Poas Volcano and La Paz Waterfall Gardens Private Tour
Description
This tour combines the raw power of an active volcano with the serene beauty of lush rainforest and waterfalls, all in a single day. You’ll witness the dramatic landscape of Poás Volcano from a safe and accessible viewpoint, while learning fascinating stories about its eruptions and natural history. At La Paz Waterfall Gardens, you’ll get up close to Costa Rica’s extraordinary wildlife, from colorful butterflies and hummingbirds to rescued monkeys and jungle cats. The trails, gardens, and waterfalls are carefully designed to immerse you in nature, creating unforgettable moments for photography, exploration, and discovery.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Poás Volcano is one of Costa Rica’s most iconic natural wonders. The main crater, nearly 1.5 km wide, is among the largest active craters in the world. Visitors follow a short 0.5 km trail (about 10 minutes each way) to reach the overlook, where breathtaking views reveal the immense power of this active volcano. Along the way, your guide will share fascinating facts about Poás —from its last major eruption in 2017, to the acidic lagoon inside the crater, and how volcanic gases shape the surrounding ecosystem. You’ll also learn how scientists monitor the volcano daily to ensure safe visits, and why the fertile volcanic soil supports such rich biodiversity.
Discover one of Costa Rica’s most complete nature attractions. Walk through trails leading to five stunning waterfalls, explore Central America’s largest butterfly observatory, and enjoy the Hummingbird, Orchid, and Bromeliad Gardens. Visit the Frog Pond, Serpentarium, Insect Exhibit, and the wildlife sanctuary where you can see monkeys, sloths, jungle cats, toucans, and more. La Paz combines waterfalls, wildlife, and rainforest into one unforgettable experience.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Your guide will be wearing a red shirt for easy identification. - If your tour starts at your hotel, they will be waiting in the lobby. - If you are arriving from a cruise, your guide will meet you with a sign displaying your name, ensuring you can find us without any trouble. RETURN TO CRUISE GUARANTEE
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
- The traveler needs to bring a rain jacket
Reviews(23)
Tour was absolutely amazing, our guide had so much information. Food at the buffet was huge and tasty.
The tour operator was on time in a new van and the driver and tour guide was knowledgeable and accommodating. It is a long ride to the volcano but was well worth it
The tour operator was on time in a new van and the driver and tour guide was knowledgeable and accommodating. It is a long ride to the volcano but was well worth it
Volcano and Lagoon are spectacular views! Part of the Waterfall Gardens is a glorified zoo, but the lunch was decent and the Waterfall views were spectacular. Highly recommend!
Thank you for sharing your feedback! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the spectacular views of the volcano, the beautiful waterfalls, and the lunch during your visit. We appreciate your honest perspective about the wildlife exhibits as well. At **La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park**, the animal sanctuary plays an important role in caring for rescued wildlife that cannot be returned to the wild, while also helping educate visitors about Costa Rica’s biodiversity. It’s wonderful to know that the waterfalls and overall experience made the tour memorable for you. Thank you for recommending the tour, and we hope to welcome you back to Costa Rica for another adventure in the future! 🌿🌊
This was an incredible tour that we would recommend to anyone that was not afraid of walking. We had a wonderful guide in Anna and a fantastic driver , Marvin. We managed to arrive at the top of the volcano only 10 minutes before the cloud started to fill the crater bowl. We feel very privileged to have seen it in all its glory before it was completely covered. The waterfalls were incredible and the buffet was very enjoyable.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you had such an incredible experience on the tour. It’s fantastic that you were able to reach the crater at **Poás Volcano National Park** just in time to see it clearly before the clouds rolled in—those moments can be truly special and unforgettable. We’re also very happy to know that you enjoyed the stunning waterfalls and the buffet lunch at **La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park**. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to your guide, **Anna**, and your driver, **Marvin**. They will be delighted to know they helped make your day so memorable. Thank you again for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back to Costa Rica for another adventure in the future! 🌿🌋💧
Pablo and Mario were fantastic. Pablo more than exceeded our expectations as a tour guide. Pablo was very knowledgeable and detailed oriented. He made our experience very memorable.
Thank you very much for your wonderful feedback. We’re delighted to hear that Pablo and Mario were fantastic and that Pablo exceeded your expectations as a tour guide. His deep knowledge, attention to detail, and dedication to creating meaningful experiences truly set him apart, and we’re so pleased he made your tour especially memorable. We will be sure to share your kind words with both Pablo and Mario. Thank you for choosing us, and we hope to welcome you again on another unforgettable experience in Costa Rica.
A most excellent day from start to finish. Pablo, our guide, was fantastic. A great teacher, fun guide and all around wonderful leader. We saw much laughed a lot and ate well. I cannot recommend this excursion enough.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience. We are truly delighted to hear that you had such an excellent day and that Pablo made it so memorable. He is indeed a fantastic guide, and we’re very pleased to know his knowledge, enthusiasm, and leadership contributed to such an enjoyable experience. Hearing that you learned, laughed, and enjoyed great food along the way is exactly what we strive for with every excursion. We sincerely appreciate your recommendation and hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you again on a future tour in Costa Rica. Warm regards, Nicole SYL Travel Costa Rica
Guide Pablo and driver Mario exceeded our expectations for the day. We had plenty of time at the volcano and saw both the active and historical vent locations. Pablo led us through the La Paz complex in a logical order to see all of the sights efficiently. The choice of this tour was a perfect one.
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience. We are delighted to hear that Pablo and Mario exceeded your expectations and helped make the day so enjoyable. It is wonderful to know that you had ample time at the volcano and were able to see both the active and historical vent locations. We are also pleased that Pablo’s organization and guidance through the La Paz complex allowed you to experience all the highlights in an efficient and well-paced manner. We truly appreciate your kind words and are very glad to hear that this tour proved to be the perfect choice. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again on another experience in Costa Rica.
My experience was canceled. I booked the tour at 3:24 and it was confirmed. At 7:55 I received an e-mail that the experience was canceled. At 8PM it was too late to schedule a different experience.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience caused by the last-minute cancellation. Our team had arranged a vehicle traveling from four hours away to operate your tour, and everything was set to proceed as scheduled. Unfortunately, Route 32, the only road that connects our transportation to your pickup location, was unexpectedly closed due to a landslide. This made it impossible for our driver to reach you safely. The closure was officially reported by the authorities during that time, and you are welcome to verify it. We completely understand how frustrating it must have been to receive this notice so late in the day. Please know that the decision was made only because the road conditions made the service impossible to operate safely.
Wonderful day trip from San Jose. The Pao Volcano was stunning and La Paz Waterfall Gardens we beautiful. Our guide, Maryi, was excellent. She shared a lot of information about the history and geography of Costa Rica and was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. Our driver, Jose, was great, too. I highly recommend this trip.
Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you had a wonderful day trip to Poás Volcano and La Paz Waterfall Gardens. It’s great to know that Maryi’s knowledge and Jose’s excellent driving made your experience even more enjoyable. We’ll be sure to share your compliments with them! We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you on another adventure soon. 🌿🚐
We three had a spectacular day with Mario (an excellent driver) and Margie (knowledgeable, charming and oh-so-patient). The weather did not cooperate but that did not "dampen" our spirits (even though our Poas Volcano group shot has nothing but an expanse of gray behind us) as we learned from Margie. The La Paz Waterfall Gardens were exceptional - a truly lovely botanical environment and the fauna were interesting and well taken care of (which is not always the case). Our buffet lunch was tasty and the rice pudding so good. And then there was the walk to the waterfalls - oh, my - they are lovely. And Mario and Margie were kind enough to honor our request to stop for strawberries to take back to our hotel. A full day outing that exceeded our expectations.
Thank you for sharing your delightful experience with Mario and Margie! We're so glad to hear that their professionalism and warmth made your day memorable, despite the unpredictable weather. It’s wonderful that you enjoyed the beauty of La Paz Waterfall Gardens, the delicious buffet (especially the rice pudding!), and the stunning waterfalls. We’re also happy to know that the special strawberry stop added a sweet touch to your day. Your kind words mean a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you back for more unforgettable adventures in Costa Rica! 🌿🍓✨
