Coffee, volcano & waterfalls from San José: One day, three stops

Three landscapes in one day: coffee plantation, volcanic crater, and five waterfalls

This guided day tour from San José combines three distinct Costa Rican ecosystems in a single 13-hour outing: a working coffee estate where you taste the roasted product after learning the harvest-to-cup process; Poás Volcano National Park, where you stand at the rim of one of Earth's largest active craters surrounded by cloud forest; and La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a rainforest park with five cascades, walking trails, and exhibits of toucans, monkeys, jaguars, hummingbirds and butterflies. Breakfast and lunch are included, as is an air-conditioned vehicle and a live guide in English or Spanish. The tour requires a minimum of two passengers and runs 13 hours from pickup.

Step-by-step itinerary

Coffee, Volcano, and Waterfall Tour

• Breakfast at Doka Coffee Estate
• Guided coffee plantation tour
• Visit Poás Volcano National Park crater
• Walk trails at La Paz Waterfall Gardens
• Explore animal exhibits at La Paz Gardens

The experience

The day starts before dawn with hotel pickup and a drive to Hacienda Café Doka, where a traditional breakfast sets the pace. Then the working tour begins: you walk through an actual coffee plantation with a guide who shows you the cultivation, harvesting and roasting techniques that produce some of Costa Rica's finest coffee. The process is hands-on. You see the beans at each stage and finish by tasting what you've just learned to make. This is not a museum. The estate operates as a working farm, so the timing and the detail depend on the season and what's happening that morning.

From there, the route climbs to Poás Volcano National Park. The National Volcanic Security Bureau limits crater viewing to 20 minutes, so the stop is brief but direct: you stand at the rim of one of the largest active craters on Earth, ringed by cool cloud forest. Sulfur fumaroles rise from the crater floor. The landscape is stark and geothermal, a sharp contrast to the coffee fields below.

The final stop is La Paz Waterfall Gardens, where the day shifts to walking trails through lush tropical rainforest. Five waterfalls flow through the park, and the trails loop past them at different elevations. Beyond the waterfalls themselves, the park runs educational animal exhibits: an aviary, butterfly observatory, hummingbird garden, serpentarium, jungle cats exhibit and frog exhibit. Toucans, monkeys, jaguars, hummingbirds and butterflies move through the canopy and the exhibits. Lunch is included here. The return to San José happens in late afternoon, making this a full-day commitment but one that covers three separate ecosystems without requiring you to arrange transport, timing or entry fees between them.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and return transport in an air-conditioned vehicle.
• traditional breakfast at Doka Coffee Estate.
• guided tour of the working coffee plantation with tasting.
• entry to Poás Volcano National Park.
• lunch at La Paz Waterfall Gardens.
• access to all five waterfalls and rainforest trails.
• entry to the animal exhibits (aviary, butterfly observatory, hummingbird garden, serpentarium, jungle cats exhibit, frog exhibit).
• live guide in English or Spanish.
• all fees and taxes.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 05:30

AgesAdult (11 and older) · Child (3 to 10 years) · Infant (under 3)

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Moderate physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availableNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditions

Operated by Expediciones Tropicales Day Tours

Is this one for you?Pick this shared tour if you want to see three distinct landscapes (coffee plantation, active volcano, and waterfall gardens) in one day with a guide who sets the pace and timing between stops.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 10 years); Infant (under 3).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

What is the Doka Coffee Estate tour actually like?

Doka Coffee Estate is a working plantation where you walk through the fields and processing areas with a guide, learning how the beans are cultivated, harvested and roasted. You taste the finished coffee after the tour. The experience is hands-on and tied to what is happening on the farm that day, not a scripted demonstration.

How long do you spend at Poás Volcano?

The crater viewing is limited to 20 minutes by the National Volcanic Security Bureau. You stand at the rim of one of Earth's largest active craters and see the sulfur fumaroles, but the stop is brief by design.

What wildlife can you see at La Paz Waterfall Gardens?

La Paz Waterfall Gardens is home to toucans, monkeys, jaguars, hummingbirds and butterflies that move through the rainforest canopy and the exhibits. The park also runs an aviary, butterfly observatory, hummingbird garden, serpentarium, jungle cats exhibit and frog exhibit, so you encounter animals both in the wild trails and in dedicated viewing spaces.

Does the tour include meals?

Breakfast is served at Doka Coffee Estate at the start of the day, and lunch is included at La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Both are part of the tour price.

What is the total time commitment?

The tour runs 13 hours from hotel pickup to return, covering the drive to each of the three stops, the time at each site, and the return journey to San José.

Do I need to arrange my own transportation?

No. Hotel pickup is included, and you travel in an air-conditioned vehicle with a live guide in English or Spanish for the entire day. All entry fees and taxes are also included in the price.