One Day Tours from San José Costa Rica
One Day Tours from San José Costa Rica We have the best one day tours from San José. It is the perfect hub for your vacation in Costa Rica. Besides its vibrating gay nightlife, world class restaurants, shopping centers, and museums, you can discover a whole new world of adventures and breath-taking scenery within a couple of hours of driving time.
We have selected for you the top one-day tours destinations, from the once-in-a-lifetime experience of rafting down the Pacuare River to chilling out on a yacht in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Our tours run daily from Wednesday through Sunday to provide you with one unique experience per day. Tours are operated with a minimum of two guests.
Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs
Tour Description
Arenal is one of our most fantastic tours from San Jose. This expedition shows the beauty of the stunning Arenal Volcano and of the nearby lush and relaxing thermal waters of Tabacon Hot Springs.
During your ride to the Arenal Volcano, there will be a stop at the famous town of Sarchi, home of the best of Costa Rica’s artisans. In Sarchi, you can see many of the handicrafts that Costa Rica has to offer, as well as the chance to witness the world’s largest oxcart, which is nearly 45 feet long (14 meters) and weighs 4400 lbs (2 tons).
The journey will continue past pineapple, coffee and mangos plantations and fields of flowers until we finally arrive at the small town of La Fortuna, where we will enjoy lunch at a typical restaurant with a magnificent view of the volcano.
Then you will relax at one of the best hot springs in the area, where you will revel in the cleansing and rejuvenating effects of the thermal waters. You can also reserve an optional massage or other treatment at one of the best Central America Spas; just let us know so we can book it.
Tabacon Hot springs combines the four elements of nature; the heat of the volcano, the flowing waters of the hot springs, the pure air of the rainforest, and the fertile earth of the Northern Region, which together provide visitors with a first class experience.
And for a perfect ending, before going back to San José, a wonderful dinner will be served at Tabacon Restaurant.
Includes
Transportation
Lunch
Dinner
Bilingual guide (English/Spanish)
Entrance fee to Tabacon
Doka Coffee Plantation, Poas Volcano & La Paz Waterfall
Tour Description
Take an exciting day trip to a new vacation destination. Enjoy a tour of the famous Doka coffee plantation, where you will learn about the history and importance of coffee in Costa Rican culture.
Then, head to the Poas Volcano, where you will get to see gorgeous Costa Rican views and the massive crater filled with a bright blue sulfurous lake.
Finish the day off by hiking to the breathtaking La Paz waterfall where lots of birds, butterflies, monkeys, and sloths can be spotted. Then enjoy a delicious traditional Costa Rican lunch before being transported to your next vacation destination just in time for sunset.
Itinerary
7:30 Pick-up at your hotel in San José. Drive towards Doka Estate Coffee Plantation.
8:30 Visit Doka Coffe Plantation
10:00 Arrival at Poas Volcano
12:00 Arrival to La Paz Waterfall. Lunch.
1:00 Visit to the gardens and waterfalls
3:00 Return to San Jose
Includes
Transportation
Friendly guides
Admission to all activities
Lunch
Tortuga Island Tour
Tour Description
In the Gulf of Nicoya, there is a magnificent archipelago of several islands with lush natural beauty and a sanctuary that is home to seabirds, white sandy beaches, and the flora and fauna of our Central Pacific region. Situated 12 nautical miles from Puntarenas, Tortuga Island (called by local indigenous people “Tolinga”) has an area of 120 hectares and is maintained as a protected forest, which has been awarded the Ecological Blue Flag for five years running. This distinction is awarded to beaches in our country that area unpolluted. Due to its geographical features, Tortuga Island’s waters are clear turquoise, which are optimal for swimming.
Itinerary
- 6:00 a.m.: Pick-up passengers in San José
- 7:00 a.m.: Breakfast snack served on bus
- 8:30 a.m.: Arrive in Puntarenas
- 10:30 a.m.: Arrive on Tortuga Island.
- 1:00 p.m.: Lunch served on the Island
- 4:00 p.m.: Depart from Tortuga Island
- 6:00 p.m.: Arrive in Puntarenas and depart to San José
- 8:30 p.m.: Arrive to San José.
Includes
- Ground transportation: San José-Puntarenas-San José, from hotels in the San José metropolitan area, Jacó, Guanacaste and other parts of the country.
- Specialized bilingual guide throughout the journey (English/Spanish. Other languages upon request)
- Breakfast snack served on the bus
- Maritime transport on board of the Great Bay’s Princess Catamaran or Yacht. Sail the Gulf of Nicoya for an hour and 30 minutes and see the beautiful landscapes.
- Tropical fruits, fish ceviche, natural drinks, cocktail and snacks
- Live music
- Professional entertainment throughout the tour
- Lunch
Gulf Islands Tour
Every Saturday, we offer a special tour to the Tortuga Island and San Lucas Island. We invite you to experience one of the best and most exclusive sea voyages you can experience in a day in Costa Rica.
Price all year – Minimum 15 people to operate
Tourists
Adults $130
Children (3-11 years) $105
Pacuare River One day Tour
Tour Description
If you have dreamt of rafting on a wild tropical river with warm water, the celadon-colored Pacuare is your dream come true! Rafting down one of the top rivers in the world, you’ll experience the intimate nature of the rainforest as you pass through 19 miles of Class III-IV white water. The warm water, cascading waterfalls, and opulently lush rainforest,t with its brilliantly colored plants, animals, and birds, indulge your senses on every level.
Located on Costa Rica’s Caribbean slope, the Pacuare River borders the Talamanca Mountain Range, which is home to native Cabecar Indians and an incredible variety of wildlife, including parrots, toucans, deer, jaguars, ocelots, monkeys, butterflies, and more. Add in the exciting Class III-IV whitewater rapids, and you have a tropical adventure packed with rich experiences that last long after you’ve returned home.
Itinerary
06:30 Pick-up at your Hotel
08:00 Breakfast en route
10:30 Arrival to the rafting’s starting point for safety briefing.
11:00 The adventure starts
1:30 Arrival at the operations centre and lunch
2:00 Return to San José
Includes
Professional bilingual Guides
Rafting equipment
Breakfast and hot lunch
Changing room and showers
Transportation – Drop off in Arenal and/or Puerto Viejo available free of charge
San Jose Brew Pub Crawl
Tour Description
Thanks to the influence of the international beer market, interest in craft or homemade beer in Costa Rica has grown over the years. With so many types of beer, from light beers and Lagers to Pilsners and dark beers, this tour is ideal for those who want to get a taste of a variety of different kinds – Costa Rica style! Luckily for us, most of Costa Rica’s microbreweries and craft beer pubs are based in downtown San Jose.
On this tour, we’ll visit a number of pubs and sample ten different beers, while learning about the brewing process, eating deliciously-paired “tapas” or as we say in Costa Rica: “bocas,” and meeting friendly local folk.
Located in the lively San José neighborhood of Barrio Escalante, our meeting point is one of the best souvenir shops in Costa Rica. Here you will see handmade goods and fun things to bring home and share with friends.
Start with the first pub stop that brews their own beer, and you will get to try three different types of their delicious home brew. From there, you’ll travel around San Jose on foot, taking time to stop into a bunch of beer-focused pubs to try their house cerveza, along with some yummy local food options.
The tour will finish up in a lovely local pub which is the perfect place to grab dinner (if you’re still hungry after taste-testing Costa Rican “bocas” along the way) or stay for a few more beers! This is a walking tour and we cover between two and four kilometers, with lots of stops along the way.
Bring: Comfortable walking shoes, camera, hat, sunglasses, a little extra spending money (in case you want to buy souvenirs or dinner), and a taste for good beer.
Please don’t take valuables on this tour. It’s best to bring a light backpack, as we will be going in and out of local pubs.
For anyone with enough energy, there’ll be, after the tour, a night-out visit to explore San Jose’s nightlife, in particular La Avispa, the most popular gay disco on Sunday in the San Jose area.
Itinerary
- 2:00 pm – Meet at designated location in Barrio Escalante
- 2:00 – 6:00 Travel around San Jose on foot, taking time to stop at a variety of beer-focused pubs
- 6:00 Return to the meeting point.
- 6:00 For those interested in a visit to La Avispa disco, pick-up at the meeting point and transportation to the disco
