Poas Volcano & La Paz: Wildlife & Nature Tour

Experience the best of Costa Rica on this combo tour from San Jose. Explore the Poas Volcano National Park and witness the breathtaking main crater. Then, visit the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a wildlife rescue center where you can encounter a variety of animals and immerse yourself in the country’s natural beauty.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Poás Volcano - Poás Volcano stands as one of Costa Rica’s most renowned natural attractions. Its main crater, spanning nearly 1.5 km, ranks among the largest active craters globally. Visitors can take a brief 0.5 km trail (approximately 10 minutes each way) to reach the viewpoint, offering stunning vistas that showcase the formidable power of this…
What's Included
  • Entrance fee to Poas Volcano & La Paz Waterfall Gardens
  • Lunch
  • On-board WiFi
  • All fees and taxes
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Port pickup and drop-off
  • Bilingual tour guide
Additional Information

This tour offers a unique blend of the powerful presence of an active volcano and the tranquil beauty of verdant rainforests and waterfalls, all within a single day. Participants will enjoy a safe and accessible view of the impressive Poás Volcano, while gaining insights into its eruptions and natural history through captivating stories.
At La Paz…

Location
Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton
Avenida Central
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(21 Ratings)
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1 star
Margaret_j
Mar 6, 2026
Volcano and Lagoon are... - Volcano and Lagoon are spectacular views! Part of the Waterfall Gardens is a glorified zoo, but the lunch was decent and the Waterfall views were spectacular. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Debra_c
Mar 6, 2026
Best tour yet - This was an incredible tour that we would recommend to anyone that was not afraid of walking. We had a wonderful guide in Anna and a fantastic driver , Marvin. We managed to arrive at the top of the volcano only 10 minutes before the cloud started to fill the crater bowl. We feel very privileged to have seen it in all its glory before it was completely covered. The waterfalls were incredible and the buffet was very enjoyable.
Review provided by Viator
Randy_e
Feb 26, 2026
Pablo and Mario were... - Pablo and Mario were fantastic. Pablo more than exceeded our expectations as a tour guide. Pablo was very knowledgeable and detailed oriented. He made our experience very memorable.
Review provided by Viator
Olderndrt
Jan 7, 2026
Pura Vida in every way! - A most excellent day from start to finish. Pablo, our guide, was fantastic. A great teacher, fun guide and all around wonderful leader. We saw much laughed a lot and ate well. I cannot recommend this excursion enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Larryrt3858wm
Jan 4, 2026
Worthwhile day trip - Guide Pablo and driver Mario exceeded our expectations for the day. We had plenty of time at the volcano and saw both the active and historical vent locations. Pablo led us through the La Paz complex in a logical order to see all of the sights efficiently. The choice of this tour was a perfect one.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stella_g
Mar 4, 2025
Wonderful day trip from... - Wonderful day trip from San Jose. The Pao Volcano was stunning and La Paz Waterfall Gardens we beautiful. Our guide, Maryi, was excellent. She shared a lot of information about the history and geography of Costa Rica and was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. Our driver, Jose, was great, too. I highly recommend this trip.
Review provided by Viator
Nadeen_g
Feb 25, 2025
The rain did not "dampen" our spirits... - We three had a spectacular day with Mario (an excellent driver) and Margie (knowledgeable, charming and oh-so-patient). The weather did not cooperate but that did not "dampen" our spirits (even though our Poas Volcano group shot has nothing but an expanse of gray behind us) as we learned from Margie. The La Paz Waterfall Gardens were exceptional - a truly lovely botanical environment and the fauna were interesting and well taken care of (which is not always the case). Our buffet lunch was tasty and the rice pudding so good. And then there was the walk to the waterfalls - oh, my - they are lovely. And Mario and Margie were kind enough to honor our request to stop for strawberries to take back to our hotel. A full day outing that exceeded our expectations.
Review provided by Viator
V7656rtjohnw
Feb 16, 2025
Volcano & La Paz Waterfall private tour - Tour guides were great. Only disappointment was the heavy fog which set in above the volcano. Waiting for it to move out but it was very thick. The waterfall and the Peace Lodge where we stopped for lunch were great! Butterfly house and animal rescue were great! Wish we could have seen the volcano but that was nothing the tour could control. Private tour definitely better than taking large group tours on a bus.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rosanne_k
Dec 13, 2024
Don’t miss the La Paz Waterfalls and Gardens - A fantastic tour! Even though the Poas Volcano wasn’t visible due rain and fog it was still a great experience. The La Paz Waterfalls are powerful and majestic. The Gardens were the highlight of the trip. We saw an amazing collection of animals (all of them are rescues) in a serene setting. The gardens had monkeys, reptiles, amphibians, sloths, all kinds of jungle cats ( including a jaguar), exotic birds and butterflies that we would not have been able to see otherwise. The lunch was delicious as well. Highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Jessica_g
Dec 8, 2025
My experience was... - My experience was canceled. I booked the tour at 3:24 and it was confirmed. At 7:55 I received an e-mail that the experience was canceled. At 8PM it was too late to schedule a different experience.
Review provided by Viator
From $255
up to 15 guests
2 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).