San José City

Arenal Volcano At Night

One of our most popular tours! The Arenal Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the Americas. From our observation point, you will feel the ground tremble and see the night sky explode with ash and lava in a natural display of fireworks.

Next, we will visit the hot springs of the volcano, where you can relax in the soothing waters and be caressed by the cool night air while observing the stars and the incredible night sky above the volcano. At a convenient time after your arrival, we will treat you to a splendid dinner. This is absolutely an evening you will not want to miss in Costa Rica!

On this tour we will also visit the town of Sarchí, well known for the beauty of the handcrafts that they produce. (Lunch and dinner included).

Suggested Equipment: swimsuit, comfortable walking shoes (if there is good weather), sweater, insect repellent, and a towel (optional).

Irazú Volcano y Lankaster

After visiting Irazú Volcano, the tour continues to Lankester Gardens, a 20-acre orchid garden originally owned by British orchid enthusiast Charles Lankester and now run by the University of Costa Rica.

Lankester Gardens is one of the most valuable botanical centers in Central America, known for its collection of more than 800 native and foreign species.

Orosi Valley is famous for its beautiful views, coffee plantations, colonial buildings, hot springs and the Reventazón River.

On the return trip to San José City, you will see the Bridal Veil waterfall. Approximate driving times, San Jose City-Irazú: 1-1/2 hours; Irazú Volcano-Orosi: 1 hour; Orosi-San Jose City: 2 hours.

Includes: Transportation, services of a bilingual guide, entrance fees in effect at the time of booking are included unless otherwise specified and lunch.

Irazú Volcano Day Tour

En route to Irazú Volcano National Park you will stop in Cartago, Costa Rica's former capital city, where you will visit the ruins of a church and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels. Continuing to Irazú Volcano National Park through the valley of Cartago, you can enjoy scenic views of crop land and dairy pastures.

As a result of its last major series of eruptions (1963-65), Irazú Volcano presents an impressively bleak and barren landscape and two deep craters, one of which still contains active fumaroles. The stunted vegetation consists of many plant species unique to this highland habitat (11,000 ft. above sea level).

On our way back to San Jose City, we will stop for lunch (not included in tour price) at the Linda Vista Restaurant. Approximate driving times, San Jose City-Cartago: 35 minutes; Cartago-Irazú Volcano: 1 hour; Irazú Volcano-San Jose City, 90 minutes.

Includes: Transportation, services of a bilingual guide and $6 park entrance fee in effect at the time of booking are included unless otherwise specified.

The Pacuare River is one of the top five rafting rivers in the world for its scenery and rapids. This quintessential tropical river is a trip of pure magic, unsurpassed beauty, wildlife and exhilarating rapids.

Located on Costa Rica's Atlantic slope, the Pacuare River borders the Talamanca mountain range, home to native Cabecar Indians and an incredible variety of wildlife.

After an early morning pickup from your San Jose hotel, you will drive by private, comfortable bus to our Operations Center for a delicious, typical Costa Rican breakfast. Once at the river at our private put-in, you'll raft 16 miles deep in the heart of densely vegetated gorges, past gushing waterfalls, serene pools and pounding rapids, in one of Costa Rica's most impressive primary rainforests.

On the river you will raft to the lodge, where guests stay on two and three-day trips. Intimate and charming, the lodge blends naturally into the forest on our 1,000-acre private reserve, with waterfalls and pools.

After an adrenaline-packed afternoon running rapids like Upper and Lower Huacas, Cimarron, Dos Montanas and many more, after we finish, a short drive to the Operations Center for a hearty and delicious lunch, showers, optional drinks and souvenir store.

On the return drive to San Jose City, you'll enjoy remarkable views of Braulio Carrillo National Park and Irazú Volcano.

This unforgettable trip will easily be a highlight of your stay in Costa Rica!

La Paz Waterfall Gardens

La Paz Waterfall Gardens is open year round from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with our last shuttle pick up from the exit trail at 5:00 p.m. We recommend our last visitors to enter the park at 3:45 p.m. to ensure that you have enough time to walk the primary trails. Reservations are not necessary. We can accommodate earlier arrivals and later departures with an advance request.

With over 3.5 kilometres of walking trails, we recommend a minimum of 1 1/2 hours reserved for your stay. However, if you would like to see every trail and thoroughly enjoy the time spent in the Butterfly Observatory, Hummingbird Gardens and our new bird watching areas, you will probably want to stay the whole day.

Waterfall Gardens is a primarily a self-guided tour allowing our visitors to proceed directly to their areas of interest. If you would rather have a guide for your group, we can offer one for an additional charge with an advance reservation.

“What if it rains?” This is the Rainforest for goodness sake! Seriously, sometimes it does rain here and sometimes it doesn’t stop! However, we do offer raincoats for sale and our trails are designed so you will have places to stop and take cover. However, we do not offer ‘rain days’ for paid tours. We recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes (preferably with a thick tread for hiking the trails and hundreds of stairs), shorts or comfortable pants and a lightweight jacket or raincoat. Please keep in mind that the park ranges in altitude from 5,200 feet to 4,200 feet so it can get chilly when the clouds roll in.

Poás Volcano y Sarchí

This tour is the combination of the Poás Volcano National Park and the Grecia & Sarchí (Oxcart Factory) tours.

The Poás Volcano is one of the world's largest geysers with an awesome crater, over 1.5 km. wide! The volcano is active, but completely safe for viewing. This tour begins with a beautiful drive through the lush coffee plantations and flower farms of the area. In addition to the volcano, the Poás National Park is a 9,884-acre reserve with rich tropical vegetation and animal life. The tour includes a hike through the surrounding forest that is teeming with typical plant life and exotic birds. The hike concludes at a restful, emerald green, tropical lagoon.

After visiting Poás Volcano, your will have a wonderful drive through some of the largest coffee and sugar cane plantations of Costa Rica. Arriving first at Grecia, we will see the famous metal church, that has a rare and beautiful architecture. Next, we will tour the fascinating craftsman factories of Sarchí; where they build the famous oxcarts of Costa Rica. Splendidly decorated and in various sizes, these oxcarts are treasured worldwide for their unique beauty. You will not want to leave Costa Rica without one!

Suggested Equipment: Sweater, camera, binoculars, comfortable shoes, rain coat

Poás Volcano Day Tours

En route to Poás Volcano, you will drive through Alajuela province and pass by the statue of Juan Santamaria, Lake Fraijanes and Poasito village.

Poás Volcano is one of the deepest active volcanoes in the world. Having last erupted in September, 1978, Poás emits a continuous flow of steam from vents adjacent to a lake deep within the main crater. A second crater, with a crystal clear, rain-fed lake surrounded by lush highland jungle, is located a half-mile away, via a trail through dwarf cloud forest. Among the 80 species of birds reported, several are unique to this unusual habitat.

On the way back to San Jose City, the group will stop at El Recreo Restaurant (or similar) for lunch (not included in tour price). Driving time from San Jose City to Poás Volcano is approximately 90 minutes.

Includes: Transportation, services of a bilingual guide and $6 entrance fee, taxes and entrance fees in effect at the time of booking are included unless otherwise specified.

Tortuga Island

Tortuga Island is located at the southeastern tip of the Gulf of Nicoya, in front of Curu Point. It covers 120 hectares and reaches a height of 172 meters above sea level. Tortuga Island is the property of the Costa Rican state and has been leased to the small Costa Rican Cubero family composed of twelve members. The Cubero's are the only inhabitants of the island and they protect the natural beauty of the island through a sustainable program which includes tourism activities.

Tortuga Island is composed of Dry Tropical forest. This typically means low rainfall levels and high temperatures and a long dry season. This forest has a canopy that is 30 meters high and the underbrush is sparse. Amongst the main ecosystems, the flora and fauna that is found includes the Candle tree, Anicillo, popularly known as black pepper, the monkey's ladder, Figg, and pink poui tree (tabebuia). It is normal to find pacas while walking the trails as well as a great variety of birds.

Tortuga Island tour combines an enjoyable yacht trip with memorable fun in the sun on a tropical island just off the coast. After being picked up at their San Jose hotel, guests will enjoy a scenic drive to the Pacific port town of Puntarenas. There, they will board the luxury yacht Calypso for the cruise across the Gulf of Nicoya to Tortuga Island. The crew will serve delicious tropical drinks and exotic fruits during the Tortuga Island tour.

The tropical island has a magnificent white-sand beach and inviting, clear blue waters. In the Tortuga Island tour, you will have plenty of time for Snorkeling, exploring, lounging on the beach, playing volleyball with the crew or just relaxing to the sound of waves gently breaking on the sand. A delicious Tortuga Island buffet lunch and wine will be served on the beach. Guests return to San Jose City in the late afternoon.