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USD $107.00
Costa Rica Day Trip from San Jose
San Jose, Costa Rica
Take advantage of your time in Costa Rica on this exciting full-day guided tour from San Jose! Enjoy an exhilarating mountain hike and tour impressive sites like the breathtaking La Paz Waterfall and Doka Estate's coffee plantation. Witness an amazing waterfall and explore one of the world's largest butterfly observatories at La Paz Waterfall Gardens. A delicious breakfast and lunch are included.
Enjoy a drive by luxury air-conditioned coach from San Jose to begin your exciting Costa Rica adventure. Start your full-day trip with a complimentary breakfast and cup of authentic, delicious Costa Rican coffee. Embark on an exhilarating mountain hike with your local guide and enjoy the gorgeous scenery before making your way to Doka Estate, a 350-acre (141-hectare) coffee plantation. Tour the impressive estate and admire the surrounding rolling hills.
Next, escape into a world of tropical wildlife and scenery at La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Journey through the Hummingbird Garden and admire colorful butterflies at the Butterfly Observatory – one of the largest in the world! Enjoy a picturesque riverside hike through the rainforest before indulging in a delicious lunch with your group. Then, sit back and relax on a scenic drive back to San Jose.
You’re picked up by the bus at your hotel at an assigned time. Our guide Kenny and driver Enrique made the first hour to the coffee plantation informative and fun with information about many aspects of Costa Rica and its culture. This portion of trip is interactive so it was helpful to drink some coffee before getting picked up. Also note that the first thing you do at the Doka Coffee Plantation is a buffet-style traditional Costa Rican breakfast and a variety of coffees, so you don’t have to eat before you head out for the day. At Doka you could visit their butterfly garden before starting a tour of the facility. The tour told us about how coffee is made from the plant to the product. There was also a very nice gift shop that we were given time to shop._br/_ Along the road to the La Paz waterfalls you stop at a small store where you can try the fresh fruits of the area, local wines, and you can do some more shopping and use the restrooms._br/_ When you get to the La Paz resort, you first tour the gardens and animal enclosures. This includes hummingbirds, an aviary, a butterfly garden, and mammal exhibits where all of the animals have been rescued. It was great to get a sense of the species that live in Costa Rica and the rainforests. Before continuing the tour, you get an amazing buffet lunch at the resort restaurant. It is good to keep in mind that after lunch you will be doing a lot of walking, especially up and down stairs, so try not to overfill yourself (but you might eat too much anyways because it’s so good!). The waterfalls were exceptional! They are more than worth all the stairs you have to go up and down, so make sure you take the time to admire all of them. It is a good idea to bring a rain jacket or poncho with you in case of rain._br/_ Due to the full day itinerary the drive back into the city often coincides with rush hour and can take upwards of four hours. Our driver was excellent and our guide was fun, but it should be planned for.
Review by: Philip R, May 2018
Very good day trip with La Paz waterfalls being a highlight. The Hummingbird Garden and Butterfly Observatory stop was an unexpectedly enjoyable experience. All in all, a day well spent.
Review by: Tia'ron, May 2018
Great experience with even greater pictures to show forth. We were unable to travel to the volcanic area due to cloudy weather but it definitely didn't affect the trip. Loved it. Worth the money!1
Review by: Adriana D, April 2018
This tour was amazing! Mario, our guide - very knowledgable and entertaining person, a really really GREAT person. I found out many things about Costa Rica during this day. These were the best spent money in my life. I still cannot believe how beautiful this day was. It can be a great experience both for people having limited time in Costa Rica but also to those who stay longer. The meals were also very good, the visit to coffee plantation - very eye opening in terms of something we consume on a daily basis. La Paz Waterfall - breathtaking scenary - and I feel in love with Toucans. I feel that the words I am using in this description express less than the happiness I felt during this tour : I will definitely never forget it.
Review by: Christina M, April 2018
What a wonderful day trip. Our guide, Martin, was so great. He was very knowledgeable about Costa Rica and all the places we stopped along the way. He was also very interactive with all the tour guests. The food and tour at Daka was fantastic. Breakfast was buffet style with eggs, plantains, rice, fruit and drinks, and of course, great coffee. The tour at La Paz was also really fun. Lunch was delicious and was a buffet of all sorts of food, even my picky-eater son found plenty to eat. Overall, an excellent experience. I would highly recommend and request Martin as your guide if possible, he made it better than we could have imagined!
Review by: Cristina P, April 2018
Nice tour, a bit rushed but I got to see lots. I highly recommend it!
Review by: Lydia R, February 2018
What a great trip. The waterfalls were amazing and the guide was kind. I have a bad knee and he waited for me to make sure I was okay. What an awesome experience.
Review by: Amy B, February 2018
La Paz Waterfalls is one of my most favorite tours. Highly recommended!
Review by: William F, February 2018
Take this tour!!! I read other people's reviews and they said that this was their favorite part of their trip and I completely agree. Doka Coffee Plantation was a great stop and I do not even drink coffee. However, La Paz Waterfall Gardens was definitely the highlight. From the animal sanctuary to lunch, to the waterfalls it was breathtaking. Our guide Martin was spectacular. He gave us the choice to stay with him or explore on our own and I am extremely happy that I stayed with him. His knowledge and presentation were amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this day!
Review by: omaralaa92, January 2018
this was my fav day tour for CR! day is action packed and you get to see many awesome places. I particularly enjoyed the park which had so many cool animals!
Review by: Gladys C, December 2017
Great tour, but not 12 hours. Pick-up was at 6:00 a.m. worth it drive to Doka Coffee Planation for tour and breakfast._br/_ then ride to taste strawberries - but we had to paid for them. Then the Paz Waterfalls - beautiful and well maintained gardens, animal cages. Then lunch back at the La Paz Restaurant. I was back at my hotel by 3:30 p.m.
Review by: Priyank S, December 2017
Very good experience!
Review by: Alfe C, December 2017
Buy the Peaberry coffee! It's a special coffee that does not have the bitter taste others coffee give you._br/_ Donald the tour guide was awesome, professional, respectful and the driver too._br/_ The group I was in was 20 people. People from USA, Panama, Mexico, very diverse._br/_ The breakfast was delicious, and lunch as well. _br/_ Take lots of pictures, videos. You will love Magia Blanca waterfall because I did!_br/_ I am origin is Dominican and I live in NYC, but I believe I will come back to experience more._br/_ This tour is safe._br/_ Cool tour for anyone traveling alone, in a group or as a couple.
Review by: jerry.collins35, December 2017
The coffee plantation and processing was very informative. Also, breakfast and lunch was exceptional. I enjoyed the waterfalls too, but it would be a challenge with bad knees or in a wheelchair.
Review by: Narvan S, December 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Rabz, October 2017
Great tour!!
Review by: Sharon K, October 2017
Lots of coffee appreciation. San Jose were a great idea but we were not able to see the falls/volcano area which I guess is pretty common. The frogs were terrific and very photogenic.
Review by: Mark B, October 2017
The tour, guide and drivers were excellent. The pace of the tour was just right. The meals were very good. The only thing that could be better is if the hotels for the participants were closer in proximity. We spent about and hour and 20 minutes picking people up. Overall a good experience!
Review by: Chip Edward P, October 2017
The tour guide was very energetic, entertaining, considerate and accommodating. The driver and the ride was safe and smooth overall. We were able to meet news friends along the way and we learned more about the country's scenic views, wildlife, flora and culture. The venue was full of interesting and amazing things and we had more than enough time to enjoy everything.
Review by: kvtupaz, September 2017
Definitely worth it if you are in San Jose, Costa Rica for a short time. You get great food and the coffee tour is very informative. Then the Waterfall Gardens are great because of the fauna. It is actually a pretty good workout so bring an extra t-shirt!
Review by: laus3003, September 2017
We really enjoyed the beauty of La Paz waterfall gardens in particular. The guide and driver were very professional and knowledgeable. The only disappointment was we felt rushed and were unable to fully enjoy the gardens in the time allocated. If you like to take your time with photographs and watching the wildlife I'd suggest another tour. Otherwise a great day trip.
Review by: Shaun F, September 2017
Lots of driving but overall good.
Review by: Nathaniel S, September 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Ximena I, September 2017
love it! It will be advisable for the next time to start with the waterfalls and then go to the aviary, etc at the Angels Fall.
Review by: Yongjie C, September 2017
Great guide, unique experiences, and amazing landscapes cloud forest
Review by: Doug S, August 2017
This was a very good introduction and overview of Costa Rica. Our guide was very personable and informative. There were 16 people on our tour so it was very manageable and we didn't get in each other's way. The breakfast at the coffee plantation was good and the tour was informative. The plantation grounds are beautiful and the staff friendly....and you get to drink coffee and, of course, purchase some in the gift shop. La Paz waterfalls is a private park theme park but it allows you to get up close and learn about the diverse native flora and fauna. The park staff was very informative. The gift shop was quite overpriced for my tastes. The waterfalls are quite spectacular no swimming and the steps to get to them are numerous. The lunch was way above my expectations in both quality and quantity. Last, but not least, we had a great driver and a safe ride through some gorgeous countryside.
Review by: Sasha R, July 2017
This tour gives you picture perfect views of Costa Rica! Our day started with an informative and interesting visit to a coffee plantation. As a non-coffee drinker, I found this tour to be very interesting, and the coffee was delicious! We spent the afternoon visiting a nature preserve/waterfalls, which was so much fun! Lunch included a buffet with both local cuisine, and American favorites such as pizza and fries. My favorite part of the tour was visiting the animal exhibits at the nature preserves, which made the trip truly unforgettable. I highly recommend this tour!
Review by: Paul P, July 2017
While I certainly enjoyed the visit to the Doka coffee plantation and learned a lot about how coffee is grown, harvested, and processed, the highlight of this day was the visit to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. I knew in advance about the beautiful waterfalls, but I was not expecting the excellent wildlife exhibits. If you're a birder enthusiast, you will fall in love with the hummingbird garden. I've never seen so many hummingbirds in one place at one time. I'm just sorry that my phone camera is too slow to have captured any images of the darting creatures. If you have a DSLR, definitely bring it along. You'll be glad you did.
Review by: Della F, July 2017
Tour was beautiful! Not only did we tour the locations listed in the description, we would stop along the way for amazing views of Poas Volcano and surrounding San Jose areas. Our tour guide, Jesus, was so informative and took his time with tour members ensuring that everyone got enough time and felt a part of the group. One of my best highlights on my first trip to Costa Rica!
Review by: Allyson V, June 2017
This tour was just meh. If you have a long trip in CR....it may be nice to go on but I only had 4 days and I wish I had gone with another choice.
Review by: Modesto E, June 2017
Food was wonderful. Sights were amazing.
Review by: cerobbins2, June 2017
Yet another amazing tour experience. This I would highly recommend to get your money's worth. Transportation in an air conditioned bus, breakfast, lunch, rain forest tour, waterfalls.....animal habitat tour....everything was amazing. La Paz Falls and the Peace Lodge is a very tranquil place and I want to stay there next trip we take to Costa Rica. A
Review by: Edna C, May 2017
Our guide, Eugenio, took great care of us all, English and Spanish speaking tourist. Traditional Costa Rican breakfast was amazing at the Doka Estates. Our guide gave a tour of the Doka Coffee estate from the cultivation of the bean through the drying and packaging, then on to La Paz waterfalls. The lunch was delicious at the wild life center. It is a work out to get to the waterfalls, climbing up and down lots of steps, but worth it. On the way to the waterfalls we saw different animals exhibits, jaguar, sloth, frogs, snakes, ocelots, my favorite was the butterflies. The waterfalls are beautiful!!
Review by: David D, May 2017
This was the best tour I had, the food was amazing! The guides friendly, trusting, and concerned for your safety. Bring a poncho and good walking shoes, strenuous walking. Doka Estates best coffee tour I had! Food was amazing!
Review by: Mary Jo G, April 2017
I'm not a tour bus type of traveler and I should have known better than to book a tour of any kind, particularly one this expensive. I will say that the scenery was pretty as the bus drove around the countryside from one spot to the next. However, I would have liked to have more time at the actual tour sites and less time in the gift and souvenir shops along the way. It was a hurry up and get through the site and then what seemed like unlimited time to buy stuff. I understand that tour guides have to make a living, but this was excessive. Another mistake I made was to take a tour on a Saturday, which was extremely busy particularly at the volcano even though it was clouded over - that's no one's fault, and the Waterfall Gardens. The crowds at La Paz Waterfall Gardens were unbelievably intense. And no matter how many times the guide tried to convince us that it is a refuge protecting the animals in the cages, it is a zoo, plain and simple. A refuge would not have wild cats confined to small enclosures or a pet toucan that poses like a stuffed animal. Had I known this about this place I never would have booked this trip. The single saving grace of the tour were the waterfalls at the very end of the hurried tour. Even with that, I would not recommend this tour at this cost. Well, the food WAS good, breakfast and lunch. There's that. Still not worth it.
Review by: Shaylee P, April 2017
This day was great._br/_ Something I did not know was the la Paz waterfalls are located in a wild life rescue center... so we got to walk through a very lush area and see different animal exhibits (like a zoo) ... really cool! _br/_ And the lunch was DELICIOUS!!! _br/_ Guide and driver were awesome! _br/_ 5 stars!
Review by: Shana S, April 2017
Everything about this tour was amazing!
Review by: Claire G, March 2017
This was by far one of my favourite days in my whole Costa Rica trip. Adrian was a fantastic guide and Gustavo was a great driver. I highly recommend this tour.
Review by: smallpup, March 2017
I enjoyed this tour very much. Started with breakfast and a coffee tour at Doka Coffee Estates. Yummy traditional Costa Rican breakfast. Then had a tour of the estate and how they cultivate their coffee beans. Then, off to the Poas Volcano. We were lucky there were no clouds in site. Enjoyed the volcano then walked to a lake. If u need water, but it before you go as it is very expensive at the top. Then off to the La Paz waterfall gardens. This was better then I thought it was going to be. The buffet lunch was good and the waterfall was gorgeous. Mauricio our tour guide was great.
Review by: paulschreer, February 2017
I would definitely recommend this combo day trip adventure. I was traveling solo, so it was nice to join a group for the day. Our driver Ricardo did a fantastic job getting us safely from spot to spot. Our guide Donald was fun and very knowledgeable of the coffee growing and processing, the volcano, and the other things that happen in the region, such as the greenhouses where they grow the ornamental ferns for export and the fresa's strawberries. The typical Tico breakfast and Costa Rican coffee at the Doka Estate was a great way to start the day. The Poas Volcano is as amazing as the picture leads you to believe, even better in person. La Paz Waterfall Gardens, including the buffet lunch is a fun adventure all in itself. A good workout too. Cheers!
Review by: cpagnucco, February 2017
Full day tour that started with amazing coffee and ended with a spectacular waterfall. Our guide and driver were great. Highly recommend this tour.
Review by: Msmccourt, February 2017
This is a fantastic trip! The tour guide Alen and Juan, driver were amazing - so detailed and great attitude! So bubbly and nice! _br/_ The Duko coffee part was good and educational! I was amazed at Alins ability to present so much information. The breakfast was ok, coffee fantastic. The Poa volcano part was a disappointment and is a total hit or miss so I would skip it. it was only a cloud and the lagoon part on 2nd crater is basically looking at a lake on top of a mountain if you did not know it was a volcano filled with rainwater. It really wasn't worth the time and the traffic to get there. The La Paz waterfalls park was great! Lunch was excellent and then tour of animal rescue center given again by Alin was very educational, with many tidbits of interesting information. the staff there was great as well and really care for these animals down to tiniest frog! the walks to view waterfalls were perfectly laid out. I enjoyed the exercise and witnessing the power of the falls. the downside was the traffic to get back to hotel. I would check to see if there is still construction on the one road in and out to San Jose as we then sat in traffic for 31/2 hours making this day a 15 hour day. The poor driver and tour guide.. that was a lot for them too! All in All I love Costa Rica so just check these things so you can love it too! Pura Vida!!!!
Review by: Jennifer O, February 2017
Breathtaking and life changing, and that is not hyperbole. We were blessed with a clear day with no cloud cover. I understand those can be few and far between, so bear that in mind when choosing this package. The volcano and the lagoon are marvels of nature and are worth the hike at multithousand meter altitude. Be warned that the air is thin. My lungs were burning, and I am relatively fit. The view, however, was worth the ever so slight pain.
Review by: David M, February 2017
A full day. The host was both a great driver and guide. In spite of the rainy weather, the sights were breathtaking, and the meals wonderful. Word of caution, this includes some hikes that, while short, are rather strenuous, including climbing up and down many steps in the gorge to view the waterfalls. I'm a senior, and may have been the oldest person on the bus. With a little huffing and puffing I kept up, and it was well worth it. Only 1 complaint, we were picked up about 45 minutes late. Given the inclement weather, had us wondering if the trip had been canceled.
Review by: pbarton4680, February 2017
Our tour guides were very knowledgeable and helpful. They took very good care of us and helped us to make the most of our experience. I would highly recommend this tour.
Review by: SINMING K, January 2017
Many sites are good and interesting. Some, volcano, Boto Lake, and waterfall, are for those who are still able to walk in a fast pace. The lunch at the Peace Lodge was very enjoyable. I saw that some groups were more together and organized. Ours were a bit scattered and disorganized.
Review by: Bridge, January 2017
This was an amazing experience showcasing all that Cost Rica has to offer. The day beings with breakfast in the Doka Coffee plantation followed by a tour of the coffee plantation and coffee production. The tour continues to the Poas Volcano and sulfur pool, we had a fantastic view as there was no cloud cover such brilliant sunshine. The trek through the cloud forest to the lagoon was awesome. The next stop is the nature park and waterfall gardens, where you enjoy a buffet lunch overlooking the rain forest. After lunch you can visit aviary with an amazing display of exotic birds, the humming bird garden, the butterfly observatory and jungle cats. The final part of the tour is trek through the waterfall gardens and rain forest this is a truly amazing Costa Rica experience.
Review by: Arzu Y, January 2017
It was an amazing 3 tour combined together. It was very clear sky and warm day so seeing Volcano was very easy. Our tour guide Jorge is awesome and very knowleadable. And Our driver Coto was super safe all day. Thank you so much again for a fun day....
Review by: Susan F, January 2017
I booked this trip for my first day in Costa Rica before joining my weeklong tour. It was a great day and a wonderful introduction to the rich ecosystems of Costa Rica. Though it was too cloudy to see the crater of the volcano , the hike was nice. The coffee plantation tour and breakfast were very good. Coffee production is such an important part of the culture and economy. The La Paz butterfly gardens, nature preserve and waterfalls were the highlight of a very good day. Absolutely beautiful and very interesting. The food for both breakfast and lunch was good, the guide was good and fellow travelers were friendly. Highly recommend.
Review by: Nigel Denney, January 2017
A good day trip out of San Jose, which took us to the Doka coffee estate, Volcan Poas and the La Paz Waterfall gardens with the loquacious guide Mario. The Doka coffee estate and the highland area were a pleasant contrast to the warmer humid environment of San José. Nice to eat some local strawberries! The estate itself was interesting as it is largely organic. Volcan Poas is worth seeing, particularly the crater lake, although minor volcanic activity meant it was grey rather than blue. The waterfall gardens have an extensive collection of animals, and while I am not so much a fan of animals in captivity, it was the only time I saw jaguars in Costa Rica. Unfortunately as it was raining it was hard to get good pictures of the waterfalls, although they were impressive nonetheless._br/_ I would have liked a few more photo stops to take some pictures of the coffee plantations along the way.
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