Arenal Volcano Experience Full-Day Tour from San Jose
Description
See more of the Arenal Volcano region with the convenience of a full-day tour from San Jose. Take a scenic route to Arenal with views of farms, rain forests, and small towns. Stop at a coffee plantation and sample coffee, as well as traditional snacks. Stop at a waterfall, look for wildlife, and learn about the Costa Rican Native Culture, then have the afternoon to soak in hot springs set in a lush garden near the Arenal Volcano. Lunch, dinner and coffee tasting are included on this trip.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Travel to the Arenal Volcano area, the most popular touristic region of Costa Rica, and enjoy many of the beauties of the country on this full-day trip. Your tour starts in the morning when you are picked up from your hotel in the San Jose area in an air-conditioned vehicle and you will then travel to Arenal on an alternative route that is more scenic than the regular highway to this popular destination. On the way to Arenal, you will stop in a plantation where you will learn about coffee of Costa Rica, here you will be able to observe the coffee plants and see the workers picking the ripe cherries during the harvest season. Your guide will share information on this important product to the local economy and other important facts (coffee degustation will be provided later in a rustic coffee shop).
Continue your tour with a visit to the famous La Paz Waterfall, where you will stop on the side of the road for a few minutes to take pictures of this popular attraction surrounded by lush tropical rainforest.
Later on, you will stop at the San Fernando Waterfall look-out point, where you will also have the chance to take pictures of this beautiful attraction and observe many exotic birds of Costa Rica at the birds’ gallery; it is very common to see toucans, hummingbirds and many other colorful tropical species. Taste a freshly brewed cup of some of the best coffee in the world while admiring the beautiful waterfall, definitely a great place to drink your coffee! This degustation will be accompanied by traditional snacks that local Costa Ricans normally eat with their coffee.
Following you will stop at the iguana’s center, a place where you will see lots of iguanas at eye level, resting on the top of numerous trees. As part of this stop, you will also go to a place nearby where sloths are normally observed in their natural habitat.
Continue on to the Town of La Fortuna, where you will savor a delicious Costa Rican lunch in a restaurant located near the famous Arenal Volcano. After lunch, participate in an indigenous presentation performed by native people from the local “Maleku Tribe”, where you will learn about the traditions and culture of this ethnic group.
Afterward, you will visit various points around the volcano to take pictures of this amazing mountain on clear days, and you will then travel to the beautiful Paradise Hot Springs Resort, a place where you will be able to relax for a few hours in the multiple hot springs pools surrounded by lush tropical gardens. This hot springs facility is one of the best in the Arenal area and provides the perfect environment to relax in thermal mineral water pools, jacuzzis, and cascading waterfalls. After enjoying the relaxing hot springs you will go to a local typical restaurant to have a delicious Costa Rican dinner and then will be taken back to your hotel in the San Jose area.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Drop off at the Arenal-La Fortuna centrally located hotels are available. Please note that if you choose this option, dinner will not be included in your tour because it’s done in a restaurant on the way back. Also, there is an extra charge for drop-offs with luggage, but in the case of this tour, it doesn’t apply because the cost of the dinner will cover the drop-off charge. If you wish to take this option, you must let us know at the time of booking.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum age to participate is 5 years
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- This tour includes man-made hot springs pools, filled with natural thermal water
- The total tour duration includes the travel time, lunch and dinner
- Drop off in the La Fortuna area hotels is available (dinner will not be included if choosing this option)
- If you are bringing children on the tour (ages 5 to 12), you must inform us in advance so we can prepare the required safety equipment for them.
- This tour has been designed for those people who wish to do a lot of sightseeing in the morning without much effort, have lunch, and then relax in the hot springs for most of the afternoon
- This tour does not include ziplining/rappelling activities (The stop at Go Adventure Park is for the Indigenous presentation only)
Reviews(1,570)
Alex was a great guide, very knowledgeable, friendly, and energetic. The trip was split up into stops which made it more fun and diverse. I really enjoyed the hot springs! What a cool experience. Unfortunately we were not able to see the volcano due to cloud cover but that was a factor out of everyone’s control. Food was tasty with plentiful veggie options. Would recommend!
We booked the tour for the coffee plantation, Volcano visit and Paradise hot springs but we got so much more. Our guide, Alex, was knowledgeable, fun and great at making the most of our trip! He surprised us with exotic animal stings, water falls, local foods and more! His sense of humor definitely made the trip all the more fun! Be sure to request him if you book with book Go Tours!
Alex was a great guide. He had a lot of knowledge on the local area and a great personality. We squeezed alot into one day- coffee plantations, hot springs, tribe visits, a bit of shopping, lots of wildlife spotting and a waterfall trip. Food was great, but unfortunately due to the foggy weather we could not see The Arenal Volcano! Great trip, totally worth it.
Alex Blanco was our guide and he was AWESOME! Absolutely hilarious and fun but also EXCELLENT at wildlife spotting. He found 3 sloths and a couple of toucans off the side of the road and stopped for us to take pictures. I really appreciate the history he was able to share as well and all of his surprises with snacks. 10/10 would book again! Highly recommend!
It was a great time, very organized, smooth transitions through experiences. Alex, the tour guide, is very knowledgeable and comedic. He kept the same energy all 14 hours! The food didn't miss.
It is a long day but there are many stops so you are never in the bus for too long. Our guide Stephen and driver were incredibly kind and caring (my parents are older and had some mobility issues) and really went above and beyond to ensure they were safe and enjoyed the trip as much as possible. The stops were very pleasant and all of the food and drink was incredibly tasty! We saw a sloth, an eyelash viper and the top of the volcano!! Such a win!! We would highly recommend this tour to anyone!!
The experience around San Jose and into the volcano and surrounding country side was incredible. The scenery, the sites and the thermal hot springs was all that I wanted and more. Overall though, it was Fernando, our tour guide that made this experience unforgettable. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the country and all the natural landscapes. He kept reminding us all the sites to see. He was so kind and funny and made this trip special. I would recommend this excursion 10/10 times and especially if this tour includes Fernando!
Fernando was amazing!! We were so lucky to have him on this excursion.
Fernando was a great guide! His knowledge of CR is outstanding.
Such a great experience. Very professional and willing to make the experience memorable. There were so many highlights that was very important to understand the history of Costa Rica. Very knowledgeable and relaxing which is just what I needed. It was definitely a site to see! Highly recommend. Alex was amazing and fun!
