San Jose

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Arenal Volcano Experience Full-Day Tour from San Jose

Badge of ExcellenceSan Jose, Costa Rica

14 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

See more of the Arenal Volcano region with the convenience of a full-day tour from San Jose. Take a scenic route to Arenal with views of farms, rain forest, and small towns, and stop at a coffee plantation where you can sample coffee and traditional snacks. Stop at a waterfall, look for wildlife, then have the afternoon to soak in hot springs set in a lush garden near the Arenal Volcano.

Includes lunch, dinner, and snacks
Travel in comfort by air-conditioned vehicle
Hear insightful commentary from the guide
Hotel pickup and drop-of provided

What's Included

Transport by air-conditioned vehicle
Hotel pickup and drop-off (most San Jose area hotels)
Professional bilingual guide
Lunch
Dinner
Coffee or Tea with local snacks
Entrance Fees

Gratuities
Services not specified

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

San José Province, San José, Costa Rica
Centrally located San Jose hotels. Hotel pickups commence at 7:00 a.m.approximately; the exact pickup time for your tour will be advised on a reconfirmation message.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

07:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

La Casa del Café

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

La Paz Waterfall

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cinchona

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Centro Turístico Las Iguanas

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Go Adventure Arenal Park

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Paradise Hot Springs

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
This tour includes man-made hot springs pools, filled with natural thermal water
Hotel pickups commence approximately 30 - 60 minutes prior to this time, exact pickup time will be advised on reconfirmation

Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
Times are subject to change due to local traffic conditions
Drop off in the Arenal-La Fortuna centrally located hotels is available. Please note that if you choose this option, dinner will not be included in your tour because it’s done in a restaurant on the way back to San Jose. Also, there is an extra charge for drop offs with luggage, but in the case of this tour it doesn’t apply because the cost of the dinner will cover for the drop off charge. If you wish to take this option, you must let us know at the time of booking.
This tour has being designed for those people who wish to do a lot of sightseeing in the morning without much effort, have lunch, and then relax in the hot springs for most of the afternoon
This tour does not include ziplining/rappelling activities (The stop at Go Adventure Park is for the Indigenous presentation only)
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

YanLin_Z

This tour was very efficient and our guide is very knowledgeable. Food and snacks were ordered before we arrived at location so we didn’t need to wait long. This gave us more time to do other activities like hot spring or zip line. The waterfall was kinda boring. Coffee plantation was fun. The snacks, drinks, food were all good. Our guide is amazing. He talked to us instead of talking at us. And he knew places to find sloths and other animals.

Reviews

5.0

765 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 765 reviews

Book now!

Evelyn_F, Apr 2024

‼️Long and honest review‼️ First off, 10/10 recommend this tour! Kenneth, our guide, was super knowledgeable and outgoing. We felt like we’d known him all along. Randy was our driver and so sweet and courteous helping us in and out of the van as it was raining off and on the entire day. We were picked up at a hotel near ours in Alajuela at 7am. We appreciated very much being picked up last as we had our luggage with us since we were going to be staying in La Fortuna at the end of the tour and not coming back with the group. I loved how flexible this tour was with our guides stopping when they spotted sloths or interesting wildlife. We stopped to see the statue of Juan Santamaria, visited a coffee plantation, a cute little roadside fruit stand and sampled wine and fruits and picked up snacks, then headed to an amazing little shop/restaurant high in the mountain where we had a nice fruit smoothie drink and a wonderful view. From there we headed to lunch in La Fortuna which was 10/10 great! Following lunch we went to Paradise Hot Springs to enjoy some drinks and the springs. It was so nice and we got lucky with a really great group of people. At 5pm we were dropped off at our hotel in downtown La Fortuna. Shortly after drop off my friend noticed her backpack was missing so I contacted Kenneth and we were able to coordinate drop off with another guide who was going to be in the area the next day, Geovany. Both of them were so communicative with me and helpful. We trusted them to leave the backpack with hotel reception and everything went off without a hitch. Excellent customer service!! Would absolutely do this tour again.

Arenal and hot springs

Arun_I, Apr 2024

This is our 2nd trip with Juan Agustin who has been marvelous. He stopped on the way to show us sloth, we had a clear view. Arenal area is great and the hot springs are marvellous.

One for the bucket list

Dana_M, Apr 2024

This is an incredible excursion. Ken, our guide and Randi, our driver made the trip extra special. It was such a wonderful way to experience so much of what makes Costa Rica special. Even though it is a very long day, the itinerary is perfectly timed with get care so we never felt rushed. The things we saw and experienced are so numerous, but some of the highlights were seeing a mama and baby sloth along the side of the road. Ken volunteered to video the site with our phones. It was such a a special moment and I will cherish rewatching it over and over. We also loved the hot springs, the coffee farm, the visit to the iguana sanctuary, and the chance to see so many birds and other great sites. This combined with Ken's educational (and hilarious) commentary made this tour one to remember. Highly recommended.

Amazing tour of the Arenal Volcano from Agustin and Werner.

Raj_N, Apr 2024

Agustin and Werner were absolutely amazing. Werner drove exceptionally throughout, even including the weather. He was extremely nice and pleasant despite me not speaking much Spanish. He also had a great eye to spot wildlife and things. Agustin was extremely communicative and accommodated what people wanted within the confines of what was ok. Gave us a lot of information, helped us spot a sloth, macaws, toucans, iguanas and amazing views. Super nice guy and perhaps the best tour guide I've ever had.

Arenal Volcano All Day Adventure

Tracey_J, Apr 2024

We had a wonderful experience. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, he took us to various places: coffee plantation, we saw a wild life in their habitats and we ate delicious food (lunch and dinner) We also relaxed in the Hot Springs and we were able to take a memorable pictures in front of the Arenal Volcano.

Best Tour Yet!

Phillis_M, Mar 2024

Our tour guide Giovanni and Driver Christian were AMAZING. Giovanni 's clear love of the land and people was shown. The knowledge of history, tradition and the plants was interesting and presented clearly. His banter and humor made the tour less dry and fun. His knowledge of the "best" spots was helpful. We ate and drank our way up the mountain with farm to table delights. Each stop was a delight in senses and taste buds. Christian drove well and could spot an animal in a natural habitat off the side of the road like a trained tracker. We saw sloths, birds and iguanas just off the side of the road.

Great tour

Werner_S, Mar 2024

Long but very enjoyable day. Tour guide was attentive and knowledgeable. Native show was a bit of a non-event but did not distract from overall experience.

Great day.

YanLin_Z, Mar 2024

Great Experience at the Arenal Area

Rasaratnam_L, Mar 2024

Our tour operator, Augustin, did an excellent job to provide us with a wonderful experience. He was patient, answered all questions from guests, and coordinated the meals with restaurant staff to make the entire trip a memorable experience to everyone. He took the time and effort to show us wildlife and birds, wherever possible. Randall, the van driver, while not driving, did everything he could to ensure our safety while we took pictures and videos at various road stops.

Excellent!!!

Joy_M, Mar 2024

This was one if the best tours we have ever done! An incredible day. Excellent communication to us about hotel pick up time. The guides, Kenneth and Guillermo (driver) were exceptional -- funny, knowledgeable, curteous, helpful with photos and entering and exiting the van. Along the drive they spotted monkeys, sloths, toucans, and made quick stops on side of rode so we could get photos. We have incredible photos of these animals in their natural habitats. The day was filled with incredible information from our guides at every stop -- at the coffee farm they gave us firsthand knowledge of the coffee picking process, also interesting information about local fruit at the various stops for tastings. The waterfall stop was fun. The hotsprings were definitely a highlight. Two hours there was enough time to explore the various pools, relax, and have refreshing drinks at the swim up bar. The stops for included snacks, drinks and lunch and dinner were all really wonderful. It was a very long day but my family of 4 which included two college aged kids, absolutely loved the tour. Highly recommend!!!

Wonderful experience

Nishan_A, Mar 2024

Saw everything in the tour description. Long tour from San Jose but well worth the experience. Our tour guide Augustin went above and beyond making the tour an enjoyable experience. He is great photographer and gave me valuable tips how to get wild life photography. We were not rushed at all. Gave enough time to get souvenirs and local products. If you’re not going in the zip line, the time spent at the hot springs may feel little too long. Food was not from cozy restaurants but the quality and taste was excellent. A knowledgeable guide with nice attitude and a responsible driver made all the difference. Highly recommend this tour.

Amazing fully day tour!

Alexander_K, Mar 2024

Easily the best day of our trip! Also the longest day, but you see so many cool things along the way! Coffee plantations, fruit plantations, birds, wildlife, native people stories, and the volcano plus hot springs. It’s about a 14hr day from start to finish, but it was so worth it without a single doubt! Highly recommend! Angie our guide was full of information and always chatting with everyone!

GREAT DAY!

NancyMcAda, Feb 2024

We loved this tour! Our guide Harlem was very knowledgeable. He even spotted sloths in a tree on the side of the road! He was happy to share his knowledge of local wildlife, history and general local information. My personal favorite stop was La Paz waterfall but there is something for everyone. The food was great everywhere we went. It is a very long day, but the hot springs at the end was perfect. We had a wonderful day and highly recommend this tour!

Relaxing hot springs experience

Carolyn_B, Feb 2024

Informative tour guide, excellent mini coffee tour, great view of Volcano from a distance, but no opportunity for a walk near Arenal ( which is what I expected). The hot springs were wonderful and relaxing.

We learned nothing about the Volcano.

Mary_M, Feb 2024

The most memorable was that it was so unpleasant. The van, the stops and the tour guide did not meet our expectations. What was to be a 12 hour tour - ended up to be a 16 hour excursion. Congrats to the driver - considering the experience.

Hot springs were amazing

Glynis_W, Feb 2024

It was a long day and the ride was rough, but very much worth it. Harlem was a very personable and informative guide. We stopped for sna k, lunch and dinner. The hot springs were amazing too.

Terrible Business Practices

Gus_G, Jan 2024

Left without us due to miscommunication regarding the starting time. When we booked the tour 3 weeks prior the note said tour pickup time 6am, subsequent communication including the tickets said tour start is 7 am. Thus we were led to believe the pickup time at our Hotel was really 7am rather than 6am. We have taken several tours with Viator and were always sent reminders a day or two before the event if there was a difference between pickup time and starting time. Furthermore Viator had my cell phone number, but instead called the hotel room which we had briefly vacated to get coffee. When they did send a text it was to tell us they had left without us. In addition when we called Viator shortly before 6:30 am were informed that we had no recourse and we would lose the $360 we paid for the tour.

Book it!

Monique_B, Jan 2024

Just book the excursion already! great experience, many stops, and good learnings throughout the tour!

Amazing Arenal tour

Judy_G, Jan 2024

One of the best guys I have to say I hope that we can get this person again should I ever come back and visit the week again. Alex was amazing and made this tour worth every moment. I would recommend this highly with Alex from Go Tours. I saw so much and honestly really truly experienced the richness of Costa Rica.

Great trip

adira_s, Jan 2024

This trip was fun ! Our guide as great. Lost do time on the bus. Stunning views. We got dropped off at our hotel in La fortuna and didn’t ride back

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