Poas Volcano + Coffee Plantations & La Paz Waterfall Gardens Trip From San Jose

Great day! Breakfast and the tour at the Doka coffee farm was super interesting and Mauricio answered all or questions about the species of coffee plants and how the beans are processed to make coffee. We then drove up to Poas volcano, where the rain and fog had moved in so we were unable to see the crater. It would have been great to be able to wait for the weather to move out. La Paz waterfall gardens was easily the highlight of this tour. There were so many animals to see, and the hike along the waterfall route was beautiful in the rainy weather. Overall a really great day!

Had an excellent time. Max was the absolute best tour guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and I love that he communicated everything in both English and Spanish. Max was patient and made every effort to ensure all on the tour had a great time.

Really well rounded day trip to learn about coffee, do a short volcano hike, see animals and take a waterfall hike.

Destiny Travel in Costa Rica were amazing to deal with. no issues and contact was very quick and informative. The travel guide was absolutely incredible. The knowledge and respect he had from all the places we visited and staff at these venues really helped the experience.

Nelson was a great tour guide. We both highly recommend him. He had lots of knowledge and was able to answer all of our questions. Great tour, we would do it again.

volcano wasn’t visible due to clouds which was sad, but otherwise a fun day. The coffee tour was super cool and the food was great overall. The waterfalls were beautiful, but the facilities included a “sanctuary” that felt more like a zoo. That said, it was still cool to see the animals. Edgar was punctual, friendly, and informative.

If all tours were this good, I’d probably never plan my own vacations again. The “Poás Volcano + Coffee Plantations & La Paz Waterfall Gardens” trip from San José was honestly the best tour I’ve had in years. Our guide Ronny was wonderfully knowledgeable and somehow managed to be informative without ever sounding like a walking textbook. The timing at each stop was spot on: enough time to explore, take photos, and admire the scenery without doing that awkward tourist speed-walk back to the bus. Even breakfast and lunch got a perfectly reasonable amount of time, which felt like a rare and beautiful gift. Well organized, relaxed, and genuinely enjoyable from start to finish — I’d absolutely recommend it.

We had a private tour with Mauritzio, it was amazing! Super knowledgable about the sights, flora and fauna, with the perfect balance between friendly and allowing us to be our group. We had such a great time we booked another tour with him tomorrow :)

Road was closed to volcano, so had to pivot, still did the rest of the tour though. Highly recommend. Our guide Edgar, was top notch and made it even more memorable! Would do this tour again.

Very Nice experience, I loved the waterfalls .just to give you the heads up there's lot of walking required in this tour especially at La Paz where there's lot of going up and down the stairs to get to waterfalls

Great experience with Harlem! So much knowledge to share and he truly enjoys being in nature. Beautiful country

We loved our guide, i believe his name was Edgar. Tour was perfect pace and we never felt rushed. Would definitely recommend.

Our trip had to be adjusted slightly since Poas was closed. But the trip was still 100% worth it! Our guide was SO knowledgeable and interactive with the group. Learning how coffee is processed was so eye opening and La Paz Waterfall garden was great. There were A LOT of stairs to get to the falls, but for those who couldn't manage the stairs they had a plan for an alternative tour ready to go. Overall this was a GREAT way to end my trip.

We had an excellent tour with Jose. It ended up just being me and my husband. Breakfast in the coffee plantation was really big (lots of vegetarian options). We got to try lots of different coffees and chocolates. Jose kept an eye on the volcano webcam so we got up when the view was perfect with no cloud cover. La Paz waterfalls were beautiful, again lunch was big with lots of choice (pizza/fries/rice and beans/salad). We stopped on the way and got to try strawberry's and various liqueurs/Costa Rican wine. There was an opportunity to buy souvenirs as well. Definitely would recommend.

This full day tour was an excellent introduction to Costa Rica. Breakfast was included at the Doka Coffee Plantation and lunch was included at the La Pas Waterfall Gardens - both were great. Looking into a volcano crater was quite a thrill, and the cloud cleared to give us a good view. We saw lots of animals and birds at the refuge and were particularly thrilled to walk among the toucans! Our tour guide was great (in Spanish and English).

Wonderful tour and the guides were fantastic. It was an excellent day. Our group was very small so the tour felt very personalized. Only suggestion is that they work to avoid high traffic times because we got stuck in traffic for over an hour on the way back

Wonderful day, scenery, wildlife, flora, fauna. Guide was very informative, generous of spirit, loves his job. Food and travel clean and welcoming. Thoroughly recommend…

Had a wonderful trip with Ricardo as our guide.His knowledge was very good, and we learnt so much about Costa Rica.We never felt rushed. Would definitely recommend this trip 😊

We actually booked a half day tour to visit the Poas Volcano and were picked up from the hotel at 6.30am by an over enthusiastic guide called Fran - it was way too early in the morning for whooping! We stopped briefly en route at a coffee plantation (three generations) and then at a cafe for typical breakfast. Thought Fran would have sat with us but she went and sat with the driver which was odd. When back on the bus we were ‘up sold’ continuing our day with the tour bus and going to the La Paz waterfalls in the afternoon. Sadly the Poas volcano was cloudy and so we couldn’t see anything at all. Fran kept telling us that it can clear unexpectedly and so we kept our fingers crossed - nothing. Fran suggested we go visit a logon about 0.8 km away but this was also covered in cloud so saw absolutely nothing. That’s fine, “that’s nature” but it didn’t go down very well when we got back to the crater to be told by a smiling Fran that it had cleared for a few minutes whilst we were away (!!). Anyhow next stop the La Paz Gardens Nature Park or animal sanctuary - beautiful jaguars but in captivity, under the guise of conservation - who knows? Finally visited the waterfall trail to see 5 waterfalls of varying heights - pretty.

Overall, it was a fantastic day! Keep in mind it's a whole day trip not just 6 hours. This tour company has difficulty relating the true overall time it takes for their tours. The challenge with the trip is the traffic, they do not allow for traffic. So this 6 hour trip started with a pick up at 6:15am and we didn't get back to the hotel till 6:30pm, luckily we did not have other plans. I would recommend this trip in a heartbeat, however just be prepared for it to take the entire day. Our guide Fran was fantastic!!

Great ride up, and experience at the volcano, coffee plantation, and good variety of touristy attractions at La Paz gardens.

terribly cold and windy and you couldn't see the volcano for the clouds Not worth it. Guide was very nice and knowledgeable.

Our guide, Artu was awesome. He was extremely attentive and always gave us enough time to view the sites and his knowledge of the area was vast. We were lucky to have a clear day to view the volcano and the national park and waterfalls was just beautiful. We learned a lot about coffee on the plantation tour. So glad we fit that in.

Loved the experience, we got lucky with visibility but was amazing! We had a great tour guide named Armando w/ Destiny Tours.

Enjoyable tour, knowledgeable guide. Good choice for kids. I went with my 10 year old daughter. She enjoyed the animals at La paz and the volcano. Lots of walking and stairs, so consider your own kid's endurance. Overall very enjoyable.

What a great way to end our stay in San Jose. Ricardo was an excellent guide. He was very knowledgeable about the country, culture, animals, coffee process, plants, etc. We really enjoyed out day with him. He took great care of us. The volcano was covered in clouds, but he encouraged us to be patient and we were finally able to see it. What a view! The Animal sanctuary was great. My favorite was the Toucan. We got up close and personal. The waterfalls and fauna reminded me of Jurassic Park. I would not have been surprised to see a Brontosaurus raise it's head up out of the foliage.

Our tour guide was excellent, so knowledgeable and had to drive as well. He was even able to stop and show us specific things and keep us ahead of schedule so we got to see the volcano and rainforest before the rain picked up. Absolutely beautiful views and nature. Breakfast and lunch are delicious options as well!

What a great tour! Our guide and our driver were both fabulous. We enjoyed each stop and the everything was so beautiful. We highly recommend!!

Our guide was super knowledgeable and upbeat. He kept the tour interesting and we got to see so much in one trip! The breakfast and lunch were both so delicious. I highly recommend this tour.

On our tour there wasn't a tour of how coffee is harvested and roasted but rather a look at the coffee bean plantation and grabbing a delicious cup to taste. Poas was elusive when we visited but it's all part of the adventure. Our guide Fran was super patient and tried several times in different areas to see if we could get a better look, which we all appreciated. Overall, the tour was a lot of fun and our highlight was the La Paz Waterfall and Gardens. The myriad of animals at this place was fantastic, such as Toucans, butterflies and the snake display area. Topping the day off with the beautiful waterfalls was a nice way to end the day.

Our guide Roger was the best In the business. He loves his job and it shows. And, afterward made me want to get a job with him. All his attention to detail was perfect. Very generous man. Very kind man. If your lucky enough to have him as your guide you will know what I'm talking about. The sites and sounds were spectacular. The history is rich and deep in culture and is cherished to this day.

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and I learned so much about Costa Rica. From the delicious coffee to the stunning waterfalls, this was an excellent way to spend my Saturday.

Our guide Charlton and driver Christopher were friendly and knowledgeable. Our guide had an infectious enthusiasm and happiness that totally made the day wonderful. Doka is a fun experience that makes you appreciate what goes into you morning Coffee! We did not see Poas Volcano, as the cloud cover was too thick, but we tried. La Paz waterfall gardens are an amazing overview of Costa Rica. This tour with Destiny only as a maximum of 12 people… we actually had eight on our tour and it made for intimate experience an ability to ask all the questions we wanted. Highly recommend!

Edgar the guide was very funny, helpful, joyful, informative and full of great energy all throughout tour. Great time and great memories. Thank you!!!

This was a phenomenal tour!!! The sights are worth the lifetime of memories. It involves walking, climbing, hiking so it isn’t for the faint of heart, someone with weak knees or wheelchair bound persons. The meals included were tasty, plentiful and hardy for the day’s activities. Our guide Francini (Fran) was very knowledgeable, a sweetheart willing to make your experience as easy and wonderful as possible and our bus driver Daniel was kind, helpful and most serviceable. Originally our party was supposed to have 4 people but one wasn’t able to make the trip. This tour was so worth it, we know we’re coming back with our friend and will do it again with him. OUTSTANDING!!!

The places to visit are great, but the organization is a mess. As written in the presentation, the size of the group should be 10 persons, our was 18, and I do not thing it is an exception. From 10 or 12 different hotels scattered all around San Jose, so the pick up and drop off time waisted 4 hours, and the departure was late. I have asked for a tour in Spanish, no such thing, it was a mixed one. And the guide was simply a disaster, never saw something similar. Very poor level of information, except for the coffee farm, there he was a specialist. But for the rest, nothing, no information on art, culture, history, whatever you like. Worse, he was simply not interested on the Clients, he was playing bingo on his telephone whilst I was asking him something! Places to visit are great, but mind who book with.

I booked two day trips from San Jose with Destiny. The Poas Volcano & La Paz Waterfall and the Manuel Antonio National Park. Each was delivered as advertised. The tours were well run, pickup was prompt, transport was good, the meals were tasty with plenty to eat, and the package was a good value. The guides on both tours were more than competent and pleasant. I’ve got to give special nod to Franciny. Costa Rica was country number 71 for me, so I’ve been handled by more than a few tour guides. Fran would rank near the top. Charming, pleasant, attentive, informative with the right balance of education and entertainment. She's skilled with the soft discipline that keeps a tour well run for every member of the group. I enjoyed both days. Glad I did it. Very glad

Recommend. They are on time. And it feels like they give you enough time to see things. Before entering the waterfall you go through a small zoo like and see various types of animals. Then its the lunch. After that its the waterfall. Pls take umbrella or rain jacket. You will get wet especially if its raining too!

Wonderful trip with great tour guides. It was the highlight of our Costa Rican vacation. Your bus was new and comfortable. Tour guides were kind and knowledgeable.

Great way to pack in a lot of site seeing in one day. Poas volcano is a very manageable day trip from San José. Our tour guide Daniel was outstanding!

We had a great time on this day tour from San Jose! Edgar was our guide and Daniel was our driver. Edgar was very entertaining and informative. Stayed with the group throughout each stop and ensured no one was ever left behind. The Doka coffee stop had delish coffee and was relaxing. We had a beautiful clear morning and had perfect views of the Volcano crater. We were actually higher than the clouds and that was awesome! We stopped at a strawberry place where we sampled some super fresh strawberries, wine and cheese. Amazing! Finally we went to the La Paz Waterfall Garden and that was breathtaking. FYI there are a lot of steps but it was very much worth it. Plus we traveled with small group and we all became friends by the end of the day! The day was organized well and hotel pickup/drop off was appreciated. We definitely recommend! Thank you Dainel and Edgar!

The tour was amazing and informative. Our guide Daniel was great, kind and helpful with a great sense of humor. We will definitely be back!

We were lucky to visit the Poas volcano on a clear day, and the view into the crater was amazing. The waterfalls at the La Paz Waterfall garden were also fantastic— lots of platforms to allow you to get near the rushing waters of the three volcanoes. Our guide, Fila, was knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend this tour

I’m rating this a 3 because the tour concept is amazing. All of the stops are incredible and we would do it again in a heartbeat. However, our tour guide would spend about 80 percent of the tour Spanish speaking and only about 20 percent in English so we definitely felt left out. He would give them all of the info along the ride so they knew what to prepare for and then rushed to give us the cliff notes as we were transitioning and couldn’t really soak it in.

Carla and Mauricio were awesome. They were very knowledgeable about the area and also very accommodating. Anything we asked of them, they provided happily. They never tried to rush us or anything. Highly recommend to anyone!

Me and my 3 friends enjoyed this excursion so much. The coffee plantation had such beautiful scenery, a great backdrop for picture taking. The Waterfall Gardens were Spectacular, I loved all the animals and all the lush forests. The Volcano was obsured mostly by clouds so we didn't get a very good view of the crater but it did open up for just a moment or two, so feel very fortunate that we caught a slight glimpse. So worth it. Our tour guides Karla, and Mauricio were the ABSOLUTE BEST!!! I don't think our trip would have been as enjoyable without them as our guides. They deserve to be recognized for all they did for us.

The coffee plantation was super interesting. Our tour guide, Jose, knew a vast amount of the current and historical facts around Costa Rica's coffee industry. A very nice part of this triple tour. The walk up to the volcano was easy and needed after the bus ride there. The private animal refuge and waterfalls were beautifully hardscaped and landscaped. Very fun and a little more challenging if it is raining. But soooo worth the effort. The breakfast and lunch were very satisfying. The driver was very adept at getting around the San Jose traffic and this was a fun tour.

It’s was an amazing experience, specially the water falls. Oscar was great, very knowledgeable and resourceful.

This was an amazing tour! Our guide was so knowledgeable and explained so much history and culture throughout the day. Every stop was beautiful, plus he allowed for some extra stops for pictures and to buy fresh strawberries along the way. I highly recommend.