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The Volcán Poás National Park welcomed more than 1,500 tourists

 

  • Sunday saw the largest number of visits, with 730 people arriving.
  • Tourists noted the orderly entrance procedure and indicated satisfaction with the observance of safety measures.
  • Authorities believe that the flow of tourists will increase as the public familiarizes itself with the new ticket reservation system.

After being closed to the public for 16 months, the Poás Volcano welcomed 1,550 visitors last weekend following its official re-opening last Thursday in the presence of the President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, leaders of the institutions involved, NGOs and the communities surrounding the volcano.

In the words of the administrator of the Volcán Poás National Park, Mahyar Shirazinia Riggioni, “the re-opening of the mountain has been a success, thanks to the increase in the daily visits we’ve seen at the National Park, as well as the public’s satisfaction with the new safety measures”.

He noted that 200 tourists came to the park last Friday, along with 620 on Saturday and 730 on Sunday, with visits increasing as the public became familiar with the new ticket reservation system.

Local and international tourists will notice the newly developed security system, which is the only one of its kind in the Central American region. It includes clear evacuation routes and better management of the number of tourists entering the National Park, along with refuges, protective equipment, and real-time gas monitors to protect the lives of visitors in the event of a possible emergency.

These measures were implemented thanks to the joint efforts of MINAE, ICT, the Emergency Commission, OVISCORI, RSN:UCR-ICE and non-governmental organizations such as Asociación Costa Rica por Siempre and Fundecor.

The protected area was re-opened to the public on August 31, after the security requirements put in place by the expert vulcanology group were met.

“The comments from visitors after reaching the crater have been positive. They rated their visits as orderly, with a strict control on entry in place to guarantee the safety of visitors” the park administrator added.

Visitors are reminded that the tickets to enter the park can only be acquired online, using the website of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC): www.sinac.go.cr. Tickets cannot be acquired inside the park as they could before the closure.

Access to the protected area is limited to groups of 50 visitors, who will be able to observe the volcano’s crater from the lookout for a maximum of 20 minutes. The hours of operation are 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The public is reminded that trails in certain sectors remain closed, as well as the picnic area.