Duration: Full Day · Price: From $320 USD per person · Difficulty: Easy
About this tour
This full-day tour is all-inclusive at $320 per person, with the per-person rate dropping as your group grows. Standing at the edge of the Poás crater is an experience that recalibrates your sense of geological time. The crater is one of the largest accessible volcanic craters in the world — roughly a kilometer wide — and on clear mornings you can look down into the turquoise acid lake far below and watch sulfur fumes roll across its surface. Cloud typically rolls in by mid-morning, so arriving early is the difference between a clear view and a wall of white. The summit sits at 2,700 meters; the path from the visitor center to the crater rim is a short walk through dwarf cloud forest of extraordinary beauty — twisted trees coated in moss and lichen, a landscape that feels more Tolkien than tropics.
From Poás, the tour descends through strawberry and flower farms to La Paz Waterfall Gardens — a wildlife refuge built around five waterfalls cascading through primary cloud forest. The waterfalls are outstanding: each one larger and more dramatic than the last, connected by a forest trail that delivers you to each in turn. Between the waterfalls, the wildlife exhibits include rescued jaguars, pumas, ocelots, and tapirs, plus a butterfly observatory with over 25 species in flight. The hummingbird garden alone — with dozens of species hovering inches from your face — is a highlight.
The day also includes a stop at Hacienda Doka, one of Costa Rica's most celebrated coffee estates, for a guided seed-to-cup tour and tasting — cherry picking, milling, roasting, and a cupping room where you taste how elevation and roast reshape the same bean. Doka sits right on the route between San José and the volcano, so it folds naturally into the day.
Good to know: the Doka coffee tour, entrance fees to Poás Volcano and La Paz Waterfall Gardens, and a buffet lunch at La Paz are all included in the tour price — nothing to buy on arrival. Because the vehicle and guide are yours for the day, the per-person rate falls the more of you there are: $320 for one traveler, $250 each for two, $240 each for three, and $220 each for four. It's a full day (roughly 10 hours) — bring a camera and comfortable shoes.
What's included
- Private bilingual naturalist guide
- Round-trip transportation from San José or Alajuela area
- Hacienda Doka coffee tour and tasting
- Poás Volcano National Park entrance fee
- La Paz Waterfall Gardens admission
- Buffet lunch at La Paz Waterfall Gardens
- Bottled water
Not included
- Gratuities
- Personal travel insurance
- Alcoholic beverages
- Souvenirs and personal expenses
Good to know
- All-inclusive per-person rate — Doka coffee tour, Poás and La Paz entrance fees, plus buffet lunch are included
- Group rates: $320 for 1 traveler, $250 each for 2, $240 each for 3, $220 each for 4
- Full day, roughly 10 hours — Doka, Poás crater, then La Paz
- Dress in warm layers — the volcano crater sits at 2,700m and can be cold and windy
- Arrive early for clearest crater views before cloud rolls in
- La Paz waterfalls involve ~3km walking with stairs
- Suitable for all fitness levels
- Free cancellation 48 hours prior