Are you looking for the best day trips from San Jose, Costa Rica?
If you’re using the city as a home base for your trip, San Jose’s convenient location in the Central Valley makes it easy for travelers to experience the highlights of Costa Rica.
Below are our recommended best San Jose, Costa Rica day trips.
We also offer small discounts on day trips, click here to get our San Jose day tours discount!
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Quick Info About San José, Costa Rica
- Capital city of Costa Rica
- Province: San José.
- Closest Airport: Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría or San Jose International Airport. Airport code SJO. Airport is in Alajuela, about 30 minutes away.
- Population: ~339,000 (city) and 1.6 million in the province. ~5 million total population
Read our guide to San Jose, Costa Rica to plan your trip to the city.
Best Day Trips from San Jose, Costa Rica
You can do all these San José day trips on your own if you rented a car. If not, you can book tours with transportation.
For those booking tours with transportation, get our San Jose day tours discount!
Poas Volcano National Park
Poas Volcano National Park is one of the best San José, Costa Rica day trips because it has one of the largest geyser volcano craters in the world. Located up in the cloud forest, the volcano is a very impressive sight to see.
What to Do in Poas Volcano National Park
Walk the trails to the crater observation point.
The main trail is to Poas Volcano crater, about 20 minutes. There is a second trail to Laguna Botas and the inactive crater (~40 minutes round trip).
Tips for Planning Your Visit to Poas Volcano National Park from San Jose
- 4×4 not required. 1.5 hr drive from downtown San Jose.
- Must park tickets in advance on the SINAC website. They don’t sell tickets at the door.
- Not suitable for those with high blood pressure, pregnant women, or those with serious heart conditions.
- The park is up in the cloud forest so the volcano crater may not always be clear.
- Bring a warm jacket.
- A guide is not required to visit the park.
Day Tours to Poas Volcano National Park
Most tour operators do not offer a tour to just Poas Volcano National Park from San Jose, they usually combine it with other activities because you only need about 1.5 hours at the national park.
The most popular day trip from San Jose with Poas Volcano National Park are Doka Coffee Tour + Poas Volcano + La Paz Waterfall Gardens, or the Doka Coffee Tour + Poas Volcano.
Irazu Volcano National Park
Costa Rica’s tallest volcano is Irazu Volcano, inside the Irazu Volcano National Park.
What to Do in Irazu Volcano National Park
Walk the main trail in Sector Crater to see two crater lakes and walk the easy trail for beautiful views. About 30 minutes total walk.
In Sector Prusia, there are longer hiking trails in the cloud forest.
Plan Your Visit to Irazu Volcano National Park from San Jose
- Located in Cartago, about 2 hours from San José without traffic.
- Highest elevation is around 3400 meters (11,154 feet).
- Must purchase park tickets in advance on the SINAC website for both sectors.
- Free parking, cafeteria and bathrooms.
- 4×4 not required.
- Must have a warm jacket. Average day time temperatures are around 55° F (12° C) but can be very windy, making it feel colder.
- Guide is not required to visit.
Irazu Volcano National Park is one of the best San Jose, Costa Rica day trips for those who want to see a unique volcano.
Irazu Volcano Day Tours from San Jose
If you have a car, you can drive to the park and purchase tickets to visit on your own.
If you require transportation, you can book an guided Irazu Volcano tour, which includes park tickets, bilingual guide, and transportation.
To make more of your day, book a combination tour to visit other attractions. Popular day tours with Irazu Volcano National Park from San Jose are Irazu Volcano + Lankester Gardens + Orosi Valley and Irazu Volcano + Hacienda Orosi hot springs.
Day tours will go to Sector Crater to walk the main trail and see the two crater lakes.
Pacuare River White Water Rafting (Full Day)
In the mood for adventure? Go white water rafting at Pacuare River, one of the best rafting rivers in the world!
Book the tour and get our Pacuare rafting tour discount!
Paucare River White Water Rafting Highlights and Details
- Class III, IV and sometimes IV+ rapids
- Distance: 30 kms/18 miles
- 38 rapids
- 3 hour approximate river time
- Minimum age is 12
- Breakfast and lunch included
- No experience required!
- 530 AM approximate pick up time. 5 PM approximate drop off time.
This is one of our favorite things to do in Costa Rica, hands down. The scenery is just fantastic and the rafting is incredibly fun.
The Pacuare white water rafting isn’t just one of the best day trips from San José, Costa Rica, you can also use this rafting trip as an interconnection.
Tour operators can pick up and drop off clients in La Fortuna, San Jose and Puerto Viejo.
This is a fantastic way to avoid sitting on a boring bus all day! Instead, get picked up in San José, go rafting, and then get dropped off in either La Fortuna or Puerto Viejo after a full day of fun.
Want to book the tour? Book here and get our Pacuare rafting tour discount!
Coffee Tour
Costa Rica produces some of the best coffee in the world, so if you love coffee, then you must take a coffee tour
San Jose is an excellent place for coffee tours in Costa Rica, due to the elevation. Most of the original coffee farms are in the surrounding mountains in the Central Valley and many of them produce high quality coffee.
A coffee tour not only teaches you about Costa Rica’s coffee production, but you have the opportunity to purchase coffee directly from the plantation, which is a great Costa Rican souvenir.
Coffee Tours from San Jose
The most popular coffee tour from San Jose is the Doka Estate Coffee tour, just 1.5 hours outside the city.
Doka Estate is one of the oldest coffee plantations in Costa Rica, producing only first quality coffee. They have been exporting their coffee to many countries in the world and visitors can tour their entire farm and plantation.
Tours: Tour operators normally combine the Doka Coffee tour with another activity since coffee tours last about 2 hours.
The most popular day trip from San Jose with a coffee tour is the Doka Coffee Estate + Poas Volcano National Park + La Paz Waterfall Gardens.
Another option is Doka Coffee Estate + Poas Volcano National Park.
For a shorter coffee tour, check out Hacienda La Chimba. This small family owned farm has hiking trails and a short coffee tour.
Other Coffee Tours from San Jose
There are several other coffee tours in San Jose, Heredia and Alajuela such as Cafe Britt in Heredia and Hacienda Alsacia owned by Starbucks.
Tortuga Island Day Cruise (full day)
Tortuga Island is definitely one of the best day trips from San Jose, Costa Rica!
Take a relaxing cruise to Tortuga Island, a gorgeous island known for scuba diving and a white sand beach in the Gulf of Nicoya.
Tour Details and Itinerary
- Pick up around 6 AM from San Jose.
- ~2 hour drive to Puntarenas port
- 8 AM cruise departure
- 1.5 hour cruise to Tortuga Island
- 5 hours on Tortuga Island
- Return to Puntarenas Port around 530 PM.
- ~730-8 PM drop off in San Jose.
Highlights of Tortuga Island Day Cruise
- White sand beach on the island
- Opportunities to see dolphins and humpback whales (when in season mostly Aug and Sept) on the cruise
- Different packages available to snorkel or add drinks
- Can add more activities at the island like hiking, banana boat and jet ski
If you want to see marine life, the Tortuga Island cruise is an excellent option as you may see sea turtles, dolphins and whales from the boat and you can go snorkeling to see tropical fish.
We offer a $10 USD discount for the Tortuga Island Day Tour. You can also book this as an interconnection between San Jose, Jaco, Manuel Antonio and Puntarenas.
For anyone who loves the beach, this is one of the best San Jose, Costa Rica day trips!
La Paz Waterfall Gardens
The La Paz waterfall gardens is a beautiful nature park with an animal sanctuary and 5 waterfalls, located in Vara Blanca.
Highlights of La Paz Waterfall Gardens
- 3 km trail to see 5 different waterfalls
- See different animals in their rescue center
- Can add a buffet lunch which is open from 11 AM to 4 PM
- 1.5 hour drive from San Jose
La Paz Waterfall Gardens Tickets and Tours
If you have your own transportation, you can purchase just the La Paz Waterfall Gardens ticket. You can purchase the ticket with or without lunch. We offer a 7% discount for tickets which you can book in the link!
If you don’t have your own transportation, book a La Paz Waterfall Gardens tour with transportation, bilingual guide and park ticket with lunch included. Get our 7% discount on this tour in the link!
Many tour operators combine several attractions in one day with La Paz Waterfall Gardens.
A popular one is Doka Coffee Estate + Poas Volcano National Park + La Paz Waterfall Gardens.
La Paz Waterfall Gardens is one of the best day trips from San Jose to the natural beauty of the rainforest.
Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs (full day)
Take an Arenal Volcano one day tour from San Jose to see the majestic volcano and relax in the hot springs.
The Arenal Volcano and hot springs from San Jose tour we offer stops at Sarchi, a small town famous for woodwork and art along the way, lunch, viewpoint, hot springs and dinner. Click the previous link to book the tour with our discount!
Arenal Volcano Day Tour Details and Itinerary With the Stop at Sarchi
- ~730 AM Pick up from San Jose
- ~9 AM Stop at Sarchi
- ~12 PM Lunch in La Fortuna
- ~130 PM Visit to Arenal Volcano private reserve and view point
- ~3 PM Hot Springs and Dinner
- ~7 PM Depart for San Jose
- ~1030 PM Drop off
Some other Arenal Volcano day tours may include different stops, such as Arenal Hanging Bridges + Hot springs from San Jose (hiking), Lake Arenal Kayaking + Hot springs from San Jose (adventure) and Arenal coffee + La Paz Waterfall + Cinchona + Culture + Hot Springs (sightseeing)
The Arenal Volcano day tour is one of the best day trips from San Jose to experience rainforest, nature, and culture.
Manuel Antonio National Park (full day)
Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the most visited national parks in Costa Rica with its gorgeous white sand beaches and lush rainforests.
The Manuel Antonio National Park day tour from San Jose is a long day, but if you didn’t get a chance to go, a day trip from San Jose is a great option. Click the link to book the day trip with our discount!
Manuel Antonio National Park Day Tour from San Jose Highlights
- Stop at the Crocodile Bridge in Tarcoles to see American crocodiles
- 3 hours in the national park
- At the national park, includes 20-30 minutes guided walk to the beach. After that, you have free time to hike more, swim and enjoy the park at your own leisure
- Breakfast, lunch, park ticket, round trip transportation and bilingual guide included.
- Opportunities to see monkeys, sloths, raccoons, iguanas, frogs, coatis, deer and snakes
The Manuel Antonio National Park day trip from San Jose has a pick up time of around 630 AM and return around 7 PM.
For beautiful beaches and wildlife, the Manuel Antonio National Park day tour from San Jose is one of the best beach trips from San José Costa Rica.
Rainforest Tour
There are a few options for rainforest tours from San Jose. Here are two we recommend.
Authentic Rainforest Experience
This is a full day tour curated by one of our tour operator partners in San Jose, called Authentic Rainforest Experience. Click the link to book the tour with our discount!
The tour includes round trip transportation, entrance fees, 3 activities, bilingual guide and lunch.
Pick up is around 630-730 AM and return is around 5 PM.
Tour Details
Includes ziplining or an aerial tram at Rainforest Adventures Park, wildlife watching safari float down the Sarapiqui River and a nature walk in a private reserve in Sarapiqui.
Opportunities to see monkeys, toucans, frogs, sloths, hummingbirds, river and shore birds, crocodiles, snakes and anteaters during the day.
Book the Authentic Rainforest Tour with our discount here!
Rainforest Adventures Braulio Carrillo
Rainforest Adventures is an eco-adventure park with hiking trails, bird watching, ziplining and an aerial tram surrounded by lush rainforests. The park borders Braulio Carrillo National Park, an incredibly bio diverse area in Costa Rica with both tropical cloud and rainforest.
This park is only a 45 minute drive from San Jose downtown. This is the same park where the ziplining/aerial tram takes places in the Authentic Rainforest Experience tour.
You can spend a whole day at the Rainforest Adventures park and enjoy plenty of nature, rainforest and wildlife. You can choose between a full day tour, or pick and choose which activities you’d like to do.
You can book your aerial tram tour with or without transportation from San Jose in the link.
If you want their full day pass with all the activities, you can book it with/without transportation from San Jose.
Vista Los Sueños Full Day Adventure Tour
If you’re more in the mood for adventure, book the 1 day Vista Los Sueños adventure tour from San Jose. Click the link to book the one day tour with our discount!
Vista Los Sueños One Day Tour Highlights
- Includes lunch, round trip transportation, lockers and bilingual guides.
- Choose two activities from the following: ziplining, ATV tour with waterfalls, horseback riding to natural pools, chocolate experience, and surf lessons.
- Pick up between 6-7 AM. 10 hour tour duration.
The park is located in the Central Pacific, near Playa Herradura and Playa Jaco. You can explore the rainforests and mountains of the Central Pacific for a full day of fun, perfect for all travelers.
City Tours
Learn about Costa Rica’s culture and traditions on a San José city tour. Take the afternoon to visit museums with art galleries, cultural sites and the central market.
Book your afternoon San Jose city tour here with our discount!
If you are more interested in a food tour, the Bites and Sites San Jose city tour is a fantastic option.
If you like to bike, there is a very cool San Jose bike and bites city tour. The guides are all San Jose locals, foodies and bike enthusiasts.
Tour Discount
We partnered with a tour operator based in San José to give discounts of all these tours and much more such as hanging bridges, ATV, horseback riding and dinner shows!
Click here to get your San Jose day tours discount!
Recommended San Jose Hotels
Our tour operator partner can pick up/drop off directly at these hotels. All of these have options for hot breakfast included in the daily rate.
Hotel Presidente: Modern urban hotel right in downtown.
San Jose Barcelo: Resort like hotel with a gym, restaurant, outdoor pool and racquetball court.
KC Hotel: Nice hotel with a pool, restaurant and bar
Autentico Hotel: Boutique hotel with a pool, restaurant, bar and spacious rooms.
D Sabana Hotel: Very comfortable hotel with a gym, work station and breakfast.
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica. Get 10% off your Airalo eSIM package with our promo code “mytanfeet”
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels and our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
Kathy says
Is there an ATV tour to do from San Jose? Thank you
Sammi says
Hi Kathy, we do work with Vista Los Sueños Adventure Park which is near Jaco, about an hour drive from San Jose and you can do it as a day trip. They can include transportation from San Jose. We offer a small discount with them and you can request to book here and put in the comments that you need transportation from San Jose: Vista Los Sueños Discount and Booking Page
Mark says
Thank you. I’m here for at minimum another 4 weeks. This weekend is a lost cause but I’ll go do some grocery shopping. My Airbnb is by the Radisson, however I wish I’d had more money to stay In Escazu. Thankfully Uber there is usually 3.50 and 8-10 USD at peak traffic hours. I usually taxi there and work at a cafe and then walk the 2 miles back.
Where are the Expats! I’ve lived in 3 other countries and surprisingly China was the easiest place to meet with fellow English speakers from around the world ️. It’s college break currently in January and the one time I saw foreigners in San Jose was my time at the Starbucks over there. Also 5$ Uber. Taiwan and Costa Rica are very similar minus the language barrier. I think there are more Taiwanese that speak English than Ticos that speak English. Some food similarities given both countries were founded or inhabited by the Portuguese.
CAROLE STEVENS says
Are there any monkey tours? i.e. tours through the rain forest to find all 4 kinds of moneys and maybe a toucan or macaw???
Sammi says
That is pretty much like a nature hike or wildlife watching hike, you can go to Rainforest Adventures Atlantico and do a hike through the rainforest there. There is a lot of wildlife over there since it’s the Caribbean rain forest.
The only place in Costa Rica to see all 4 species of monkeys is down in the Osa Peninsula and that’s about a 8 hour drive from San Jose.
Terri says
I sent you an email, but just found this article. Perfect! Just what we were looking for! Thanks
Sammi says
Hi Terri! Ah I just found your email! I’m glad that the post answered your question though 🙂
John Cross says
Thanks, this is great information. Why is the Poas c closed because of danger of eruption? How long? Whatis the best alternative to Poas?
John, Atlanta
Sammi says
Hi John, yes the national park is closed because it’s dangerous. Poas is erupting a lot and there are a lot of rocks falling on the trails and it is not safe. For another volcano/national park, Irazu is a good option and not too much further.
ala ud din says
beautiful scenery