TOURS OFFERED AT EL RODEO
(Operated by Swiss Travel Service)
Adventure in Sueño Azul
Just an hour and a half from San José is Sueño Azul Hotel and Hacienda. In our trip to this place we’ll see coffee farms and beautiful views of Braulio Carrillo National Park, which has a splendid transition cloud forest. When we get to the hotel, we’ll delight in the Puerto Viejo and San Rafael rivers’ crystalline waters, which meet here. The adventure starts with a two-kilometer inner-tube trek along the San Rafael River, where we’ll be in contact with nature as we float, pushed by the water’s energy. Later, we’ll take a trip on horseback through green fields that boast a wide variety of birds, animals and types of forest. The latter includes gallery, regenerating, secondary and primary forests. After the comforting trip we’ll cool off in the refreshing waters of natural pools and waterfalls. We’ll spend the rest of the afternoon here, and we’ll also have a delicious lunch.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, equipment, welcome cocktail, fruits and lunch.
Duration: 8 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Shorts, comfortable shoes, change of clothes and sun block.
This is a full-day tour that operates in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
Canopy Tour & Horseback Riding in Pozo Azul
This is an excellent destination just 90 minutes from San José. We’ll enjoy a variety of adventures in the middle of exuberant nature, with first-class equipment and highly trained guides who will help us have an unforgettable experience. We’ll start with a horseback ride, mounting strong, well-mannered and expert-trained horses. Experts and beginners alike will enjoy the trails that go through secondary forest, rivers and pastures. After a delicious lunch, you can admire the forest and feel nature from 9 cables and 11 platforms on our Canopy Tour, where you’ll fly freely. This section finishes with a 300-meter trip over a canyon that holds the Sarapiquí River. We’ll see a cutting-edge, environmentally responsible dairy farm, where manure produces electricity and everything is recycled. This is a great tour in which we can experience the incredible sensation of adventure.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, equipment, fruits and lunch.
Duration: 8 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Long pants, light clothes, insect repellent, camera and film.
This is a full-day tour that operates in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
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4 Perfect Combinations
This perfect combination lets you experience different attractions in Costa Rica, all during just one tour. We begin by visiting Poás Volcano, famous for having one of the biggest craters in the world. During the trip to the volcano, we’ll be able to see coffee and sugar plantations, fields of fresh strawberries and small towns with picturesque homes adorned with colorful flowers. Later we’ll visit La Paz Waterfall Gardens, where we can see the waterfalls from observation decks. We’ll also see the Butterfly, Hummingbirds and Orchid Gardens, the Snake Exhibit, Frog Pond and the La Paz Cabin. We’ll continue our adventure to the Sarapiquí River where we’ll enjoy the exuberant rainforest and species like toucans, monkeys, sloths, morpho butterflies and others. At the end of the trip on the river, we’ll savor a delicious lunch and have the chance to choose between a short horseback ride and a walk through the property’s gardens. On the way back to San José we’ll take a different route, passing through Braulio Carrillo National Park and its cloud forest, which is adorned with beautiful waterfalls and splendid forest views. This is a great option that you won’t stop enjoying.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, entrance to Poás Volcano National Park, entrance to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, visit to the butterfly garden, walk on La Paz Waterfall Gardens’ paths, breakfast, boat and lunch.
Duration: 12 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable shoes, hat, light jacket, binoculars, insect repellent, camera and film.
This is a full-day tour that operates in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
Due to the elevation of the volcano, this tour is not recommended for persons with heart problems nor handicapped persons.
Butterfly Farm
This is an extraordinary place originally established to raise butterflies for export. The tour starts with an introductory documentary that uses macro and time-elapse photography to show the wonders that you can’t see in the garden, like the eyes of an adult butterfly and a butterfly emerging from the cocoon. At the same time, a movie gives visitors the proper knowledge base to start the walk. Once in the garden, we’ll find hundreds of live butterflies. The guides will proceed to explain everything about the butterflies’ natural history. Among the topics covered: life cycle, host plants, predators, defense mechanisms and their anatomy. During a visit to the larva and pupa laboratory you’ll learn even more about the butterfly’s transformation and life cycle.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide and entrance fees.
Duration: 3 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable clothing and shoes, camera and film.
This is a full-day tour that operates in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
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Traditional Nights
This is an authentically Costa Rican night. Be part of our customs, where you’ll learn about and enjoy our local music. Savor the delicacies of the national cuisine while being entertained by Costa Rica’s traditions. In this enchanting atmosphere, the scenes and sounds that come from the roots of the Costa Rican people will captivate you. One of the best parts of traveling is getting to know new people, new customs and interacting in peaceful settings. This night we invite you to walk in the world of our culture, where you’ll understand many of the factors that make the Costa Ricans friendly, peaceful people. Allow us to share the most representative things in our society, our men and women who, through hard work, write two beautiful words every day: Costa Rica.
Includes: Transportation, guide, dinner and show.
Duration: 3 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable shoes and clothing, hat, camera and film.
This tour is operated with a minimum of two persons and is offered on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays only.
Hanging Bridges at the Rainforest & Carara
The adventure starts in San José, via Puntarenas until we arrive at the Carara National Park in an approximate two-hours journey. Once in the Carara National Park, we will carry out a guided walk, where we will have the opportunity to enjoy the paths and to observe a large quantity of animal species, including birds, parrots, tucans, among others. You will be able to appreciate reptiles, and amphibious such as crocodiles, iguanas and colorful frogs. Later we’ll visit Hotel Villa Lapas, where we can experience a 1.5-hour walk along nature trails and hanging bridges that run through a wonderful forest of centuries-old trees. This private reserve is adjacent to Carara National Park, which lets you to enjoy many different species of animals and birds. In the afternoon we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch. On the way back to San José we’ll enjoy some excellent views.
Includes: Transportation, guide, entrance to Carara National Park, entrance fees and lunch at the hanging bridges.
Duration: 10 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable shoes, athletic clothing, hat, camera and film.
This is a full-day tour that operates in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
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Poás Volcano / Else Kientzler Gardens & Sarchi Oxcart Factory
Poás Volcano is an excellent attraction that is located just an hour and twenty minutes from San José. The trip starts in the city of Alajuela, where you can see the Monument to the Farmer, the Monument to Juan Santamaría and the famous Park of Mangos. On the road to the volcano, we’ll see coffee plantations, and fern, flower and strawberry farms. When we get to Poás Volcano, which is one of the first parks founded by the National Parks System, we’ll enjoy seeing a crystalline lagoon, exuberant vegetation full of exotic flowers and birds with brilliant plumage. On clear days we’ll see one of the world’s largest craters, turquoise and bright blue in color. From there, we’ll head to the Else Kientzler Botanical Garden, located in Sarchí. This garden, in a comfortable trip on paths, shows us the diversity of plant life in the tropics. Their collection includes around 2,000 different types of plants that come from more than 80 families from around the world including, of course, Costa Rica. The trip will finish with a visit to Sarchí, which has for more than 50 years been the capital of production of the traditional hand-painted oxcart, as well as the birthplace of our handicrafts. This is the ideal place for purchasing souvenirs.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, entrance fee to Poás Volcano National Park, botanical garden and lunch.
Duration: 8 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Sweater, poncho, comfortable shoes, binoculars, camera and film.
This is a full-day tour that operates in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
Due to the volcano’s elevation, this tour is not recommended for persons with heart problems.
Poás Volcano & La Paz Waterfall Gardens
Poás Volcano is an excellent attraction that is located just an hour and twenty minutes from San José. The trip passes through the city of Alajuela, where you can see the Monument to the Farmer, the Monument to Juan Santamaría and famous Mango Park. On the road to the volcano, we’ll see coffee plantations, which give us our main crop, as well as fern, flower and strawberry farms. Upon arriving at Poás Volcano, one of the first parks founded in the National Parks System, we’ll enjoy a crystalline lagoon surrounded by exuberant vegetation full of exotic flowers and brilliantly plumed birds. On clear days, we can see one of the world’s largest craters in all its intense blue and turquoise colors. Then we’ll head to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. When we get to La Paz, nine platforms allow us to see five magnificent waterfalls at the La Paz River. This place has one of the world’s largest butterfly gardens. In the hummingbird garden, these birds will delight us with their antics as they play and fight among each other at impressive speeds. We’ll be able to clearly see how they feed. Additionally, we’ll have the chance to explore the Orchid Garden, the Snake Exhibition, the La Paz Cabin and the Frog Exhibition. You’ll be truly surprised at the climates and experience that the La Paz Waterfall Gardens offers, including both cloud and rainforest.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, entrance to Poás Volcano, and entrance and lunch at La Paz Waterfall Gardens.
Duration: 8 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable shoes, raincoat, jacket, camera and film.
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Poás Volcano (Half Day)
Poás Volcano is an excellent attraction that is located just an hour and twenty minutes from San José. The trip passes through the city of Alajuela, where you can see the Monument to the Farmer, the Monument to Juan Santamaría and famous Mango Park. On the road to the volcano, we’ll see coffee plantations, which give us our main crop, as well as fern, flower and strawberry farms. Upon arriving at Poás Volcano, one of the first parks founded in the National Parks System, we’ll enjoy a crystalline lagoon surrounded by exuberant vegetation full of exotic flowers and brilliantly plumed birds. On clear days, we can see one of the world’s largest craters in all its intense blue and turquoise colors.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, entrance to Poás Volcano.
Duration: 4 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Sweater, raincoat, comfortable shoes, binoculars, camera and film.
This is a half-day tour and is operated in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
Due to the volcano’s elevation, this tour is not recommended for persons with heart trouble.
Sarchí and Else Kientzler Botanical Garden
In about 45 minutes we’ll arrive at the Else Kientzler Botanical Garden, located in Sarchí. This garden, through a comfortable tour on paths, shoes the diversity of plants in the tropics. The collection has around 2,000 different plants that belong to more than 80 families from Costa Rica and around the world. The trip ends with a visit to Sarchí, which for more than a century has been the center of production of the traditional hand-painted oxcart. This, the birthplace of our handicrafts, is the ideal place for purchasing souvenirs.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, entrance to botanical gardens.
Duration: 4 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable shoes, binoculars, camera and film.
This is a half-day tour and is operated in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
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River Rafting Adventure
Get ready for the adventure of your life! This is one of the most popular tours for running rapids and is perfect for those who want to experience the river for the first time. The run begins with a series of rapids that will keep you moving. For beginners looking for the challenge of rapids we recommend the Class-II and –III Sarapiquí River. For more experienced people, the class-IV and –V Pacuare River is excellent. You can enjoy the adventure of the rapids in many places around the world, but only here can you do it in the middle of rainforests and waterfalls. We have different categories for all tastes.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, equipment, breakfast and lunch.
Duration: 8 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Shorts, comfortable shoes, towel, camera and change of clothes.
This is a full-day tour and it is operated in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
This tour is recommended only for persons in good physical condition.
Release form must be signed.
Tortuga Island Cruise
Just 90 minutes from San José you’ll enjoy the tranquil waters of the Gulf of Nicoya, where you can watch beautiful sunsets with your favorite beverage.
This tropical island has made Costa Rica famous.
For quite some time vacationers, searching for beach and relaxation, have enjoyed a visit to this fantasy island. On Tortuga Island you can go swimming, snorkeling or simply relax and enjoy the beautiful white-sand beach, play beach volleyball or explore the island.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, breakfast, fruit juices and lunch.
Duration: 8 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Binoculars, hat, shorts, swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, camera and film.
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Mighty Arenal Volcano
Just three hours from San José is located the mighty Arenal Volcano. It’s been active since 1969 and is one of Costa Rica’s most interesting sites. Located in the planes of San Carlos, which is a tropical region where tranquil, refreshing scenery reign. This is a great alternative for beginning your trip to the volcano. You can enjoy beautiful scenery, picturesque agricultural towns, great views of dairy farms and coffee plantations. This will be the perfect complement for our trip.
This volcano deserves a visit, not only for its daily activity but also its perfect cone. If the climate cooperates, we’ll see the majestic volcano, admiring its explosions of ash and lava, illuminating the view with its multicolor games. This tour includes a visit to the thermal hot springs that are surrounded by exquisite gardens, making the perfect complement to a night full of natural enchantments. After dinner and when we begin to head back to San José, we’ll easily understand why this tour is one of the country’s most popular.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, entrances to hot springs, lunch and dinner.
Duration: 11 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable shoes with good grip, binoculars, swimsuit, towel, light jacket, insect repellent, camera and film.
This is a full-day tour and is operated in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
Coffee Tour
Come and discover the “Cappuccino Coffee Tour!” Learn and have fun, transporting yourself on a journey around the world of coffee, “from the plantation to your cup.” Come with us on this interactive experience on our organic plantation, located on the slopes of the Central Volcanic Mountain Range, and our roasting factory, which is known for the high quality of its processes. Our experts will transport you with traditional Costa Rican humor along coffee’s fascinating history and production cycles. You can try the sweet mature fruit and breathe the incomparable aroma of coffee. Discover the vital role that coffee has played in Costa Rica’s democratic development and the formation of the Tico identity around the work, friendship and consciousness towards nature that surrounds the industry. After a delicious lunch, you’ll become an expert in coffee-based beverages with our new attraction: The Cappuccino Show, which is a “live” lesson on how to prepare the perfect espresso or cappuccino.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, entrance fee, tour and show, lunch and coffee tasting.
Duration: 5 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable clothes and shoes, camera and film.
This is a half-day tour and operates with a minimum of two persons.
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Inbioparque
This educational excursion allows visitors to get informed about the characteristics and benefits of our biodiversity through interactive exhibition halls and interpretive paths that run through groups of native plant species. Inbioparque is a recreational and educational space where we can enter the vast world of Costa Rica’s biological diversity and protected areas. This way we can better understand the importance of conservation and coexistence. In Inbioparque we’ll learn about our reserves and ecosystems. Once we’re traveling around the country, everything you see will take on a different meaning. If you want to take full advantage of your trip to Costa Rica, we recommend that you start with a visit to Inbioparque. You’ll also see a documentary about Costa Rica’s natural history and fragile ecosystems, as well as living examples of some of these.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide and entrance fee.
Duration: 3 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable clothing, camera and film.
La Paz Waterfall Gardens
During our tour of this beautiful place we’ll see coffee and sugar plantations and strawberry farms, small towns with picturesque homes adorned with colorful flowers. When we get to La Paz, you’ll find five magnificent waterfalls with nine observation decks that will allow us to see the cascades and the La Paz River. This place has one of the world’s largest butterfly gardens. In the hummingbird garden, these friendly birds will delight us with their antics while they play and fight with each other at impressive speeds. We’ll also see clearly how the hummingbirds feed. Additionally, we’ll have the chance to explore the Orchid Garden, Snake Exhibit, Peace House and the Frog Pond. You’ll be surprised at the number of climates and experiences that the La Paz Waterfalls and Gardens offer, including both cloud and rain forest.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, entrance fee, and lunch.
Duration: 6 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable shoes, waterproof jacket, camera and film.
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La Paz Waterfall Gardens & Sarapiquí River
During our tour of this beautiful place, we’ll see coffee and sugar plantations, strawberry fields, and small towns with picturesque homes adorned with colorful flowers. When we get to La Paz, nine platforms allow us to see five magnificent waterfalls at the La Paz River. This place has one of the world’s largest butterfly gardens. In the hummingbird garden, these birds will delight us with their antics as they play and fight among each other at impressive speeds. We’ll be able to clearly see how they feed. Additionally, we’ll have the chance to explore the Orchid Garden, the Snake Exhibition, the La Paz Cabin and the Frog Exhibition. You’ll be truly surprised at the climates and experience that the La Paz Waterfall Gardens offers, including both cloud and rainforest.
We’ll continue the adventure to the Sarapiquí River, where we’ll enjoy an exuberant rainforest and species like toucans, monkeys, morpho butterflies and others. At the end of the river trip, we’ll savor a delicious lunch. On the way back to San José we’ll take a different route, passing through Braulio Carrillo National Park and its cloud forest, which boasts beautiful waterfalls and splendid forest views. Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, entrance to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, visit to the butterfly garden, walk along La Paz Waterfall Gardens’ paths, breakfast, boat and lunch.
Duration: 8 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable shoes, hat, light jacket, binoculars, insect repellent, camera and film.
Turubari Park
Turu Bari is a private park that offers nature and adventure tours. It is located in a transition forest (from dry to rain forest). It covers 240 hectares (600 acres) of beautiful landscape. Your adrenaline will start to rise when you get to Turu Bari when you get ready to do the first activity, the Turu Bari Canopy Tour. This consists of 12 platforms and 7 cables, the last of which stretches 650 meters (2,000 feet), one of the longest in the country. After this adventured we’ll start our second activity, a guided tour through the parks attractions, such as the Butterfly Garden, Forest Paths, and the Orchid and Bromeliad Galleries. Later we’ll visit the Country Farm where, in addition to having a buffet-style lunch, we can admire the Huétar Palenque (a traditional indigenous construction), an ox-driven sugar mill, maze and other attractions that will leave you full of wonder. Your trip to the park will end when we leave by means of a cable car.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, park entrance fee, cable car ride, visit to butterfly garden, palm collection, herb garden, guided walk along the Indian trail, bromelia and orchid garden, and lunch.
Duration: 10 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable shoes and clothes, hat, poncho, camera and film.
A release form must be signed by passengers. Weight restrictions apply.
This is a full-day tour and is operated in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
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Canopy Tour
Get ready for the experience of your life! A short walk will take us to the first platform, where one of the most extraordinary experiences is about to begin. On this occasion, we’ll have the chance to see the forest as never before: from up above, by means of a cable located in the treetops and with the help of a harness. This new vision of the forest will captivate your emotions. We’ll enjoy several options on either a half-day or full-day tour, located in beautiful areas.
Includes: Air-conditioned transport, bilingual guide, canopy tour and lunch.
Duration Full Day: 8 hours, approximately.
Duration Half Day: 4 hours, approximately
What to bring: Long pants, light clothing, insect repellent, camera and film.
This can be a half-day or full-day tour and is operated with a minimum of two persons.
San José City Tour
This tour will show us Costa Rica’s culture and history. We’ll see an excellent museum, parks and our capital city’s historic sites. San José is the largest city in Costa Rica with over one million inhabitants. Colorful buildings and the buses that transit the city, decorated with the names of the owners’ daughters and sons, make this a vibrant city that deserves a visit. On the tour we’ll enjoy the eastern and western sides of San José, the Plaza of Democracy, National Museum in the old Bella Vista Fort, the National Theater, a cultural jewel built at the end of the 19th century, the Supreme Court, Congress, La Sabana Metropolitan Park and the Rohmoser residential district, which houses many embassies and other points of interest. There will be a short stop at a souvenir store, perfect for purchasing special gifts.
The National Theater is closed Sundays. The National Museum is closed Mondays. If the tour takes place on one of these days, the building will be visited from the outside only.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, entrances to the National Museum and National Theater.
Duration: 3 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Comfortable clothes and shoes, camera and film.
This is a half-day tour that is operated both in the mornings and afternoons with a minimum of two persons.
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Irazú Volcano / Lankaster Gardens & Orosi Valley
Reaching 11,256 feet (meters), Irazú Volcano is Costa Rica’s highest. During our trip to the volcano we’ll pass through Costa Rica’s most important agricultural regions, where potatoes, cabbage, carrots and dairy goods are all produced. When we arrive at Irazú Volcano, a brief walk along the crater will allow us the chance to see this spectacle. On the peak we’ll find four craters, each with its own characteristics. Just imagine all the beautiful views that we can observe from this elevation. On a clear day we’ll be able to see the Pacific and Caribbean plains. Later we’ll visit the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles, a church that houses Costa Rica’s patron saint. Then to the Lankester Gardens, which are a 25-acre tropical paradise that houses more than 3,000 species of plants, including bromelias, heliconias, ferns, bamboos, palm trees and a wide variety of tropical trees. On the way back, we’ll pass through the town of Orosi. There, you’ll see the colonial church with a huge amount of artistic and religious contents.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, lunch, entrance fees for Irazú Volcano National Park and the Lankaster Gardens.
Duration: 8 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Jacket, comfortable shoes, hat, binoculars, camera and film.
This is a full-day tour that operates in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
Due to the volcano’s elevation, this tour is not recommended for persons with heart problems.
Irazú Volcano (Half Day)
Reaching 11,256 feet (3.432 meters) skyward is majestic Irazú Volcano. During our trip to the volcano, we’ll pass through Costa Rica’s most important agricultural regions. You’ll see fields of potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and dairy farms. When we get to Irazú, a short walk along the crater’s edge will guarantee us the chance to see this spectacle. Irazú Volcano is the highest in Costa Rica. Just imagine all the beautiful views that we’ll see from there. On a clear day, we can see the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.
Includes: Air-conditioned transportation, bilingual guide, entrance to botanical Irazú National Park.
Duration: 4 hours, approximately.
What to bring: Sweater, comfortable shoes, hat, binoculars, camera and film.
This is a half-day tour and is operated in the mornings with a minimum of two persons.
Due to the volcano’s elevation, this tour is not recommended for persons with heart trouble.
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