La Paz Waterfall Gardens Half-Day Tour from San José
San Jose, Costa Rica
- 6 to 7 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- Lunch
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- All Fees and Taxes
- Certified Bilingual Tour Guide during the visit to La Paz Waterfalls
- Entrance Fee/Admission La Paz Waterfall Gardens
- Transportation included from San Jose Hotels and nearby
- Let us know if you have some special meal restriction or allergy
- Tips
- Bottled water
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We will pick you up at hotels located in the San José area and near by. The pickup time will depend on your hotel's location, so we kindly ask that you specify the place where you will be staying in your request.
Operating hours.10:00 am
Itinerary
1
Fraijanes
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
La Paz Waterfall Gardens
3 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infant seats available
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- What to bring? Hat – Jacket - Walking shoes - Insect repellent - Binoculars – Camera – Raincoat
- If you are travelling with children please let us know their ages, during the booking process
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 99 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Anthony_E
The tour was absolutely exceptional and provided exquisite food and nice accommodations. The ride was smooth and the guides. Donald and Roy were very knowledgeable and made the experience quite magical. The weather was perfect and everything went very sound. I would highly recommend this to her
Reviews
4.6
based on 38 reviews
Kayla_R, Mar 2026
This excursion was amazing! They came and picked us up, the accommodations were very comfortable. The lunch was really good. The pacing of everything was perfect. My friends and I had a great time
Response from Host, Mar 2026
That sounds like such a wonderful experience! We’re so happy to hear everything—from the pickup and comfortable accommodations to the delicious lunch and perfectly paced itinerary—met your expectations. It’s great that you and your friends had such a memorable time. Thanks for sharing your feedback!
James_T, Jan 2026
A good day out from San Jose. The trip involves passing through countryside and coffee plantations and local villages. La Paz has a large variety of Nature exhibits and several impressive waterfalls but viewing them involves quite a lot of steps up and down
Response from Host, Jan 2026
We’re happy to hear you enjoyed the journey from San José, taking in the countryside, coffee plantations, and local villages along the way. La Paz Waterfall Gardens truly offers an impressive variety of nature exhibits and stunning waterfalls.
You’re absolutely right that the visit involves quite a few steps, as this allows guests to view the waterfalls from different perspectives and get up close to nature. We really appreciate your feedback, as it helps future travelers come better prepared and enjoy the experience even more. We hope to welcome you again in Costa Rica for more great adventures!
Dawn_M, Jan 2026
Very disappointed in this tour. Pickup was at 10:30, which was fine. The bus drove to a location with an ok view and a store and said we would be there for 30 minutes. Then back on the bus and to another store for another 30 minutes. Driver spoke no English so no one knew what was going on. I txted the operator and they said it was a bus transfer. Then we actually got to the gardens, which was really nice. Then, back on the bus and back to one of the stores we had already been at, for just 20 minutes this time. And back to the hotel at 7:30.
If this tour had disclosed the 3 shopping stops and the late return I would not have chosen it. I chose it because it said it was a 6-7 hour tour starting at 10:30. I missed a 6:00 dinner planned with a group tour.
Again, the gardens are nice, but unless you have lots of time and like to shop, choose another tour. Our hotel offered one that would have been better. had the description been accurate I would not have chosen it.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We’re truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations, and we sincerely appreciate you highlighting these points.
First and foremost, we apologize for the frustration caused by the itinerary and timing. We understand how disappointing it is when a tour’s structure and return time differ from what was originally described—especially when it impacts personal plans like a scheduled dinner. Your time is valuable, and we regret that this was not respected as it should have been.
You are absolutely right that the tour description should clearly disclose all components of the experience, including shopping or rest stops and the approximate return time. Your comments have been taken very seriously, and we are already reviewing the tour listing to ensure the information is clearer, more transparent, and aligned with the actual itinerary so future guests can make fully informed decisions.
We’re also sorry for the lack of communication during the transfers. Even when a tour includes logistical stops or shared transportation, guests should always feel informed and comfortable about what is happening. This is an area where we know we must improve, and your feedback helps us do exactly that.
We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the gardens themselves, as they are truly a beautiful highlight of the experience. However, we completely understand that the overall structure was not what you were looking for, and we regret that it led to disappointment.
Thank you again for your honesty. Feedback like yours is essential for us to improve our services, descriptions, and guest communication. We truly hope to have the opportunity to restore your confidence in the future with an experience that better matches your expectations.
Stacey_J, Jan 2026
The actual waterfall gardens were great lots of lovely animals and wildlife. However this is advertised as a full day tour which only true in some aspects and for all the wrong reasons. I was picked up at 10:30, we stopped off a a shop around 12:30 which was fine and was good for buying souvenirs. However when we left there we were about 20 mins away from the falls yet we pulled over again a few minutes later. The driver then told us we had to wait 10 minutes for another bus with more people on to take us the rest of the journey. 10 minutes turned into 45 and we didn’t arrive at the gardens until 14:00. At this point we had been faffing about for over 3 hours and no one had eaten as lunch was supposed to be included. The actual gardens are lovely and I would recommend you go here just not with the tour group. We didn’t eat until 15:00 due to the lunch being halfway through the tour of the gardens. 3 hours is enough to see all the gardens and waterfalls and eat lunch so that was fine. We left about 17:00 but didn’t get back to the hotel until 19:30 as we were made to stop at the same shop we had already been to in the morning due to the other people on the second bus having not been there before.
So ultimately what was advertised as a 6 hour tour with 3 hours of actual tour turned into sitting on a bus/coach for 6 hours then 3 at the actual garden, including lunch. Not worth the money and faff, just uber it there and buy your own ticket, if you’re with a group then it will probably be cheaper than a tour anyway and you don’t need the tour guides anyway even though they were nice people if you can read a sign (everything is labelled in the park). You don’t need them. I wish I could get my money back.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback and for your understanding.
As this is a regular shared tour, minor delays may occasionally occur; however, our priority is always to ensure that the time spent at each location is respected so our guests can fully enjoy the experience.
The times provided are approximate, as external factors such as traffic can affect the schedule. That said, we truly value your time and, as a gesture of goodwill and our commitment to guest satisfaction, we would be happy to offer a 25% refund of the total tour price due to the inconvenience.
We sincerely appreciate your trust and hope to welcome you again in the future for an even more memorable Costa Rica experience.
Maddison_H, Jan 2026
I had an amazing experience and felt so comfortable being a solo traveler. My tour guide was amazing.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for sharing! We’re so happy to hear you had an amazing experience and felt comfortable traveling solo. Our guides truly love what they do, and we hope to welcome you again soon
P_P, Oct 2025
It’s a great experience, very chill, nothing rushed, saw a bunch of animals, really cool. Lunch was also very delicious.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words! 🌿
We’re thrilled to hear you had such a great and relaxing experience, enjoyed the wildlife, and loved the lunch too. Our goal is always to create unforgettable and unhurried adventures surrounded by Costa Rica’s natural beauty. Hope to welcome you again soon!
Paulette_n, Sep 2025
This was the most fabulous day. Gardens, birds, butterflies, snakes, and beautiful jungle cats. And of course, the beautiful waterfalls do you keep in mind there are hundreds of steps so be prepared with your walking stick! It was an absolutely perfect day on the other hand, I did Tortuga Island Yesterday and I was very disappointed. The advertisement did not say anything about swimming or snorkeling so I was not at all prepared and ended up having to purchase a swim dress for after I was sending in my clothes and we were on the island for five hours with absolutely nothing to do Unless you wanted to pay more money, fortunately I had my book with me. Very disappointing day. We got dressed with the rain coming back on the boat, I don’t think I’ve ever been that wet! That was not necessarily a bad thing except for snorkeling. It was the adventure of the day!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re so glad you enjoyed the waterfalls, gardens, and wildlife — truly a magical day. We’re sorry to hear Tortuga Island wasn’t as expected, this is out of our hands because we don´t operate this tour directly, although we’ll make sure the tour details are clearer for future guests. We appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you again soon for an even better adventure
Anthony_E, Jun 2025
The tour was absolutely exceptional and provided exquisite food and nice accommodations. The ride was smooth and the guides. Donald and Roy were very knowledgeable and made the experience quite magical. The weather was perfect and everything went very sound. I would highly recommend this to her
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Dear Anthony: We appreciate so much to hear about the good job from our staff, also appreciate your time writing about your experience.
Your feedback help others to create a better expectation about our tours
Hope to visit us again and recommend your friends to come to Costa Rica!
Ronald_L, May 2025
This was a great tour. Max did an awesome job and provided a lot of interesting information about Costa Rica, their coffee industry and various plants, animals and birds
Response from Host, May 2025
Dear Ronald: Our team at Expediciones Tropicales Day Tours really appreciate so much your comments as they are the key to improve our products every day.
Hope to see you again,
Patricia_H, Feb 2025
This was a pleasant excursion to a beautiful garden. Animals are all rescues. They are confined but everything blended with the surrounding jungle, was well maintained, and beautiful. The waterfalls are really beautiful. And it’s a nice drive in the mountain area to the falls.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Dear Patricia: We as a team in Expediciones Tropicales One day Tours - are very pleased to hear of more satisfied customers with the quality of the day tours we have operated for over three decades for our dear travelers.
Hope to see you again in Costa Rica!
Lesley_O, Dec 2024
We spent over 6 hours in a minibus and about 4 hours at the gardens. The guide Diego tried to make this bearable on the way there by telling us about Costa Rica but I hadn't expected to spend all this time travelling in the transport. The gardens themselves are well worth a visit but if I did it again, I would take a private transfer and set my own agenda for the day.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Dear Lesley, thank you so much for sharing your experience in one of our top selling tours from San Jose
We hope you visit Costa Rica again,
Sanjeeta_P, Jun 2024
Amazing tour. I booked it the day of and we were still able to do this. We were sent a message on when the pickup will happen and they came promptly to pick us up from hotel. Our guide was very sweet and knowledgeable. He answered any questions we had. We stopped at the coffee farm first and had coffee and took some pictures. That was a quick stop. Then we stopped at another store and that was a quick stop too. The we spent the rest of the time at La Paz falls. We saw a lot of birds, animals, reptiles, even a sloth. We then had lunch which was buffet style and had a wide range of food choices and was really good. The we saw the falls. All the time our guide was with us giving us the information about the falls and the gardens. We were back at our hotel shortly after 5. It was a great tour. Thank you!
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Dear traveler: We appreciate so much to hear about the good job from our staff, also appreciate your time writing about your experience.
Hope your recommendation would help other travelers to visit Costa Rica with Expediciones Tropicales Day Tours.
Regards,
Dariush_A, May 2024
The only thing to improve is the time inside the forest is not enough for detailed observation, specially for the snake and frogs section as there is loads to read and during the tour you're kind of rushed through it.
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear Dariush: We appreciate so much the detailed suggestions on your review about this tour, as much as the ranking of an experienced traveller.
Your feedback helps us improve our customer experience and help others to create a better expectation about our tours.
Hope to visit us again and recommend your friends to come to Costa Rica!
Nicole_L, May 2024
Our tour guide (Donald) and driver (Ricardo) were pleasant and knowledgeable! Donald was really good about keeping my kids (7 & 8) involved in the tour!
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear Nicole: We appreciate so much to hear about the good job from our staff, also appreciate your time writing about your experience.
Hope your recommendation would help other travelers to visit Costa Rica with Expediciones Tropicales Day Tours.
Regards,
christopher_R, Apr 2024
The waterfall was amazing, and the animals areas well. The buffett lunch had so much great food. Mario our tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
We are so thankful to hear about the good job of Mario, also appreciate your time writing about your experience.
Regards
Cindhy_P, Dec 2023
I loved it! Our turkey guy was amazing.had a great experience. The waterfall was beautiful and breathtaking.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Thanks for sharing your experience with Expediciones Tropicales Day Tours
william_h, Dec 2023
What a wonderful experience! The guide, Javier, was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about the flora and fauna, and he kept the pace lively and interesting. I highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in seeing rescued examples of the less frequently seen animals of Costa Rica.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Dear William, thank you so much for such us accurate comments about the visit to Peace Gardens.
Hope them help others to visit us,
Jamshed_T, Jun 2023
This is such a great tour. The gardens are an absolutely highlight of our time in Costa Rica. The nature/wildlife is fascinating, and the guide is on hand to answer any questions that you have. In addition to the beautiful wildlife, the falls themselves are stunning and you see them from a different perspective coming from the garden, than you would just driving past them on the road. The lunch is a good buffet lunch that's filling and set amidst the rainforest. The only hesitation I have is that we found the strawberry store was a let down. We thought we would see or be among a strawberry field (especially since it was the season). However, it is just a standard store, that happens to sell some strawberries. But don't let that deter you; the gardens are a must see in Costa Rica if you love any kind of nature. This tour had them for 3-4 hours, which we found good, but there are longer tours if you really want to take some time to explore them.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Dear Jam: We greatly appreciate your comments regarding the stop at the strawberry farm, as well as the handling of the tour by our experienced tour guide.
Regards,
Kerantha_P, Jun 2023
I would have given it 5 stars, but it was a long tour and they didn't even offer water on the tour bus.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Thank you so much Keran for sharing your appreciation of the tour with us!
Provide bottled water is not allowed forenvironmentally sustainable tour operator
Theresa_T, Apr 2023
Great way to spend a day from San Jose. Alejandro was a fantastic guide—informative, funny, and friendly. The Wildlife Refuge had quite a variety of critters and many beautiful flowers. The lunch had a nice variety of goods and was plentiful. The waterfalls are very nice. 14 of us went together and all enjoyed it.
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Dear Theresa: Thank you so much for sharing your experience in this forum, as an experienced tour operator in Costa Rica, our team - at Expediciones Tropicales Day Tours - is very pleased with the feedback from satisfied customers.
Regards,
Sangeetha_A, Mar 2023
Our guide Mario and driver Carlos made our trip memorable. We were a small group and the trip duration was just right. Mario has a good sense of humor and we really enjoyed his jokes. He was patient in showing attractions to everyone in the group and never complained about having to repeat if the occasion demanded. Highly recommend the tour.
Response from Host, Mar 2023
We appreciate so much your comments as we work everyday to improve the quality of our services.
Sincerely, Expediciones Tropicales Day Tours
Ventas_S, Nov 2024
Intente reservar de última hora y brindaron un servicio excepcional y rápido. Y me apoyó desde temprano hasta ver q se me haya brindado el servicio. Excursion bonita, pintoresco, interesante
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Estimado pasajero: Mil gracias por su comentario en relacion al excelente servicio al cliente de nuestro equipo de reservaciones.
Esperamos nos recomiende con sus amigos en su viaje a Costa Rica.
REINALDO_V, Jan 2024
Excelente excursión
Guía competente y atento
Visita que recomiendo.
Interesante. Bellos paisajes.
Ambiente agradable
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Estimado Reinald: Apreciamos su recomendacion tan puntual de nuestro tour de un dia desde San Jose visitando los jardines de la Catarata de La Paz
Esperamos verlo de nuevo en otro de nuestros tours,
From $133.34
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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