Poás: a Crater a Mile Across, 40 Eruptions since 1828, and the Fraijanes Coffee Farm

The numbers on Poás are worth having before you go. It is an active stratovolcano of 2,708 m (8,885 ft). The main crater measures over a mile across and 1,050 feet deep. It has erupted 40 times since 1828, the most recent of those in April 2017. The drive up passes coffee plantations and the fern, flower and strawberry farms, and the temperature drops as the vegetation turns into cloud forest. At the top there is time at the main crater, with the sulphur fumaroles going. The coffee half of the day is at Fraijanes, on a working farm at the foot of the volcano. The visitor centre covers the whole chain: the tree nursery, the wet mill, the drying patio and the roaster, along with the work on farmer support and sustainable practice. Tours run in English and Spanish. Pick-up is at your hotel lobby, from San José, Alajuela, Heredia or Cartago. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.