Arenal Volcano Tour: Coffee, Waterfalls & Hot Springs

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/10

Duration14h

GroupUp to 20

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Fourteen hours from San Jose to Arenal: coffee plantation to hot springs, all arranged

A full-day tour from San Jose to Arenal Volcano combines morning sightseeing with afternoon relaxation in thermal hot springs. The route includes a coffee plantation with tasting, La Paz and San Fernando waterfalls, an iguana and sloth viewing stop, a traditional Maleku indigenous presentation, and Costa Rican lunch and dinner. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, along with a bilingual guide.

14h

Step-by-step itinerary

Full-day Arenal Volcano tour from San Jose

Pickup from San Jose hotel
Travel scenic route to Arenal Volcano
Visit coffee plantation and learn about coffee
Stop at La Paz Waterfall for photos
Visit San Fernando Waterfall and bird gallery
Coffee tasting with traditional snacks
Stop at iguana center and sloth observation
Lunch in La Fortuna near Arenal Volcano
Indigenous Maleku Tribe cultural presentation
Photo stops around Arenal Volcano
Relax at Paradise Hot Springs Resort
Dinner at local typical restaurant
Return to San Jose hotel

The Experience

The day starts with pickup from your San Jose hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle, taking a scenic route through farms and rain forests instead of the main highway. You'll stop at a coffee plantation to learn how Costa Rican coffee grows and is harvested, then taste freshly brewed coffee with traditional snacks at a roadside café overlooking San Fernando Waterfall. The stop gives you time to spot toucans, hummingbirds and other tropical birds at the gallery nearby.

Before reaching Arenal, you'll visit La Paz Waterfall for photos, then stop at an iguana center where you can see them resting in the trees at eye level, and a nearby spot where sloths are commonly observed in their natural habitat. Lunch is a full Costa Rican meal at a restaurant near the volcano. Afterward, native people from the local Maleku tribe perform a presentation about their traditions and culture, and you'll drive to viewpoints around the volcano itself for photos on clear days.

The afternoon centers on Paradise Hot Springs Resort, where you'll spend several hours soaking in multiple thermal pools filled with natural mineral water, jacuzzis and cascading waterfalls set in lush gardens. Dinner is another traditional Costa Rican meal at a local restaurant before the drive back to San Jose, arriving late evening. The entire day—travel, meals, entrance fees and taxes—is included; you bring only yourself and a camera.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off in the San Jose area.
transport by air-conditioned vehicle with a professional bilingual guide.
coffee tasting with traditional Costa Rican snacks.
Costa Rican lunch at a restaurant near Arenal Volcano.
Costa Rican dinner on the return journey.
entrance fees to all attractions and taxes.
several hours at Paradise Hot Springs Resort with access to thermal mineral water pools, jacuzzis and waterfalls.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Go Tours Costa Rica

Is this one for you?A bilingual guide leads the commentary in English and Spanish, so if you're comfortable following either language, this tour works well. The morning is packed with sightseeing—waterfalls, wildlife, a coffee plantation and an indigenous presentation—but requires no hiking or strenuous effort; the afternoon is pure relaxation in the hot springs, making it ideal if you want to see a lot without exertion and then unwind.