{"id":3870,"date":"2013-12-20T10:45:33","date_gmt":"2013-12-20T10:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/costaricajourneys.com\/?p=3870"},"modified":"2017-06-18T11:13:55","modified_gmt":"2017-06-18T11:13:55","slug":"best-national-parks-in-the-central-valley-costa-rica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/costaricajourneys.com\/?p=3870","title":{"rendered":"Best National Parks in the Central Valley, Costa Rica"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h3>\n

\"Poas-Volcano-National-Park\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

Poas Volcano National Park<\/a><\/h3>\n

\"Poas<\/a>Poas Volcano National Park is considered as one of the most expanded parks of the country. If you have a journey in this park, you will get the opportunity to know about the the\u00a0geomorphic processes and also about the history of the volcano. If you feel tired and get hungry, you can take some rest in restroom and take some snack. You can also visit a museum there and get more information about the area. People who have to use wheelchair, they can also visit park.<\/p>\n

From the visitor’s center, if you walk for 15 minutes you will reach main crater where you will enjoy an amazing view.\u00a0The crater and adjacent Laguna Botos (blue-green colored Botos lake) is a great destination close to San Jose. You will enjoy hiking along\u00a0the Botos Trail after arriving at Botos Lake, a beautiful crater with a diameter of 1,312 ft (400 m) that has a beautiful jade color and is frequented by many of the bird species in the park.\u00a0The weather is a big factor on deciding when you should go. If it is cloudy then you will not see the crater, Mt. Arenal or the valley. The walk through the cloud forest is a good one through. The drive up is fairly well indicated with signs and there you will get the opportunity to buy souvenirs and fresh strawberries. From the crater you can see surrounding landscape has been effected by acid rain.\u00a0The parking lot is secure with several guards patrolling to prevent thieves from robbing your car. As the\u00a0crater descends almost 1,000 ft (300 m) and is one of the largest active volcanoes in the world, there are chances of getting wet are pretty remote. Poas Volcano National Park is rich in biodiversity and it includes lush plantations different species of birds and a few large mammals and other less visible and smaller wild animals.<\/p>\n

From San Jose, it takes only 1 and half hours to reach the park. You will have to make a round-trip for 108 km and during the journey you will pass along never-ending fields of flowers and coffee farms. This park is only 116 km far from Ciudad Quesada. If you want to visit the park, it will be better to go at the morning during the month from January to April and if you want to enjoy the spectacular view of both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, you should avoid wet day.<\/p>\n

Guayabo National Monument<\/a><\/h3>\n

\"Guayabo<\/a>The Guayabo National Monument includes water tanks, ancient trails, bridges and homesites, and also almost 3.000 years old\u00a0petroglyphs. It is considered as\u00a0the most important archaeological site of Costa Rica. Nestled in the heart of the rain forests and cloud forests of Costa Rica,\u00a0Guayabo is an ancient of the Pre-Columbian era. While walking around the Guayabo area, you will see\u00a0raised stone foundations. There are also stone paved roads leading to the surrounding dense foliage.<\/p>\n

Construction of the\u00a0city of Guayabo was made in such a way that the\u00a0rain waters still can flow through these area, and paved roads can be seen still. The ranger station remains open from\u00a08:00am to 4:00pm and you will get the facilities to enjoy bathing, camping and hiking trails.<\/p>\n

Archaeology finds many complex petroglyphs which are\u00a0coated with perplexing information with jade and gold artifacts, practical and decorative pottery and also as controversial stone spheres of Costa Rica. In the monument there is an archaeological research station, an exhibition room, a view point from which the whole archaeological area can be seen.<\/p>\n

Iraz\u00fa Volcano National Park<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n

\"Iraz\u00fa<\/a><\/b>Iraz\u00fa Volcano National Park\u00a0<\/b>is centered around the largest volcano in the country, which has a surprising moon-like landscape.\u00a0The park terrain grows on 2,300 ha area and includes primary and secondary cloud forest.\u00a0If you appreciate geology at all, it is a must-see. There\u00a0are several principal craters at Irazu, as well as a desert-like area where vegetation is just now starting to take hold, after the last eruption in the early 1960s.<\/p>\n

The Irazu volcano is about 90-minute drive from San Jose.\u00a0From San Jose, head east 14 miles (23 km) to the nation’s former capital, Cartago and from there\u00a0it is 24 miles (39 km) to Irazu Volcano National Park.<\/p>\n

The summit (which is \u00a0about 3,432 meter, and higher than the famous Chinese Buddhist Mountain Ermei),\u00a0of Volc\u00e1n Iraz\u00fa, is close to the tree-line, and the volcanic activity and wind intrigue to make a moonscape effect.\u00a0There you will find\u00a0some craters rimmed by gnarled, rain fed mineral pools and scorched trees. You will find a small visitors center and displays from where you can know about the volcanic information.\u00a0Due to constant volcanic activity, it is tough to watch wildlife but within the park area, you will spot many small wild animals.<\/p>\n

The facilities of this park include picnic tables and bathrooms. There is a place to get warm drinks and food. Although cool temperatures and high winds are common year round, during the month of March and April is the best time to visit. From 8 am to 3 pm, the park remains open everyday a week and for better exploration, it is better to visit early in the morning. You will have to pay $7 as entrance fee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Poas Volcano National Park Poas Volcano National Park is considered as one of the most expanded parks of the country. If you have a journey in this park, you will get the opportunity to know about the the\u00a0geomorphic processes and also about the history of the volcano. If you feel tired and get hungry, you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":4551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-parks","last_archivepost"],"yoast_head":"\nBest National Parks in the Central Valley<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Best National Parks in the Central Valley, Costa Rica. Po\u00e1s Volcano National Park. Guayabo National Monument. 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