Filed Under: Activities and tours Costa Rica. 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. The tour departs from San Jose in the morning and goes to an animal rescue center located in a rural town not too far from the city. On this tour you will hike on the trails and hanging bridges of Sky Adventures Park, where you will also be able to ride its tram and get the best aerial views of the Monteverde and Santa Elena areas. The name of this tour speaks for itself, this tour is all done in 3 different places where the rainforest and wildlife of Costa Rica can be admired. You can even see all the way to the Caribbean coast from there! It is important to know that this zip lining-rappelling-native tribe presentation is all done in the same property, but for those who dont want to do these activities we have the option of doing a short rainforest walk that includes the largest frog exhibit of Costa Rica with more than 30 species; a large butterfly garden; a turtles exhibit; a snakes exhibit; and a crocodile-caiman exhibit (this requestmust bedone at the time of reservation). 2008 Then, youll begin to paddle [], Early this morning, you will transfer by ground about 2 hours to Puntarenas on the Central Pacific. Wait, you can go ziplining in San Jose? It is not uncommon to see a continuous flow of steam spewing out of the crater. Each of these towns have their own special characteristics and offer a wonderful glimpse into local in Costa Rica. Located 12 nautical miles from Puntarenas, Isla Tortuga is a popular spot thanks to its white-sand beaches and turquoise waters. Sit back as local chefs prepare dishes that combine Costa Ricas most traditional ingredients with international cooking techniques. Costa Rica Experts 2022. The Rainforest Adventures aerial tram is the first in Costa Rica, taking visitors through the jungle and high up to a viewpoint. 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. You can read about the Tortuguero packageand get our Tortuguero discount here. A visit to the town of Tortuguero is included as part of the Caribbean Cultural experience of this tour. This is another of the Nature Tours where you can visit the Cloud Forests of Costa Rica. 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). This national park is in Cartago and has some spectacular views 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. The Manuel Antonio National Park tour departs early in the morning from San Jose, and goes directly to the park with just one stop for breakfast along the way. We have a special $10 discount for the Tortuga Island Day Tour with Bay Island Cruises. It is important to understand that it is very likely to see sloths at a close range in this place, at the sloth gardens, at the nursery or when they are eating, but sometimes they are all up on the trees or sleeping in their boxes and cannot be disturbed; the tour is intended to arrive there at feeding time to have better chances to see them active and up-close. If you visit independently, make sure you purchase park tickets beforehand on the SINAC website. This is a full day tour that starts in the morning with pickups in the different hotels of the San Jose area. This tour is recommended for people of all ages, since physical efforts are not involved. A stop is done along the way at the folkloric town of Sarchi, where you will have the chance to visit the typical oxcarts factory and its big souvenir shop, where shopping can be done for a while. The zip lining tour lasts for about 1.5 2 hours, and it is done in the beautiful rainforest jungles of Sarapiqui. Youll cruise through the Gulf of Nicoya for about 1.5 hours before reaching the island where you have 5 hours to relax and enjoy. The walk to the crater is very short, it doesnt take more than 5 minutes and its done on flat terrain. Yep! This San Jose Cultural tour starts in the morning at one of the local coffee plantations, where you will learn about the history of Costa Ricas most important agricultural product. There are many Tours from San Jose to explore volcanoes, national parks, rainforests, beautiful beaches; do adventure activities or to explore the local culture. Its a must if you dont have more time to spend in La Fortuna! Although, there is just a handful of beautiful Beach Tours that can be done as a One Day Trip from San Jose. All of these activities are done near the Arenal Volcano National Park area, the best place for adventure activities in Costa Rica. 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. The Sarapiqui River White Water Rafting Tour can be considered as a beginners level rafting trip, however, you will get a good bit of action during the class III rapids. This rainforest covered sandbar is famous for turtle nestings, jungle and river canals. Here, you will find many important museums and cultural centers such as the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum and the National Theater. 2022 Take a relaxing cruise to Tortuga Island, a gorgeous island with a white sand beach and excellent snorkeling. 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. Get $5 USD off the tour! The Superman line gets its name because is different than the regular zip lines, you will basically lay on your stomach on a special type of hardness that will make feel that you are flying like Superman. Although we recommend at least two, one night is enough to see and experience Tortuguero. Take an Arenal Volcano one day tour from San Jose to see the majestic volcano and relax in the hot springs. In the afternoon you will board a boat that will take you on the Sarapiqui River to try to spot some of the local wildlife, this is a 1.5-2 hours ride where is very common to see monkeys, sloths, toucans, coatimundis, crocodiles, and several species of native and migratory birds. Follow your guide through the giant aviary, hummingbird garden, serpentarium, butterfly garden, the frog house, and the big cat exhibit. At Sarchi you will visit the Central Park to observe the World Guiness Record biggest oxcart in the world and you will also visit the typical oxcarts factory. You will walk through the plantation and the coffee processing plant, where you will learn everything about Costa Rican coffee, the way is planted, the way is harvested and the way is brewed in a traditional way; this interesting experience takes about 1.5 to 2 hours all together. Ed #2798 Oficina #8 Mytanfeet LLC Copyright 2013 - 2022 - Thank you for supporting our Travel Blog! Then youll have the rest of the day to hike, swim and relax at the beach. At the end of your time in the Manuel Antonio National Park you will go to have a delicious local lunch on the 6th floor of Hotel San Bada, the ocean and jungle views from this restaurant are spectacular. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Manuel Antonio National Park is another popular day tour from San Jose. You can easily discover many gems of Costa Rica during the day and come back to the comforts of city conveniences at night. 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. 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. in Zurich & Berlin. This excursion to the Eastern part of the country its a great combination of nature and beach. 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. Following will be zip lining, the adventurous part of this trip. If you have some days in the city, here are our recommended best San Jose, Costa Rica day trips. The hike at the national park is easy, its all done on flat terrain. This day excursion will take you on a guided hike through the national park to see wildlife like monkeys and sloths. This tour is recommended for people who are in a fairly-decent physical shape. After all of these interesting stops you will reach the town of La Fortuna, where you will enjoy a delicious local lunch at the base of Arenal Volcano. 2008-2022 Agencia de Viajes GO! Taking Tours from San Jose, the Capital City of Costa Rica, is a great option for those who seek to explore the main destinations of the country. Here is a brief review of each one of our tours departing from San Jose, separated by themes and with some additional information that will help you determine which one of them better suits your needs and interests: Costa Rica is known worldwide for its amazing nature, there are several National Parks and Natural Reserves everywhere you go, with jungles, rivers, volcanoes and other natural attractions. You will spend most of the afternoon relaxing in the multiple pools that can be found at Tabacon Hot Springs; where its pools are fed by a natural hot water river that flows directly from the volcano and they are surrounded by beautiful rainforest jungles and gardens. The Tortuga Island tour stars in the morning with pickup from your hotel in San Jose, you will go to the Port of Puntarenas on an approx. 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. This tour also includes visiting a monkeys observation place, where we normally observe lots of white faced capuchin monkeys in their natural environment. Made For those without a car, you can book an Irazu Volcano day tour. This is by far the best class II-III white water rafting trip in Costa Rica. This hike is appropriate for people of all ages, the trail is about 1.7 kilometers long (a little over a mile long) and its mostly on flat terrain, so people in all physical conditions can do this tour as long as can walk ok. Once you finish with the hike you will spend some time at the beautiful Manuel Antonio Beach, a truly jewel of nature because of the scenic beauty, a white sand beach surrounded by an intense green rainforest; altogether, you will spend about 4 hours in the park. This is the closest zip lining tour to the city of San Jose, located about an hour and 15 minutes outside of the city. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. You can also use this rafting trip as an interconnection. Costa Rica's capital rewards explorers with lively markets, must-see museums, and unforgettable volcanos close by. If youre lucky, you might [], Youll depart San Jose and head to Alajuela, driving through coffee plantations and strawberry farms before arriving at a higher cloud forest altitude. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The walk to the look-out point is very short, just about 300-400 yards, which makes this tour appropriate for people of all ages and in any physical condition. This tour is recommended for people in any physical shape, the amount of walking required is minimal. With each new stop on the tour, your guide will familiarize you with local culinary history and culture. For those booking tours with transportation, dont forget to get our San Jose day tours discount! The first stop is done at about 2 hours after leaving San Jose, where you will visit the Rainforest Aerial Tram Atlantic; here you will take an hour long tram ride to admire the lush rainforest located next to the Braulio Carrillo National Park. They also stop by Sarchi on their Arenal 1 day tour. At the end of this Zip lining and Rafting tour you will be taken back to your hotel in San Jose. Finally, make a brief stop [], Youll depart San Jose on a 2.5-hour drive north to the Arenal area. Are you looking for the best day trips from San Jose, Costa Rica? This tour is recommended for people in any physical shape, the amount of walking required is minimal. 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. This tour is recommended for people of all ages and in any physical condition, since the walking at the park is easy. Since visitors can only stay 40 minutes in the national park, it makes for a quick nice stop to see a volcano crater in between the drive. Following you will visit Tabacon Resort and Thermal Spa, which is the most upscale and unique hot springs location in all Costa Rica. 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. Upon arrival to the dock, there will be coffee and other breakfast items in case that you wish to have a more complete meal. Spend [], This afternoon, explore Costa Ricas quaint capital, San Jose. There are also combo Tours that combine a little bit of everything. Costa Ricas capital city of San Jose and the surrounding Central Valley has the biggest urban developments of Costa Rica. 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. After the visit to the rescue center, the tour takes a turn to explore the culture of Costa Rica at the town of Grecia, where you will observe its iconic metal church; as well as going to the town of Sarchi which is Costa Ricas artisans birth place. 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. This is also an excursion for those travelers who are looking for a relaxing time during their stay in San Jose. This tour is recommended for people who are in a fairly good physical condition, since some effort is required to do the zip lining. Most of the options for tours from San Jose involve nature or adventure type of activities, however, there are a couple of Relaxation Tours where you would have the chance to relax in mineral hot springs for a long time in the afternoon. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. *The order of the activities can vary depending on the days logistics. Once at the island you will be able to relax on the beach for a few hours, or do some of the activities available, like beach volleyball, banana boat ride, snorkeling, etc. We recommend this tour for those people who have done rafting at least once before, because the rapids can be a little intense. This destination offers a variety of metropolitan activities and cultural experiences with adventurous thrills well within reach. 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. Poas Volcano National Park is the most popular park in Costa Rica because of its easy accessibility and incredible views of one of the largest geyser volcano craters in the world. San Joses favorable location makes it easy for travelers to experience the highlights of Costa Rica. Get Exclusive Costa Rica Travel Tips and our Free Travel Guide Straight to You! (some of these activities require an extra charge). At Baldi there are multiple pools with water that was naturally heated by the volcano, where you can relax surrounded by beautiful tropical gardens. The tour continues with some hiking in the rainforest where nature can be appreciated and the last line, which is also the longest, is the one called the Superman line. If youre not on a budget, its worth the entrance fee to the gardens since the property has 5 different waterfalls! This hanging bridges hike is in our opinion, the best nature walk you can take in the whole region. Tours S.A. All Rights Reserved, Monteverde Sky Tram & Hanging Bridges Tour, Sloths Experience & Indigenous Tribe Tour. 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. Calles 27 & 29, Ave 2, All Rights Reserved. Stop at the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum and the beautiful National Theater for a guided visit. You can drive yourself to the coffee plantations to do the tour or book a tour with a company. Here you will enjoy a Costa Rican breakfast before heading to the put-in on the banks of the Pacuare River. Additionally, they have a small hotel in the park so visitors can take an overnight trip from San Jose. Tour companies offer tours with Doka Coffee Estate and La Paz waterfall Gardens, La Paz and Poas Volcano or all three. Arrive at the small town of La Fortuna, with a stop to enjoy lunch at a cozy restaurant with a magnificent view of the Arenal Volcano. At the sanctuary you will do the 2 hour tour where you will learn everything about sloths, the most representative animals of Costa Rica. The tour starts in the morning by traveling towards the foothills of the Poas Volcano and Barva Volcano, on the most scenic route to Arenal (there are a few ways to get there), and you will do several stops to enjoy many interesting attractions. You can! and it is done mostly on flat terrain at a slow pace. Read 10 reasons why you should! The Arenal Volcano Experience tour is a great combination of nature-sightseeing and relaxation. Learn about the history of coffee and chocolate on this half day tour. 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. This is the absolutely best rafting trip in all Costa Rica and has being ranked as the 5th best in the world. The tour starts in the morning in one of the local coffee plantations located on the foothills of Poas Volcano National Park. On this journey back to your hotel you will stop at the Jaco Beach look-out point to take pictures for a few minutes of this beautiful landscape; at Tarcoles Beach to search for scarlet macaws, the most beautiful birds of Costa Rica; and the famous crocodile bridge where we normally observe lots of these big reptiles. You might spot [], Explore the up-and-coming Amon neighborhood in central San Jose. At this rescue center you will be able to observe many wild animal species of Costa Rica that are treated there, including several sloths. The tour also goes to the beautiful Orosi Valley in the Province of Cartago, one of the favorite touristic spots to go on the weekends for local Costa Rican people. 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. 1.5 hours drive, and breakfast will be served on the bus. 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. Day tours usually consist of breakfast, lunch, an Arenal volcano hike and Arenal hot springs (Baldi, the Springs or Tabacon). At this place they have several sloth gardens, which are natural enclosed areas where the sloths spend their rehabilitation, they have a few bushes where the sloths spend their time and a box type of place where they sleep. This adventure is ideal for beginners, but you would still get a lot of action on the class III rapids. 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. 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. 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. For anyone who loves the beach, this is one of the best San Jose, Costa Rica day trips! 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. (If youre going on your own, click here to get our 7% La Paz waterfall gardens discount!). 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. 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. 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). The Sloth Encounter and Cultural Towns is a half day trip from San Jose that combines culture with animals viewing. On the way, youll stop at the Doka Coffee Estate for breakfast and a brief tour of the coffee plantation. Zip your way through a lush, green canopy, carried securely by a system of zip lines as you soar [], Barrio La California, With your guide, youll hike along the park trails, observing rainforest vegetation and trying to spot wildlife along the way. Whiz across 12 different zip lines and 18 platforms. GetYourGuide. On this nature tour you will be able to visit the crater and summit of the highest volcano of Costa Rica, Irazu Volcano. travel guide to San Jose Costa Rica sightseeing tours. Want ideas for things to do in San Jose? This tour is recommended for people in any physical shape, walking is only involved in the Central Avenue and the Central Market for about an hour. Costa Rica's capital city of San Jose is an up-and-coming cultural hot spot and the latest culinary epicenter prime for discovery. At this station they have a few bird feeders, where many colorful species of these animals are attracted to eat local tropical fruits, including beautiful toucans and lots of hummingbird species. Go white water rafting at Rio Pacuare, one of the best rivers in the world! This day of adventure starts with the zip lining tour in the rainforest, which includes a total of 9 adventure cables that are normally done in approximately 1.5 hours. The hanging bridges in the Monteverde Cloud Forests are the most famous of the country and the ones with better infrastructure for tourism. Visit Irazu Volcano National Park to see the tallest volcano in Costa Rica. You can drive yourself or Rainforest Adventures offers transportation for an extra fee if you book on their website. If you want to experience Costa Rican small town life, the best places are Sarchi, Grecia and Zarcero. 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. 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. One of the best adventure day trips from San Jose, Costa Rica! Here, your guides will give you rafting & safety instructions. 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. Following you will participate of a traditional chocolate tour. For these day trips, you can do these one your own if you rented a car or you can book tours with transportation. 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. San Jose, Costa Rica 10104. A delicious lunch will be served on the island and towards the late afternoon hours you will board the boat to go back to Puntarenas and then the bus to San Jose, you should be back at your hotel around 7-8 p.m. (times can vary depending on logistics). Most of them go to Doka Estate since they have very nice facilities and a big property. Poas Volcano is only about a 1 hour drive from downtown, making it one of the best day trips from San Jose. The La Paz waterfall gardens is one of the best day trips from San Jose for families. 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. If you go ziplining, their canopy tour gives you fantastic views of the jungle as you fly over the trees! Arrive at Poas Volcano, which is one of the more active volcanos in central Costa Rica. 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. 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. 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. Best Costa Rica Tours Rainforest Adventures is an eco-adventure park near Brauilio Carrillo National Park with a variety of activities such as hiking, bird watching, ziplining and an aerial tram. Youll also find out which tour companies we recommend for San Jose day tours and you can get our San Jose day tours discount! If you want to see the whole coffee procedure, the best months are September January as that is when coffee picking season is. Here youll board a catamaran for an exciting cruise through the Gulf of Nicoya to Tortuga Island. However, there are several others such as Britt and Alsacia (owned by Starbucks). Once in Arenal a delicious local lunch will be served in a restaurant at the base of Arenal Volcano, this is actually one of the closest restaurants to this mountain. This Arenal Volcano and Baldi Hot Springs tour starts in the morning when you get picked up from your San Jose hotel, and just like the Arenal Volcano and Tabacon Hot Springs tour, it goes to the folkloric town of Sarchi to admire its oxcarts factory, where shopping can also be done at their souvenir shop, which is the largest of the country. Tortuga Island is definitely one of the best San Jose day tours and best beach trips from San Jose! 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 one is probably the most complete adventure tour offered from San Jose, which combines zip lining in the rainforest, rappelling, horseback riding and white water tubing, as well as relaxation in mineral hot springs. 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.