2 Volcanoes Combination Day Tour
from $130/p

Poas Volcano National Park and Arenal Volcano
7:30 am to 7:30 pm

See All of the Following in ONE SPECTACULAR DAY:
·  POAS VOLCANO CRATER and cloud forest.
·  COFFEE FARM STOP.
·  SCENIC DRIVES though quaint colorful towns on either of 3 alternative Routes:
    -The sightseeing route through the town of Grecia with the steel church, then the oxcart factory and souvenir shopping town of Sarchi followed
    by Zarcero with topiary gardens of sculptured shrubs.
    - OR The DIRECT ROUTE ZARCERO CHURCH AND TOPIARY PARKfor maximum time at Arenal.
     -OR the waterfalls Route for maximum natural scenery.
·  ARENAL VOLCANO WITH RED HOT LAVA at night. Currently not active since November 2010.
      But still a nice  place to visit and activity can change.
·  Arenal Lake & Volcano views by day.
·  TABACON HOT SPRINGS RESORT (optional) or other springs at the base of Arenal Volcano.
    Also available: Canopy, Hanging Bridges or Rainforest Tram, Horseback and Quadcycle Tours.
·  TROPICAL RAINFOREST at Arenal and CLOUD FOREST at Poás.
·  SCENIC DRIVES through farmland and rainforest.
·  WILDLIFE; MONKEYS, TOUCANS, COATI are possible to see at Arenal.
·  LUNCH included. as are REFRESHMENTS ALL DAY; from BEER to bottled water, sodas and fruit

From San José we’ll turn off the Pan-American Highway through the provincial capital city of Alajuela where we’ll stop to see 2 points of interest your knowledgeable guide will tell you about.  From here our drive towards the Poás Volcano Cloud Forest National Park will take us up the slopes of the Central Volcanic Mountain Range by way of a scenic drive through beautiful landscape adorned with coffee, dairy, strawberry, flower and fern farms in addition to typical small towns with well kept homes.  At one of these many coffee farms you will have the opportunity to sample and purchase top quality roasted coffee (ground or whole bean) straight from the farmer's roadside shop that also has beautiful views of the rolling landscape of coffee plantations and of the Central Valley below.

COFFEE PLANTATION SHOP to sample and purchase if you wish top quality roasted coffee while taking in the beautiful views of the rolling landscape of coffee plantations and of the Central Valley below.

POAS VOLCANO:  At approximately 9:30 a.m. we’ll enter the cloud forest of the Poás Volcano National Park where we'll walk 400 scenic yards on a flat paved pathway to the crater, located at a cool 8,500 ft. above sea level.  On the way your guide will show you the beautiful giant leaves of the “Poor Man’s Umbrella” plant, epiphytes (air plants) and other plant species unique to the lush tropical cloud forest ecosystem that lines the walk to the crater.  From the crater’s rim you’ll have the unique experience of  looking down 500 ft. into an active volcano crater that's nearly 3/4 of a mile in diameter and constantly emitting sulfur fumes and steam.  The crater's colorful array of rock strata and aqua green colored acid lake together with the barren old lava floe rock formations all surrounded by tropical cloud forest gives your experienced professional guide plenty to tell you about.

VIEW & FRUIT STOPS:  After leaving Poás around 10:30 a.m. we'll make brief stops with a fantastic high view of the central valley below, and later further down the mountain at a roadside fruit stand to sample delicious fresh strawberries, other local fruit and snacks safe to eat.

The “Direct Scenic Route” gets you to Arenal Volcano sooner and takes you through a more rural scenic non-stop route climbing up through beautiful rolling landscape of dairy and fern farms, cloud forests, in addition to typical small towns with well kept homes. We’ll stop in the town of La Fortuna near Arenal Volcano for a delicious typical lunch before continuing on to Arenal Volcano, Arenal Lake and then the Tabacon Hot Springs Resort.  Continue reading the “Common description of Arenal for all routes” below.
 
The optional “Scenic Sightseeing Route” to Arenal turns off the Pan-American Highway for a brief stop in the town of Grecia (Greece) to visit its unique double steeple metal church imported from Belgium in 1894 that your knowledgeable guide will tell more about.  You’ll then travel another 20 minutes to the town of Sarchi to visit its 1903 oxcart factory and many souvenir shops. (See the blue colored text section in the “Poas Volcano & Sarchi ” tour description for more details on Sarchí.)  You’ll then climb higher on a scenic drive for another ½ hour to have a delicious Costa Rican lunch at a nice restaurant with a impressive view of the Central Valley down below. After lunch we’ll continue another ½ hour through dairy and vegetable farms to the lovely town of Zarcero, with its cool mountain air, & unusual topiary gardens of juniper shrubs sculptured into wonderful enchanting figures, all in the beautiful Central Park in front of the town’s church. We'll then continue on a scenic drive for about 1.5 hrs, at first through more highland dairy and vegetable farms, then as we descend into the Northern Plains we’ll see more diverse agricultural land for beef cattle, sugar cane and other crops. By 4:00 p.m., as we get closer to the small tourism boom town of La Fortuna the imposing view of Arenal Volcano begins to dominate the landscape.
 

   
    Grecia's Steel Church                     Sarchi's Oxcarts                        Zarcero's Topiary garden  

The scenic Waterfall Route with stops at La Paz (The Peace) and San Fernando waterfalls. You'll enjoy a fantastic view of the La Paz waterfall NOT available from the La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

ARENAL VOLCANO and lake: Following Lunch we'll continue to Arenal Volcano by 2:30 to 3:30 pm (depending on route taken) to the earthen dam of the large Arenal Lake Reservoir (largest in Central American) where we'll stop and get out of the vehicle to take in the views of the impressive lake scenery and surrounding rainforest in addition to the panoramic view of the volcano in the near distance. We'll then drive into the dense tropical rainforest that surrounds the lake on the lookout for wildlife such as wild howler monkeys, coati, birds, and more spectacular views of the lake and of the volcano in the distance. Other tour operators do not take you to the lake. An optional hot springs of your choice can follow the lake visit that range in prices from $35 to $60 for the Tabacón Hot Springs Resort located at the base of the volcano.
 

Arenal Volcano and Lake

HOT SPRINGS RESORT: After the lake visit we turn back the few miles to the hot springs resort of your choice to decide if you want to pay the optional $35-$60 entrance fee (depending on which hot springs) to bath in naturally hot spring water that flows from the base of this spectacular volcano into several swimming pools. The Tabacón Hot Springs Resort has excellent views of the volcano. This hot springs and others have beautiful tropical flower gardens with pathways through it, several large concrete swimming pools of ever-flowing hot mineral water in addition to more natural rock-lined pools in the hot mineral streams that transverse the resort.  They also have a waterfall you can sit under for a wonderful water massage, a water slide toboggan, 2 restaurants and a wet bar in the largest pool, all set in a tropical garden surrounded by tropical rainforest within view of the volcano.  All also have showers & dressing rooms with lockers for your belongings and for the towels they provide for a deposit.

Later at dusk we'll travel to a vantage point where it's (currently not) possible to SEE RED HOT LAVA coming down the slopes of this classic cone-shaped volcano and experience its explosions that can often be heard, and sometimes seen, from far away. Currently not active since late November 2010.  But still a nice and impressive place to visit and activity can change.
 

An optional dinner by 6 p.m. at any of the many restaurants in the area or during our 2.5 hour drive back to San José that'll have us back by aprox. 8:30 PM (10:30 PM if & when Volcano activity resumes).  We can tailor the tour times to your needs for an earlier return. Also available as an optional 2 day overnight excursion.  Price depends on the hotel chosen.  Call for details.

Price of 2 Volcanos in 1 day tour:  From $130*/person. Includes Poás Volcano entrance fee, Arenal Volcano and Lake visit with Lunch. Add optional $60 Tabacon springs entrance $80 with dinner. Other hot springs for $30 and an optional $8-$15 dinner elsewhere.  Other hot springs with lower entrance fees available. * All Prices are subject to change without notice and are based on the tour operating with 4 persons or more. 1, 2 or 3 persons can ask to join others o for a surcharge 2 or 3 can enjoy the inherited advantages of private tour.

Price for 2 day 2 Volcano Tour Overnight at Arenal; From $185/person for our 2 days tour services only. Depending on hotel add aprox. $45/pp. for double room occupancy in Hotel without views of the lava in the town of La Fortuna and add from $75 to $250/room for hotels with lava views in double occupancy.
 As in the 1 day tour, lunch on the first day & Poás Volcano fee is included. Other meals are not included. Many hotels include breakfast. Prices are based on double room occupancy.  Add $35 to $60/adult for the optional hot springs entrance depending on which springs. For our tour services children under 9 are ½ price with 2 accompanying adults.  * All Prices are subject to change without notice and are based on the tour operating with 4 persons or more.

Best to email us at least 24 hrs or a couple days before requesting a tour.
But if you prefer or with short notice from U.S. call us in Costa Rica via our
U.S. Telephone #s: 1-352-505-4001
                              or 1-352-505-2636
Free of International Charges from the U.S. and Canada!
And for calls from other countries, only charges to the U.S. apply.
We'll do our best to arrange same day tours with calls in the early morning,
 but best to call (and also email) at least the day before, if not much sooner to increase your chances of us being able to help you.

If you are in Costa Rica or need a tour with short notice it's
 best to call (and also email) hopefully at least the day before or sooner, at
our Local C.R. Telephone #s :
 2215-2162 or 2215-2163.
 IF you must dial our Local  C.R. Tel. #s from outside C.R. first dial your
International Access Code (011 in U.S. & Canada), then C.R.'s Country Code 506, then our number.
There are no area codes in Costa Rica.
 Example dial from U.S. or Canada to C.R. dial:  011 (506) 2215-2162.
Of course from U.S. or Canada try our US  tel. # above first.
We'll do our best to arrange same day tours with calls in the early morning,
 but best to call (and also email) at least the day before, if not much sooner to increase your chances of us being able to help you.

| Home | Full Day Tours | Short Day Tours | Diving | Car Rentals | Travel Tips | Prices & Policy | Reserve/Payment | email us |