Poas Volcano / Doka State

• Pick up from Hostel Pangea: 8:00 am
• Duration: 11 hours
• Suggested Equipment: sweater, camera, binoculars, comfortable walking shoes and rain coat

Poás volcano is a powerful symbol of the geothermal forces that formed Costa Rica.
When the mist and clouds part you'll see the sulfuric, bubbling, green rain fed lake at the bottom, surrounded by smoke and steam rising from fumaroles. Water from the lake is constantly seeping through cracks in the hot rock, evaporating and building pockets of steam. When the pressure in these pockets exceeds the weight of the water above, the steam breaks through in geysers that rocket up to 820 feet (250 meters) high. Don't worry about getting a shower though, the crater is 1,050 feet (320 meters) deep. At almost a mile (1.6 km) across it's also the largest active crater in the world.
Poás is active, but don't expect to see a full fledged eruption or even any lava flow here, the most recent period of eruptive activity ended in 1954. The last major activity was in 1910 when nearly a million tons of ash was ejected along with an immense column of smoke and steam.
The volcano provides an excellent if extreme example of the effects of acid rain. Around the caldera, and for several miles downwind, the vegetation is stunted brown and black by the tainted moisture that precipitates from the omnipresent clouds near the peak.
Trails that lead through cloud forest stunted and twisted, not only by volcanic emissions but the rigors of the cold windy high altitude habitat. Lake Botos fills an extinct crater at the end of one trail, and is home to many cloud forest birds including hummingbirds, tanagers, flycatchers, toucanets, Costa Rica's national bird the clay-colored robin, and the area's most famous avian resident, the resplendent quetzal.

After the volcano we will continue our trip until to get to Doka Estate coffee is one of Costa Rica's highest quality coffees. The Doka Coffee Estate is located on the fertile slopes of the Alajuela Poas Volcano, the rich soil and the ideal altitude and climate have made the Santa Eduviges farm famous because of it's excellent coffee. The Vargas coffee growing family also carry a brand - Cafe Tres Generaciones - 'Three Generations Coffee' that conveys the great care and pride that this coffee growing family have placed in their coffee trees. In 2000 and 2001 Doka Estate was awarded as the best Estate coffee of Costa Rica for two consecutive years by the Associación Semana International  del Café (SINTERCAFE).

The main objective of the Coffee tour is to educate and inform the local and international population with regard to the whole production process as well as the processing of coffee. The tour takes place on the Doka Estate, where you can learn about the production, the harvesting, the processing plant and the roasting of the grain.
Costa Rica has a large variety of microclimates and altitudes within short distances. This route explains how the different climatic factors favor the taste of our coffee. Guided by an expert, the visitors will receive extensive information, which will make this activity an incomparable experience. The Cofee tourbegins in the seedbed. There you will observe and be explained the development process of the plant up to the point of recollection of the ripe grain. You will also learn about the history of the estate, its owners, the production and varieties of plants, the geography of the area and the traditional ways of cultivating the grain.
The second station is the oldest humid coffee processing plant, declared to be an Architectural Heritage for Humanity in 2003, that works by hydraulic power. In the receiver you can see the first classification of the grains, afterwards the process of de-pulping of first and second quality coffee takes place in the grinders.

Next, the natural honey of the grain is cut in the fermentation tanks and a process is carried out that is significant to the taste of the coffee. The coffee that has been dried in the Guardiola or on the patios under the sun, is stored in the warehouse. This grain is ready to be peeled, and then exported or roasted in the country. Finally, the roasting plant Café Tres Generaciones is visited, where you will be explained and can observe the different types of roasts that are offered. Once the tour is over, a visit is made to the Doka Estate souvenir shop, where you can find the coffee packed in sealed bags. You can also find pieces omade by Costa Rican craftsmen.

Book this tour: inftourscostarica@hotmail.com

Reserve this Tour.