up to the crater is very easy and well-kept, and the observation area is enormous. My advice: check the weather before going so you don’t arrive in a rain storm with ZERO visibility, like me. Dress warm too, it’s so cold you can see your breath up there.

I don’t know if there’s anywhere quite like Costa Rica, and if there is, then I intend on finding it. This nation is lush with raw beauty, and the spirit of the locals reflects such a profound appreciation for their land. From the side of Poás you can look out at the suburb towns to Alajuela, which is itself a suburb to San Jose, the capital city. There are some restaurants and little inns in the hills surrounding the mountain chain. You can actually tell how clear the air was by looking at the tone variation in sky color -- the further up you look, the darker the blue gets compared to the color on the horizon. More contrast means less stuff in the air (pollution, humidity, etc), which means better air for breathing. It’s a relatively inexpensive plane ticket coming from the States, so if you live in the US and have a hankering for adventure, go spend a couple weeks in the land of Pura Vida.