Duration: Full Day · Price: From $200 USD per group of 1–4 · Difficulty: Moderate
About this tour
There is a corner of Costa Rica that doesn't look like Costa Rica at all. At nearly 3,000 meters on the slopes of Irazú Volcano, the Prusia Forest sector of Irazú Volcano National Park is a high-altitude woodland of towering pines, cypress and eucalyptus — planted a century ago to heal the slopes after volcanic eruptions — where fog drifts between the trunks and the trails feel more like the Pacific Northwest than the tropics. Locals call it one of the country's best-kept hiking secrets, and on weekdays you can walk for an hour and meet no one but the clouds.
Your private day trip leaves San José with your own driver-guide and climbs through Cartago's farmland into the highlands. In Prusia you'll walk a relaxed 4–6 km loop through the forest sections — the famous tall-tree corridors, mossy clearings and picnic meadows — at whatever pace suits your group. Bring a layer: the mountain air is crisp, and the moving fog is exactly what makes the photographs extraordinary.
Ten minutes down the road stands the other reason this day stays with people: Sanatorio Durán. Built in 1918 by Dr. Carlos Durán as a tuberculosis sanatorium, later a women's asylum and briefly a prison, the sprawling complex has stood abandoned for decades — peeling white wards, arched doorways and staircases slowly being reclaimed by the mountain. It is widely considered the most haunted place in Costa Rica, a reputation your guide will feed with the stories the locals tell. Skeptics get remarkable photography; believers get goosebumps; everyone gets one of the most atmospheric hours in the country.
The day winds down with a late lunch stop at a traditional highland restaurant near Cartago (lunch on your own account — the cheese tortillas and aguadulce of the zone are famous), and you're back in San José by early evening. Cool air, tall trees, a haunted hospital and a hot plate of mountain food: this is the day trip for travelers who want the Costa Rica that tourists drive past.
What's included
- Private round-trip transportation from San José (approx. 1.5 hours each way)
- Private bilingual driver-guide for the day
- Guided walk in Prusia Forest (4–6 km, relaxed pace)
- Visit to Sanatorio Durán with its history and legends
- Lunch stop at a traditional highland restaurant
- Bottled water
Not included
- Lunch (traditional restaurants in the area, every budget)
- Irazú Volcano National Park / Prusia sector entrance — paid at the gate
- Sanatorio Durán entrance — small fee paid at the door
- Gratuities
- Personal travel insurance
Good to know
- Prusia sits at ~2,800–3,000 m — bring warm layers and rain protection; mornings are clearest
- Trails are well-marked forest paths with gentle hills — moderate fitness is enough
- Sanatorio Durán is photogenic in any weather; fog makes it unforgettable
- Wear closed shoes; trails can be muddy in the green season
- Combine-able with the Irazú crater viewpoint if skies are clear — ask your guide on the day
- Free cancellation 48 hours prior