At the end of the tour you will enjoy a delicious lunch in a restaurant by the side of the river, and then you will head back to San Jose. For those who want to take a day trip from San Jose, Costa Rica, we have a partnership with Expediciones Tropicales to give small discounts. On a clear day, you can see the bright blue color of the crater lake! After boarding the boat, you will travel along the beautiful Gulf of Nicoya, where you will be able to admire its multiple islands; this boat ride lasts for about 1.5 hours as well. We recommend this tour for those people who have done rafting at least once before, because the rapids can be a little intense. You can even see all the way to the Caribbean coast from there! One bonus to going on a coffee tour is that you can buy coffee at the factory which is fresher and cheaper than the supermarket. If you visit Poas Volcano, it is worth seeing other attractions nearby such as La Paz or a coffee tour. Doka Coffee Plantation, Poas Volcano, & La Paz Waterfall Gardens Tour, La Paz Waterfall Gardens Tour (afternoon), Manuel Antonio National Park Tour from San Jose, Pacuare Whitewater Rafting Day Tour: Class III-IV, Bay Island Catamaran Cruise to Tortuga Island. This is also an excursion for those travelers who are looking for a relaxing time during their stay in San Jose. Its one of the tours we offer discounts for. San Jose, Costa Rica 10104. Tours S.A. All Rights Reserved, Monteverde Sky Tram & Hanging Bridges Tour, Sloths Experience & Indigenous Tribe Tour. This rainforest covered sandbar is famous for turtle nestings, jungle and river canals. The entrance fee ranges from $45-69 USD per adult with lunch so if youre on a budget, you can visit the free waterfall by the side of the road. The zip lining tour lasts for about 1.5 2 hours, and it is done in the beautiful rainforest jungles of Sarapiqui. This tour is recommended for people in a fairly good physical condition, since paddling is involved during the 2 hours that you will be on the river. A walk at the University of Costa Ricas Lankester Gardens will also be done, where the visitors will admire a very large variety of local plants native to Costa Rica, including many beautiful orchids. The tour starts in the morning in one of the local coffee plantations located on the foothills of Poas Volcano National Park. After lunch, a visit to the town of La Fortuna will be done, this is the main town of this entire region, another interesting attraction visited on this tour. Since much of the wildlife becomes active at dusk and night, visitors have more opportunities to see exotic wildlife like anteaters, tapirs, snakes and frogs. On the La Fortuna Waterfall hike you will be able to appreciate nature at its best because this waterfall is immersed in a rainforest jungle where wild animals of Costa Rica are normally observed; swimming at this waterfall is permitted during the tour. Follow your guide through the giant aviary, hummingbird garden, serpentarium, butterfly garden, the frog house, and the big cat exhibit. The countrys varied climate and geography are very favorable for the formation of Rainforest, Cloud Forests, and Dry Tropical Forests, which are full of wildlife, the ideal environments for the most amazing Nature Tours. If your next destination is La Fortuna or Puerto Viejo. If you have some days in the city, here are our recommended best San Jose, Costa Rica day trips. Additionally, they have a small hotel in the park so visitors can take an overnight trip from San Jose. Tortuga Island is definitely one of the best San Jose day tours and best beach trips from San Jose! Zarcero is famous for their church and topiary gardens, Grecia has a red metal church and Sarchi has the biggest oxcart and sells fine furniture. Are you looking for the best day trips from San Jose, Costa Rica? Youll stop at Democracy Place and the National Museum, the Courts, Los Yoses, Hispanidad Fountain, and the Rodrigo Facio Campus in the University of Costa Rica. You can also use this rafting trip as an interconnection. At the factory you will learn how the typical oxcarts are made, and you will also have time to do souvenir shopping at their store. The tour is rated as class III-IV, thats why we recommend experience, or it could be considered as an intense first-time rafting trip, basically for those people who have never done rafting but enjoy high adrenaline stuff (especially in the rainy season-months between May and December, when the river is higher). The Rainforest Adventures aerial tram is the first in Costa Rica, taking visitors through the jungle and high up to a viewpoint. This is by far the best class II-III white water rafting trip in Costa Rica. Some tour companies operate a Doka Coffee and Grecia, Sarchi and oxcart tour which is very nice. This tour is recommended for people in a fairly good physical shape, because a lot of paddling has to be done during the 4 hours that you will be on the river. If you want to use San Jose as your home base in Costa Rica and do day trips, it is possible and you can see many different parts of the country. After the Sloth Sanctuary Tour you will go to the town of Cahuita to have an authentic Caribbean style lunch, and then you will visit Cahuita National Park. Costa Rica Experts 2022. Spend [], This afternoon, explore Costa Ricas quaint capital, San Jose. At the end of the hot springs you will go back to your hotel in San Jose and dinner will be served in a restaurant along the way. We offer a total of 3 tours to the Beautiful Beaches of Costa Rica, although 2 of them will be presented on the Combination Tours section because they are both combined with other intense nature activities: The Manuel Antonio National Park Tour and the Sloth Sanctuary and Caribbean Beaches Tour. Costa Rica has more than 300 beaches in the whole territory, with 1,200 kilometers of coast line (about 800 miles). The Central Valley grows some of the best coffee in Costa Rica due to its favorable climate and elevation. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Participants of this tour must also understand that this will be a very long day, but the benefit is that you will see on this tour more of Costa Rica than in any tour offered from San Jose. We have a special $10 discount for the Tortuga Island Day Tour with Bay Island Cruises. Following you will stop at the famous La Paz Waterfall, here you will spend a few minutes to take great pictures of this natural wonder. If you love coffee, you have to take a tour to learn about how Costa Rica grows and processes their coffee. This tour is the absolutely best combination for those who seek to experience the amazing Nature of Costa Rica and its beautiful beaches. Zip your way through a lush, green canopy, carried securely by a system of zip lines as you soar [], Barrio La California, On route to Arenal you will travel along jungles, farms and local towns, until reaching the town of La Fortuna where you will enjoy a delicious typical lunch. Here, your guides will give you rafting & safety instructions. Its a must if you dont have more time to spend in La Fortuna! Well actually its about 45 minutes outside of San Jose but like I said earlier, you can go from city to jungle in less than an hour in Costa Rica. in Zurich & Berlin. On this tour you would stop in a coffee plantation where a briefing of Costa Rican coffee will be done, including degustation of coffee accompanied by local snacks (this degustation will be done in a typical restaurant further ahead). Yep! On this walk through the history of cocoa you will do different degustation of chocolate, the way our ancestors drank it, the raw products and the final product of chocolate when its processed in a traditional way. You can read about the Tortuguero packageand get our Tortuguero discount here. For anyone who loves the beach, this is one of the best San Jose, Costa Rica day trips! For us, one of the best coffee tours from San Jose is the Doka Estate Coffee tour. Get Exclusive Costa Rica Travel Tips and our Free Travel Guide Straight to You! These are the 2 options available from San Jose: This tour is meant for those travelers who are not looking to do a lot of exploring-adventure, but rather relax for a long time in the hot springs. For travelers staying in the capital city of San Jose, a, To get a better understanding of San Joses culture, dont miss the, For an adventure around San Jose, check out the. Since its towards the Caribbean side, this area has incredibly lush jungle and abundant wildlife. The whole rafting trip lasts for about 2 hours, and a fruit snack is served around the middle of the tour. The hike on this tour is done at Selvatura Park, another great option for hiking in the Monteverde area. This is a full day tour that starts in the morning with pickups in the different hotels of the San Jose area. These are the best options for Adventure Tours from the Capital City of San Jose: This tour is done in the Rainforest Mountains of San Ramon, it includes 10 adventure cables, 1 thrilling Tarzan Swing and an amazing Superman line. This tour goes to the beautiful Caribbean Beaches of Costa Rica, as well as to the world famous Sloth Sanctuary, located in the Limon province. 2022 On this full Nature Tour from San Jose you will ride on the Tortuguero Canals searching for the abundant rainforest wildlife, and you will also learn about the lush flora of the area. As you can see, staying in San Jose doesnt mean its just city sightseeing. Tour companies offer tours with Doka Coffee Estate and La Paz waterfall Gardens, La Paz and Poas Volcano or all three. If you want to experience Costa Rican small town life, the best places are Sarchi, Grecia and Zarcero. However, the best way to visit in on an overnight trip from San Jose. After lunch you will do a very short walk to the volcanos look-out point located at the base of the mountain, where you can take pictures of this beautiful volcano on clear days. Right after the rappelling you will participate of a brief native tribe presentation for about 15-20 minutes, where local indigenous people will talk about their traditions, music, dialect, etc. Visit Irazu Volcano National Park to see the tallest volcano in Costa Rica. Ed #2798 Oficina #8 Once in Manuel Antonio you will hike on the main trail with your guide, where you will have the chance to admire the intense rainforest nature and look for the abundant local wildlife, we normally observe a lot of wild animals on this tour. This tour is recommended for people of all ages and in any physical condition, since the walking at the park is easy. Here you will enjoy a Costa Rican breakfast before heading to the put-in on the banks of the Pacuare River. At this rescue center you will be able to observe many wild animal species of Costa Rica that are treated there, including several sloths. Read 10 reasons why you should! Afterwards you will go to the hot springs at the base of Arenal Volcano to relax for a couple of hours before going back to San Jose and dinner will be served along the way. For those booking tours with transportation, dont forget to get our San Jose day tours discount! Next to the crater there are other areas for hiking, like a plain called Playa Hermosa, as well as trails that go to the mountains around the crater. Costa Rica's capital rewards explorers with lively markets, must-see museums, and unforgettable volcanos close by. You can! If you rented a car, you can easily visit these places on your own. Here youll board a catamaran for an exciting cruise through the Gulf of Nicoya to Tortuga Island. For those people with limited traveling time in the City of San Jose, we offer a few Combination Tours where the tourists are able to enjoy more than one activity or attraction in a single day, and in some of the cases, would be able to do several activities or attractions, these type of excursions are ideal for those who have just one or two days to see the most of Costa Rica. At Baldi there are multiple pools with water that was naturally heated by the volcano, where you can relax surrounded by beautiful tropical gardens. At the end of this Zip lining and Rafting tour you will be taken back to your hotel in San Jose. For these day trips, you can do these one your own if you rented a car or you can book tours with transportation. Since Irazu Volcano is about a 2 hour drive from San Jose, doesnt require a lot of walking and is a simple drive, its a very easy day trip from San Jose. At this plantation you will learn the process of growing coffee, the way it is harvested in Costa Rica and the way it is brewed in a traditional way; degustation of local coffee is included as part of the tour and this activity lasts for about 1.5 2 hours. Join 10k+ in receiving Expert travel advice, news & promotions! On this activity you will learn the whole history of cocoa in Latin America, the uses our ancestors gave to it and the history on how it turned out to be chocolate. The hanging bridges and nature trails at Selvatura are mainly to observe the rare cloud forest eco system, your expert guide will walk you through this amazing gallery explaining many interesting aspects of our endangered Cloud forests. Along the way, you can stop at Finca Sanatorio Duran, the most haunted building in Costa Rica! The La Paz waterfall gardens is a small park with an animal sanctuary, trails and waterfalls up in the Vara Blanca Cloud Forest. After all of these stops you will be taken to your hotel in San Jose. 2008 The tour also includes stopping in a couple of waterfalls to take pictures, in a birds observation station and in a place where we normally observe lots of iguanas and other forms of rainforest wildlife. The landscape is very favorable for the practice of adventure activities, there many mountains for the practice of zip lining and horseback riding; rivers for white water rafting; waterfalls and cliffs to do rappelling, etc. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Lunch will be served right afterwards and in the afternoon you will enjoy of a 30 minutes horseback riding at the base of the volcano. Other important landmarks will be visited by vehicle, such as the Sabana Park, the National Stadium, the Congress, the National Cathedral and other places of interests; the time exploring San Jose will be about 2-3 hours. The idea of this tour is to travel to the Arenal Volcano area in a very different way than other tours offered by tour companies in San Jose, by doing multiple stops in attractions that are along the way. At the end of the day you will go to relax to Paradise Hot Springs, this is one of the many local parks where you can relax in mineral thermal waters that come naturally heated by the volcano. You can drive yourself to the coffee plantations to do the tour or book a tour with a company. On this nature tour you will be able to visit the crater and summit of the highest volcano of Costa Rica, Irazu Volcano. Although, there is just a handful of beautiful Beach Tours that can be done as a One Day Trip from San Jose. The following are the best of the Beach Tours that can be done from San Jose, where you can relax for a long time on the beach: On this tour you will visit one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica at Tortuga Island. Each of these towns have their own special characteristics and offer a wonderful glimpse into local in Costa Rica. Tortuguero National Park is probably the most unique wilderness place of Costa Rica, where the only way of transportation is by boat through its beautiful canals, and due to this, the place is known as the Amazon Jungle of Costa Rica. Mytanfeet is full of local tips, detailed guides, photos, videos and maps to help you plan the perfect trip to Costa Rica. After lunch you will visit the volcanos main look-out point, which is located at the base of the mountain, you will spend a few minutes taking pictures of the volcano (weather permitting), before going to Baldi Hot Springs. The tour continues directly to the Arenal area, where you will have lunch upon arrival. At the end of your day you will relax at the mineral hot springs of the area for about 2 hours before returning to your hotel in San Jose. If you go ziplining, their canopy tour gives you fantastic views of the jungle as you fly over the trees! Take an Arenal Volcano one day tour from San Jose to see the majestic volcano and relax in the hot springs. It is not uncommon to see a continuous flow of steam spewing out of the crater. An adventurous 50 meter high rappel line over the Arenal River is also done at the end of this tour. This destination offers a variety of metropolitan activities and cultural experiences with adventurous thrills well within reach. San Jose Tours, Early this morning, meet your guide for a drive to Costa Ricas Central Highlands. Some of the best coffee in Costa Rica comes from the Doka Estate, and youll have the chance to witness the [], 1 hour north of San Jose is the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a sprawling animal sanctuary and nature experience that gets you up close and personal with wildlife and waterfalls. This tour is recommended for people in any physical shape, the hike takes about 2.5 3 hours approx. Stop at the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum and the beautiful National Theater for a guided visit. The hanging bridges in the Monteverde Cloud Forests are the most famous of the country and the ones with better infrastructure for tourism. The Arenal day tour is one of the most popular and best day trips from San Jose to experience rainforest and volcano. In fact, youre in one of the best locations since the city is right in the middle of the country! Upon arrival to the dock, there will be coffee and other breakfast items in case that you wish to have a more complete meal. This tour is recommended for people in any physical shape, the amount of walking required is minimal. You might spot [], Explore the up-and-coming Amon neighborhood in central San Jose. At the sanctuary you will do the 2 hour tour where you will learn everything about sloths, the most representative animals of Costa Rica. At Baldi there are also water slides for the visitors enjoyment, as well as many swim up bars for drinks and food while enjoying there. This adventure is ideal for beginners, but you would still get a lot of action on the class III rapids. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Then you will go on to relax at one of the best hot springs in the [], Set against a cloud forest background, the San Luis canopy tour will take you on an exciting and safe adventure in the treetops of the Central Highlands. This tour is recommended for people in any physical shape because the amount of walking required is minimal, just about an hour at a slow pace during the rainforest walk. This national park is in Cartago and has some spectacular views along the way. In the mood for adventure? Poas Volcano is only about a 1 hour drive from downtown, making it one of the best day trips from San Jose. The tour continues to the Sarapiqui area where you will do a short rainforest walk in one of the local reserves, here you will learn a little more about the flora of Costa Rica. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. This tour also includes visiting a monkeys observation place, where we normally observe lots of white faced capuchin monkeys in their natural environment. This adventure combination tour takes place in the Sarapiqui Rainforest area. Following you will visit the Capital City of San Jose, where you will walk on its streets with your guide to some of the most remarkable places, such as the National Theater, the Central Avenue and the San Jose Central Market, the most iconic cultural place of the city. Youll sample the flavors of Costa Rica while you learn [], Youll depart your central San Jose hotel early in the morning on a drive to the Tropical Rivers Operations Center.