The National System of Areas of Conservation (SINAC) in Costa Rica, confirmed they are working diligently in all aspects necessary to be able to reopen the Poas Volcano National Park to the public.

Even though some media channels announced earlier this week that the park could reopen for the upcoming Holy Week, SINAC confirms this is Not possible, since they have to comply with security requirements established by the National Emergency Commission that involve the construction of shelters and the training of personnel.

“We have to go through the process of hiring a company to build the shelters, bring from out of the country (Germany) the devices to measure gases, and design the security protocols. We also have to train the guides and SINAC personnel and that session is scheduled between April 17 and May 9, before all these, we cannot open”, explained Rafael Gutierrez, director of SINAC, in an interview with AmeliaRueda.com

The requirements of the National Emergency Commission involve the construction of two shelters (minimum), one located close to the crater and another one between the trail and the crater; the shelters should follow recommendations and experiences of countries like Iceland, Italy and Japan that have active volcanoes.

SINAC must also finish repairing the damages caused by the volcano eruptions in different areas of the park.
The total investment in order to reopen is estimated in US $88,000.00.

Once the park reopens the access will be restricted to groups of 50 visitors every 30 minutes, the possibility of reserving the space will be available.

The Poas Volcano National Park was the second most visited in Costa Rica only behind Manuel Antonio before it had to be close in April of 2017 when the eruptions began.