Miravalles Volcano Combo Tour

This trip is a MUST GO! We met Will (Will.I.am) the beach near the Tamarindo Diria. He hooked us up with the best tours and prices anywhere. This trip was my very favorite! We started the day picked up at our hotel by Henry (who owns Perez-oso tours, but works closely with side-by-side tours and the owner, Leo). We stopped for a break at El Jardin where you can get yourself breakfast, snacks or souvenirs (as well as a pee break). The place is clean and great for a stop. Then it was on to the mountains and waterfalls. We spent as much time as we wanted frolicking in the water before heading up to the next stop—horseback riding in the rainforest! After a fun jaunt up, you are dropped off for a hike through nature and suspension bridges (which are exhilarating!) where you can see more waterfalls and beauty. Afterwards, you stop for lunch (delicious and filling with a choice of tilapia, pork chop or chicken—the chicken was my favorite) . Then you enjoy exploring the sulphur springs on the side of an active volcano! Pop into the cave sauna for a few minutes, then go down to the warm-hot mud pits, where you can slather yourself in volcanic mud (that smells and feels like poo, but it’s still so fun). Let it dry and then shower off under the stone sculptures (a giggling about them and their rather generous architecture). Then you relax in the series of pools. The first one is the temperature of a regular hot tub, the middle is more like warm bath water temperature and the third is ice cold, designed to close the pores. Don’t miss out on the water slide! It’s right on-site, and worth the short trek up the hill to experience it!!! Henry and Larissa, our guides, made the trip! We never felt rushed and they were knowledgeable, friendly and so much fun!!

+14

Booked this tour through JJ. He was the best. Followed up after we got back to make sure I had a good time. Your guide was an amazing as well. Made the experience really fun. Lunch was great. Overall 10 outta 10. JJ will hook you up.

The tour guide, Juan Carlos was so knowledgeable and friendly! Driver Steven was the best and he and Juan made a great pair! Both were considerate of the guest's safety and enjoyment. Juan offered information not only about the sites included in the tour but of CR in general. The wildlife was incredible, and Walter at the Rainforest was an extra bonus! He was so thoughtful in helping me get excellent photos. Loved every minute of it! We booked 2 other excursions with this company, and all were positive! JJ, the representative at our resort was also so very helpful in helping us choose the best excursions with no pressure to purchase. All the excursions were exactly (or better) than described! JJ was also so helpful in navigating our trip in general. Good people!

Lunch at the Restaurant at the volcano site was the highlight of the day - thus the three star review. Otherwise, would be a 2. We were told by Leo, that the tour included breakfast - when we arrived at 7:30 am, they were clearly not expecting us, so we had to move on to the river tour, which set us back at least 90 minutes, and made breakfast pretty late. Pretty hungry by then! There was not enough food for our group of 10 when we returned, although the van driver and the tour guide ate very well. Leo promised us a cooler with ice so that we could have a beverage along the way, but this did not happen. The tour was supposed to be about a 2 hour drive there and two hours back - again very misleading as it was closer to 3 hours each way. Our tour was supposed to include a waterfall stop, with an opportunity to swim - also did not happen. Our promised tour guide was sick (unavoidable) and the replacement guide, although friendly, spent most of the day conversing in Spanish with the driver. The river cruise lasted only abut 30 minutes, as opposed to an hour, as we had to return for breakfast so this was cut short. Saw a couple of herons, birds in the distance, couple of crocs and a monkey swung by. Likely would have seen more, had the cruise been longer. Once we made it to the volcano, we did a short tour and as mentioned, lunch at the Volcano Restaurant was amazing. It was a long, bumpy ride back.

Great trip with a small group. Juan Carlos was a terrific naturalist with an encyclopedia of knowledge. We did 3 tours and they were all great.

Met JJ at our resort. Super nice and helpful. He went way above and beyond for us. I only selected one tour from the list but we actually had 3 different ones throughout the week. Started out with ATV and then zip lines. Fernando was our guide. He instructed us on the use of the ATV and safety of it. He was great. Easy to use and we drove an hour and a half through roads, villages,farms and mud. He then introduced us to the zip line people. Jose and I think it was Carlos were both great. Never did that before and they gave very clear instructions. They helped suit us up and off we went. It was a blast and always felt 100% safe. They strap you up and send you on your way. One of them is waiting for you at the other end. So much fun. After doing 10 zip lines we met back with Fernando took a different route back. It was fun and challenging. My wife got stuck twice and he came and got on the ATV and drove her out. Again very safe and a lot of fun. Worth doing for sure Now second trip was to volcano and mud bath and water falls. We were so lucky to have Juan Carlos and Steven. They were great. Steven drove and Juan Carlos spoke the entire time about things we will see and about Costa Rica. He has so much knowledge and is a marine biologist. He was a lot of fun. I learned so much on his trip. Everything is safe and fun. Water falls are gorgeous and the hot springs and volcanic mud is wonderful. Great lunch as well Another trip we did a private excursion with Juan Carlos and Steven. Went to chocolate plantation and had a very cool experience and tour. Learned so much on how chocolate is actually made. Also on the tour there we saw many other medicinal plants and learned about them. There were some huge 400 year old tree and lots of other flowers and plants to see. Fun and educational. Had a wonderful lunch there with fresh authentic food. Then we headed further into the rain forest to see other creatures. So lucky to see a baby sloth. He was about one foot away from us. Just some great experiences and well worth it. JJ checked with us each day to see how everything went and if we were happy. I highly recommend you go through him for tours. He can work with you and customize anything you want.

+2

We spent 10 days at Occidental Papagayo- and were lucky enough to have JJ help us with our tours! He’s great. We explained what we wanted to see and do, and he worked with us to make it work. And it you have JuanCarlos as you’re guide then you’ve hit the jackpot! He’s the best! We did the Palo Verde river tour, and Waterfall and Nature Walk tour. Both were fantastic if you want to see Costa Rican wildlife. Thanks JJ and JuanCarlos!