La Paz Waterfall Gardens Day Trip: Waterfalls & Wildlife

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

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Duration8h–9h

GroupUp to 30

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Hand-feed toucans and hummingbirds in a cloud forest full of waterfalls

La Paz Waterfall Gardens is a wildlife refuge and botanical park near San Jose where you walk a 3-kilometer paved trail through cloud forest to five waterfalls, then tour ten animal exhibits housing over 100 species. The tour includes hotel pickup, a professional guide in English or Spanish, lunch, and guaranteed skip-the-line entry to the gardens. Eight to nine hours total, with moderate hiking on established paths.

8h–9h

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Meet guide at hotel lobby
Transfer to La Paz Waterfall Gardens
Visit ten animal exhibitions
Hike 3 km paved trail
Reach base of La Paz waterfall
Enjoy wildlife and plant species
Take photographs of natural beauty

The Experience

Your guide picks you up at your San Jose hotel and drives you to the gardens, which sit between 1,200 and 1,500 meters elevation in the Central Valley's cloud forest. Once there, you walk the main 3-kilometer paved trail at a moderate pace, descending through dense green canopy to the base of La Paz Waterfall—the centerpiece of the park and the reason most visitors come. The trail is wide and well-maintained, so families with children and people of varying fitness levels manage it comfortably. Along the way, you pass through different forest zones where the air changes and the bird calls shift.

Before or after the waterfall hike, you move through ten animal exhibits spread across the gardens. The aviary holds 40 bird species, and in the mornings and afternoons you can hand-feed hummingbirds—more than 26 species are documented here. The butterfly garden includes a working laboratory where you watch the insects develop. You'll see titi monkeys, capuchin monkeys, spider monkeys, 2-toed sloths, and a serpentarium with snakes. The feline house displays jaguars, pumas, ocelots and tigrillos. There's also a frog display, orchid collection, and a section with domestic animals and an oxen cart. The pace through the exhibits is self-directed within the time your guide allows, so you can linger where the animals are active or move quickly through sections that don't hold your attention.

Lunch is a buffet served at the gardens, and you can request a vegetarian option when you book. Bottled water is provided throughout the day. Your guide handles all entry logistics—you skip the lines at the gate—and the air-conditioned minivan transports you between San Jose and the park. The whole outing runs eight to nine hours from pickup to drop-off, which accounts for the drive, the hike, the animal exhibits and the meal.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off from your San Jose accommodation.
professional guide fluent in English or Spanish.
entry to all ten animal exhibits and the waterfall trail.
buffet lunch with vegetarian options available.
bottled water throughout the day.
skip-the-line entry to the gardens.
transport by air-conditioned minivan.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Destiny Travel Costa Rica

Is this one for you?Book this if you want a guided walk on paved trails with stops to see five waterfalls and hand-feed toucans, rather than navigating the reserve solo—the guide points out wildlife across the sanctuary's 100+ species while you stay on maintained paths.