San Jose, June 9 (Presenta Latina) More than 200 meters of trail and 624 meters of railings at the Crater Viewpoint have been restored in Póas Volcano National Park as part of conservation work on the Costa Rican tourist attraction that is now open to the public.
At the inauguration, Environment and Energy Minister Franz Tattenbach explained that work included the installation of three safety walls on the Laguna Botos trail to protect visitors in the event of an emergency.
The restoration work complements the restoration work carried out the previous year on the Laguna Botos trail and the Canto de las Aves trail, which offers the visitor the opportunity to enter the cloud forest and observe a great variety of flora and fauna beyond the vantage point towards the Laguna Botos, he remembered.
The minister stressed that these infrastructure improvements allow creating a greater tourist attraction for the protected area, leading to a greater revitalization of the economy of the communities near this area.
The work was made possible by an investment of more than $70,000, of which $64,000 came from an international donor and was managed by the Costa Rica Forever Association, as well as contributions from the ProParques Association and work from the National Museum.
As part of this investment, the Visitor Center Museum was also restored with contributions from the Ministry of Culture and Youth through the National Museum of Costa Rica.
Work included improvements to lighting and floors, as well as work for the volcanic activity exhibit, which increases the opportunity for environmental education for visitors.
The last recorded reconstruction of the museum was in 2009, however the museum was closed in 2017 due to volcanic activity.
According to official figures, in 2022, 214,399 people visited the park in this area, 108,784 locals and 105,615 foreigners.
rgh/alb