Arenal Volcano Experience Full-Day Tour from San Jose

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Travel to the Arenal Volcano area, the most popular touristic region of Costa Rica, and enjoy many of the beauties of the country on this full-day trip. Your tour starts in the morning when you are picked up from your hotel in the San Jose area in an air-conditioned vehicle and you will then travel to Arenal on an alternative route that is more scenic than the regular highway to this popular destination. On the way to Arenal, you will stop in a plantation where you will learn about coffee of Costa Rica, here you will be able to observe the coffee plants and see the workers picking the ripe cherries during the harvest season. Your guide will share information on this important product to the local economy and other important facts (coffee degustation will be provided later in a rustic coffee shop).

   20 min

2. Continue your tour with a visit to the famous La Paz Waterfall, where you will stop on the side of the road for a few minutes to take pictures of this popular attraction surrounded by lush tropical rainforest.

   15 min

3. Later on, you will stop at the San Fernando Waterfall look-out point, where you will also have the chance to take pictures of this beautiful attraction and observe many exotic birds of Costa Rica at the birds’ gallery; it is very common to see toucans, hummingbirds and many other colorful tropical species. Taste a freshly brewed cup of some of the best coffee in the world while admiring the beautiful waterfall, definitely a great place to drink your coffee! This degustation will be accompanied by traditional snacks that local Costa Ricans normally eat with their coffee.

   30 min

4. Following you will stop at the iguana’s center, a place where you will see lots of iguanas at eye level, resting on the top of numerous trees. As part of this stop, you will also go to a place nearby where sloths are normally observed in their natural habitat.

   15 min

5. Continue on to the Town of La Fortuna, where you will savor a delicious Costa Rican lunch in a restaurant located near the famous Arenal Volcano. After lunch, participate in an indigenous presentation performed by native people from the local “Maleku Tribe”, where you will learn about the traditions and culture of this ethnic group.

   15 minAdmission included

6. Afterward, you will visit various points around the volcano to take pictures of this amazing mountain on clear days, and you will then travel to the beautiful Paradise Hot Springs Resort, a place where you will be able to relax for a few hours in the multiple hot springs pools surrounded by lush tropical gardens. This hot springs facility is one of the best in the Arenal area and provides the perfect environment to relax in thermal mineral water pools, jacuzzis, and cascading waterfalls. After enjoying the relaxing hot springs you will go to a local typical restaurant to have a delicious Costa Rican dinner and then will be taken back to your hotel in the San Jose area.

   2 hAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 1,677 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5Amazing experience

  Steven is professional and we were able to see a sloth which was awake (finally) on the top of a tree, and it was only a spot along our driving route! Amazing!

  Ivy_WOctober 2026via Viator

• 5Incredible experience!

  Fernando was an incredible guide! We learned a lot and got to do many things over the span of about fourteen hours.

  86haleyvOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5One day with Alex in Costa Rica

  I had an amazing experience during my trip to Costa Rica. From the beginning, the tour was very well organized, with guided visits to all the places included in the itinerary and detailed explanations about each destination and its surroundings. A special mention goes to our guide, Alex, who was always courteous, friendly, and attentive to every detail. His knowledge and willingness to help made the experience even more enjoyable and allowed us to appreciate Costa Rica from a different perspective. I highly recommend this tour to anyone with an adventurous spirit and a desire to discover at least a small part of everything Costa Rica has to offer. It was a wonderful experience, full of beautiful places, interesting information, and unforgettable moments.

  Q3951AWadrianaOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Costa Rica Adventure

  The tour was amazing!! Got to see lots in one day and I like that we had a decent amount of stops to breakup the day. Food was great and the views were awesome!! Fernando was a fantastic guide very informative and full of knowledge and let us know exactly how the day was going to go. Pickup and drop off was super easy as well with quick reply after booking tour night before.

  O6752GDrobinkOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Volcano Arenal, La Fortuna

  It was an amazing experience, the guide tour named Fernando explained us very clearly, he’s absolutely knowledgeable and a brilliant guy! Totally worth every single penny lol and it was a great day we could see the volcano arenal and have different pints of view to take photos

  JacquelinnehrdOctober 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Wow! Wow! Wow! It’s the guide!

  A tour is nothing by itself without the guide, and our guide Fernando was beyond a five star. Knowledgeable, caring, driving safely, great communicator. He added some bonus visits and we got to see sloths, lizards, hummingbirds, and so on. If you book this tour ask for Fernando. He was simply amazing.

  nataliesf2016October 2026via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in San José

• Its from-price is 17% below the median of the 17 attraction tickets we list in San José.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 2 of 17.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About San José

San José is Costa Rica's capital in the high Central Valley, a working city of theatres, markets and museums, close to volcanoes and coffee farms.

San José sits in a mountain-ringed valley at about 1,100 metres, where the climate is mild year-round. The neoclassical National Theatre, opened in 1897, is the city's finest building, and the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum and the Jade Museum show the artistry of ancient peoples. The Central Market, a maze of food stalls, coffee sellers and craft shops, keeps its old rhythm, and Barrio Amón and Barrio Escalante have grand houses and newer cafés.

Top-ranked sights in San José: Arenal Volcano National Park, San Jose Central Market (Mercado Central), National Theater (Teatro Nacional).

See all 805 experiences in San José