ISLAND GUIDE
The tours and day trips worth booking.
The 15 top-rated things to do in San Jose — the boat trips, beach days, volcano hikes and old-town wanders worth building a day around, with real prices and who to book each one with.
Tortuga Island full-day trip from San José with speedboat, snorkeling gear, dolphin watching, and lunch plus five hours of beach time.
Most Popular“Looking for a beautiful day on a beach? Look no further. This is a long ng day. I was picked up at 5am and back by 7pm. It was worth it! The guides were informative, entertaining, and there was many activities to pay for.”
5-hour San José walk and bus tour: Teatro Nacional lobby, Mercado Central, monuments, Gold Room museum, and lunch for $80.
“Over rated and expensive tour. The food and place was below average and public restrooms were nasty. Tour guide was knowledgeable and well versed. Team were supportive.”
A hands-on coffee and sugar-cane farm tour near San Jose with tasting, butterfly viewing, and plant-to-processing storytelling in about 1.5 hours.
“Lovely plantation - we enjoyed the tour very much. Staff was very knowledgeable about the coffee process. We learned a lot!”
4-hour San José night walk with a local guide, iconic architecture, Barrio Escalante, and dinner plus 2 drinks included.
“This is the second time I've taken this tour while in San Jose, and I learn new things each time. Alejandro took his time and did a great job explaining the history at each stop. It's a great way to spend the evening in the city!”
San José to Arenal day trip with Sarchí ox carts, Arenal viewpoints, and included thermal hot springs plus lunch and dinner from $195.
“OMG!!!!! The experience was exceptional, the Driver Jose and Tour Guide Roberto took very good care of us. Whether it was making sure that we were ok from the bumpy drive or ensuring that all of our needs were met. Roberto was very knowledgeable, and even had the driver pull to the side of the…”
Self-paced entry to La Paz Waterfall Gardens in San Jose, Costa Rica, with five waterfalls, wildlife exhibits, orchids, and hummingbirds.
“The hike was spectacular, however there is no benefit to buying the skip the line. There are no lines so you can buy direct and save a few $.”
Shared shuttle from SJO to La Fortuna with air-conditioning, a mid-route San Ramón stop, and hotel drop-offs. Value at $50.
“Excellent experience. I met the shuttle just past where the taxis are located. The bus was clean and air conditioned. The driver was very nice and extremely helpful. He took each person to their individual drop off point which I found very helpful. They also stopped midway for a bathroom break and a shopping opportunity.…”
Timed escape room at The Escape Game in Milpitas inside Great Mall. Pick a mission, solve puzzles, and escape in 60 minutes.
“It was fairly easy to redeem my free birthday game with my husband. The staff were nice and welcoming. Our host was Robby, he was nice and helped us out tremendously. He also gave options in how we would like his help. For example, he asked if we would prefer to just press the button…”
See Poás Volcano, tour a coffee plantation with tastings, and visit La Paz Waterfall from San Jose in one long day.
“This was a such a great experience. Nela was an amazing tour guide. She is extremely passionate about her job and it shows. The experience of witnessing an active volcano and then a beautiful lake 15 minutes away was breathtaking. The coffee learning experience was also very informative on the process of making “ Great…”
Manuel Antonio day trip from San José: rainforest walk to a postcard beach, wildlife stops, and breakfast, lunch, guide, and park entry.
“This tour is oversold - you do not see jaguars, snakes or anything exotic as the tour guides would lead you to believe. You’ll see an iguana and have a brief, short, “manufactured” pseudo-walk through what is tantamount to a man made plastic rainforest . Don’t believe the hype.”
Private SJO airport-to-San José shuttle for up to 3, with flight tracking, WiFi, and hotel drop-off. Usually 20–35 minutes.
“Transportation never showed up. Very disappointing. My family and I took ivermectin 2 hours to find transportation from the airport. Thank god someone from the airport helped us and found us a ride to our destination. We had to pay $160 after we paid $200 for a service we never used.”
San José chocolate workshop: taste cocoa from fruit to bar, make your own bars, and pack them in eco-friendly wraps.
“Our hosts were welcoming and incredibly knowledgeable. However, Viator listed this experience as having aacimum of 8 participants, and there were at least 20 people during our session. This made for a very slow process for actually making our chocolate bars. Cleaner group sizes a d organization would help greatly!”
San Jose evening bus tour with hotel pickup, Teatro Nacional, art museum, Mercado Central, and dinner for an easy after-dark overview.
“Good overview if you are short on time and have a Birds Eye view of San Jose in few hrs. Nice to sit on the upper deck of the double decker bus”
Poás Volcano, two coffee stops, and La Paz Waterfall in one long nature-and-coffee day from San José, with lunch and transfers included.
“The tour was wonderful. The guide Charlie is very attentive, kind, and shared a lot of knowledge with us. We really enjoyed it and have already recommended you to other Brazilian friends. Thank you very much!”
Half-day trip from San José to Irazú Volcano and Cartago’s Basilica of Los Angeles, with A/C transport, snacks, and included tickets.
“Guide was great. Only downside was there is no water in the crater lake so pictures are a little misleading.”
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