Day Trips from Costa Rica to San Jose

Visit the active Poas Volcano, an epic waterfall, and the one-and-only Starbucks Coffee Farm on a day trip perfect for nature and coffee lovers who are short on time but want to see it all. The small-group tour reveals cloud-forest scenery, plantations, and farms along the way to the second largest crater in the world. Plus, see behind the scenes at the farm that grows Starbucks’ renown coffee.

This day we will leave your Hotel for the Poás de Alajuela area, we will make a stop for a brief explanation about our golden grain, the coffee where we will stop to see the coffee bushes, also having the opportunity to take a photograph of the Ventral Valley and from the coffee plantation. We will continue the tour through fern, flower and strawberry crops. .

Connect with two key pieces of Costa Rican life: coffee and wilderness on this combination tour to La Paz Waterfall Gardens and the Doka Coffee Estate plantation. This full-day, guided tour kicks off with a tour of plantation where you’ll learn how your cups gets from bean to breakfast. Afterwards, hike over volcanic terrain, under waterfalls, and into the rainforest during a challenging hike in the nature reserve.

The Poás National Park offers a safe and controlled visit so that you can enjoy a beautiful experience. Join us on a journey to uncover the secrets of Volcán Poás and explore the wonder it brings to the Costa Rican landscape. This is a more personalized experience.

Canopy tour, Rock climbing, Tarzan swing, via Ferrata, hanging bridges, that’s just the first activity that will be done in the morning, then a delicious lunch to get our energy back for the next activity, horseback riding through the dry forest and beautiful pasture land, for the last part of the day, what can be better than relaxing in hot water pools, water that comes directly from the volcano Rincon de la Vieja, also cover your body with volcanic mud extremely therapeutic, the volcano that is being the most important part of the beautiful panoramic views that you will be seeing during all day.

Why choose this experience? While other tours only visit the falls, we take you inside them. Drops Canyoning has designed this route for adventure enthusiasts looking for pure adrenaline in an unspoilt and uncrowded environment. What you will live: 4 Rappels : From controlled descents to vertical falls next to the force of the water. Slides and Jumping : Natural fun in ancient rock formations. Aguas Celestes : Explore the famous "Blue Falls" from a perspective that very few tourists get to see. Immersive Nature : Bajos del Toro is the best kept secret of Alajuela, surrounded by cloud forest and lush biodiversity. Security and Equipment: Your safety is our number one priority. We use international standards equipment and our expert guides will give you a complete technical talk before you start. No previous experience required, only moderate fitness and desire to get wet.

Experience the bio diversity and natural majesty of Costa Rica’s most-visited nature reserve on this full-day, guided tour to La Paz Waterfall gardens with safari boat tour on the Sarapiqui River included. Learn about and see exotic animals and insects living in the animal sanctuary. Relax during a boat cruise as your guide points out monkeys, birds, sloth, ocelots, jaguar and more along the shore line.

Witness all types of birds with this private birdwatching tour to San Gerardo De Dota from Manuel Antonio. With your private licensed tour guide you’ll wander through private forest in search of native birds, including hummingbirds and woodpeckers, but most importantly the resplendent quetzal. Between stints of birdwatching, you’ll enjoy breaks for breakfast and lunch, provided by your guide. Binoculars are recommended, but are not provided.

Zoom through the Costa Rican jungle on a full-day zip-lining tour in San Ramon. The tour is perfect for adrenaline junkies and active families alike. Thanks to provided safety equipment and the watchful eye of your experienced guide, you’re able to sail through the cloud forest with ease. Walk across six hanging bridges, measuring up to 360 feet across (110 meters). Along the way, keep your eyes peeled for hummingbirds, sloths, and monkeys.

Get on the Pejibaye River totally worry-free with this all-inclusive tour. After pickup from your hotel, you’ll hop into your private car for a ride to the river—and a stop for a traditional Costa Rican breakfast. Once at the water, your guides will set you up for an exciting 3-hour float through the jungle, complete with photos, water, and towels provided.

This tour to Irazu Volcano National Park and Cartago is an ideal San Jose day trip. See Costa Rica’s largest volcano and explore the city of Cartago, popular for the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, on a tour that is interesting and informative without leaving you exhausted. A sit-down lunch on the banks of Lake Cachi is included as a relaxing final stop.

Visit the Braulio Carrillo National Park on this bird-watching tour from San José. Located northeast of the city in the Caribbean lowlands, the park boasts an average of 365 species of birds from 50 different families; 72 species are considered to be abundant and common. For avid birders, the park is a must-see destination when visiting Costa Rica.

Make the most of limited time and visit two Arenal Volcano area highlights—La Fortuna Waterfall and another attraction of your choosing—during a half-day excursion from La Fortuna. Opt for a rainforest hike with hanging bridges, a volcano tour on old lava flows, a safari river float, or a chocolate tour, and customize your itinerary to your preferences. Plus, lunch and hotel pickup are included for a seamless experience.

It is a tour where you will see all the traditions that our grandparents lived in their towns and dances and the food that is a delight for all people and everything with the flavor of our Grandparents And the most important thing is to see our Capital at night in the distance and then return to our hotels, it is an experience of knowing our customs of our ancestors.

Experience two of Costa Rica’s impressive natural wonders in one day with this private full-day tour from San Jose. Enjoy a scenic hike through the Poas Volcano National Park, admire magnificent views of the crater, and look out for hummingbirds and quetzals in the cloud forest. After lunch, explore the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, where you can spot wildlife such as white face and spider monkeys, wildcats, snakes, and butterflies. Finally, visit a coffee farm to learn about its production process.

Escape the city and experience San Jose’s surrounding nature in the most relaxing way possible—with this private, full-day tour to waterfalls, gardens, and hot springs. Picked up from your hotel, you’ll traverse the countryside until you reach the rainforest, where you’ll explore gardens, spot sloths, and get misted by waterfalls. Then you’ll head to nearby hot springs for lunch, a soak under the Arenal Volcano, optional spa treatments, and more.

Leave behind the urban bustle of San Jose for the clear, aquamarine waters and unspoiled beauty of Tortuga Island on this full-day sailing adventure. Cruise on a yacht or catamaran through the Gulf of Nicoya to Tortuga and the surrounding archipelago, where protected forests, white-sand beaches, and pollution-free waters house an amazing array of plant and animal species. Enjoy a fresh lunch on board, sip tropical cocktails, and sway to live music as you sail through this picturesque island paradise.

The one day tour to the Poas volcano is very complete since it includes transportation, entrance fees, and a delicious breakfast and lunch before returning to your hotel. It usually leaves from the city of San Jose and on the way to the volcano you will be able to observe a lot of nature and beautiful landscapes, on the tour to the plantations you will learn how Costa Rican coffee beans are grown, where you can also taste the final product with a rich flavor. El Poás is the volcano with one of the largest craters in all of Central America, which makes it one of the most important tourist destinations in Costa Rica. In this place you can connect with nature and enjoy its delicious cold weather. After the visit to the volcano, you will continue to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a wildlife refuge Named for the five waterfalls and the beautiful vegetation that flourishes in the place.

Adventure travelers will love this tour, waking up at 3am to drive 10,000 feet above elevation in search of the Quetzal with your guide, and then learning all about Costa Rican coffee in the town of Santa Maria de Dota. You’ll have a traditional gallo pinto breakfast, and another meal, or casado, later in the day. You’ll use ATX or BTX Swarovski Spotting Scopes to capture photos and videos of the beautiful birds, too, on this 14 hour day out.

Turn exploring San Jose into an ultra-rich cultural experience with this guided “bites and sights” tour. You’ll start at the city’s best markets—Central and Borbon markets—tasting empanadas, fresh fruits, coffees, and more, plus learning all about local goods and handicrafts. You’ll also get a guided exploration of the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, diving even deeper into the city’s gilded history.

The Coffee, Poás, and La Paz tour is a unique experience that combines culture, nature, and adventure. It begins with a visit to a coffee plantation, where you'll learn about the production process of one of Costa Rica's most famous products. Then, you'll explore the Poás Volcano, a majestic active volcano with breathtaking views. Finally, you'll enjoy the natural beauty of La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a wildlife sanctuary with spectacular waterfalls and a wide variety of fauna. A must-do tour to experience the best of Costa Rica in one day!

Combine six popular rain forest activities into a single day jam-packed with adventure on this tour to Braulio Carrillo National Park from San Jose. Fly down ziplines over the rain forest canopy, visit a terrarium and butterfly garden, walk along nature trails, and more, all with hassle-free round-trip transportation from your San Jose hotel and a typical Costa Rican lunch to keep you going.

Our guide will go through each hotel previously coordinated, to pick up the passengers who will accompany us in this beautiful experience. Hanging Bridges in the Cloud Forest, a very spectacular adventure, In our tours you can enjoy the greatness of nature in Costa Rica, it is the perfect tour for the whole family, enjoy the most beautiful orchids in Costa Rica, Bird watching, various types of animals such as howler monkeys, coatis and more species that you can enjoy throughout the trip. As a second Canopy Tour activity, we have cables between 50 and 550 meters long at the points with the most adrenaline. In these tours you can enjoy various views of the Cataraticas River. Our platforms are located on bases with heights from 3 to 106 meters high, some of them on trees and on land bases depending on the points of attraction and adventure. To close we will enjoy a delicious typical lunch

Coffee lovers, get your fix on a tour of the Café Britt plantation including private transfers from your San Jose hotel. Learn the history of this famous Costa Rican export, and see firsthand how coffee beans are cultivated, roasted, and transformed into fragrant elixir with a behind-the-scenes look at the farm and processing facilities. Browse products at the Britt factory store, order a freshly brewed drink from the coffee bar, and enjoy a buffet lunch from the plantation’s own restaurant.