Costa Rica Packages: Ring of Fire

You will be picked up from the airport and enjoy the city scenes as you are transferred to one of our many fine San Jose hotels in the thriving heart of the Central Valley. Depending on your international flight schedule, you will have some free time to explore the city, or take part in one of our many excursions below. Our San Jose City Tour includes stops at La Sabana Metropolitan Park, the majestic National Theater and the National Museum. You also have the option of participating on half day tours outside the city such as the Irazu Volcano or Orosi and Lankester Gardens.   Talk to one of our Costa Rica Travel experts for more information on San Jose tours that strike your interest. 

You will start the day with a full breakfast in your comfortable San Jose hotel before setting out on this tour to one of the most spectacular active volcanoes in Costa Rica. During the 1 hour 45 minute drive to the crater you will be amazed by the views of the Turrialba valley and by the landscape as we get closer to the summit. You will leave the tropical jungle behind and climb into the beautiful high-elevation cloud forest before finally entering the paramo (high-altitude wet grasslands above the tree line). As you climb into the clouds you will feel like you are leaving the tropics behind as the temperature gets cooler and the vegetation changes dramatically.

Upon arriving at the summit you will be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the Caribbean coastline of Costa Rica. After taking a few minutes to enjoy the view, you’ll begin the hike down into the crater. On the way down you see a number of very interesting plants that only grow at this high altitude and unique climate. Once in the crater you will see the three distinct craters that make up the cone of the volcano. The oldest of the craters is thousands of years old and is no longer active.  During your tour you will be able to see how volcanic activity affects the fragile vegetation of the crater. After hiking around the craters you will hike back out of the crater and have a snack before heading back down to Turrialba.

After your invigorating hike you will be taken back to your relaxing San Jose hotel to relax, unwind and spend an evening exploring the Costa Rican capital’s many attractions.  You will also have the evening to enjoy some of San Jose´s restaurants and nightlife.

Following breakfast you will take the short journey into the Cordillera Central mountain range that surrounds the Costa Rican capital, dominated to the north by Poas Volcano.

Poas Volcano offers visitors a chance to peer into an active volcano that has been bubbling and steaming since its last major eruption in the 1950s. Since then activity has been calmer, giving you a chance to observe the Martian landscape formed by ash and lava flowing from the enormous crater.  Once at the 8800 foot summit, you will stop to walk through a cloud forest teeming with native plant species and enjoy the breathtaking scenery at the main crater, considered one of the largest in the world.

Once back in San Jose, you will have some time to yourself, to soak in the city’s atmosphere, relax in your comfortable San Jose hotel, or take advantage of one of our other San Jose excursions below.  It is recommended to either take the San Jose city tour or to convert the half day excursion into a full day excursion. This Poas Volcano Half Day tour can be converted into a full day excursion by adding a visit to the Doka Coffee plantation and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens or by taking in an interesting trip to Grecia town and Sarchi city. Please consult one of our Costa Rica Travel Advisors for further information.

After another full breakfast in your comfortable San Jose hotel you will head east towards the highest peak in the Cordillera Central. Known by indigenous Costa Ricans as the "mountain of rumbling and trembling" Irazu soars 11,260 feet above sea level and spreads over 2,309 hectares.

As you ascend up into the mountains on your way to Irazu National Park, you will notice how the changing altitude affects the surrounding plant life which changes from large plantations of onions and carrots, to primary and secondary forests of white oak, to a paramo at the volcano's summit. Although the volcano has erupted at least 23 times since 1723, its most famous eruption continued from 1963 until 1965.  Most recently Izaru erupted on December 8, 1994.  Each eruption has rendered the area sparsely populated with plant life, giving the ethereal crater its astonishing moon-like landscape. 

On your way back to San Jose, you will drive through the former capital Cartago, which was destroyed by volcanic eruptions in 1723. You will visit the ruins of the old parish and the magnificent Basilica de Los Angeles, the country’s most important church.*

If you would like to make Day 4 a full day tour, this tour can be converted into a historic and nature-packed full day excursion with an additional visit to Orosi and the Lankester Gardens. Please consult one of our Costa Rica Travel Advisors for further information. Otherwise, you will return to the city and you may take our San Jose city tour if you have not already, explore the city on your own or relax in your San Jose hotel.

After another full breakfast in your comfortable San Jose hotel you will meet your transfer and be taken on a breathtaking journey up into the Tilaran mountains until you reach the enormous Arenal Volcano which dominates the quaint town of La Fortuna de San Carlos. You will check in at one of our numerous excellent La Fortuna de San Carlos hotels and have the rest of the day to explore the town or choose from one of our guided excursions below.

Following a delicious breakfast at the hotel, you will be taken on a short drive to the active western side of the Arenal Volcano. Once there, you will embark on a hike along the Toucans Trail which traverses the rainforest and crosses over a large lava flow from the 1992 eruption. You’ll be able to observe a great variety of plants, wildlife and magnificent lava rock formations and will be rewarded by a beautiful view of Lake Arenal. The hike ends at a viewing area where, weather and time permitting, you will be able to see red hot lava rolling down the side of the volcano. During the tour, our experienced guides will provide interesting and educational information regarding the history of the majestic mountain and the Arenal Volcano National Park. Read our newsletter article about the Arenal Volcano.

We highly recommend that you stay at one of our ‘Luxury’ hotels that feature hot springs on the premises where we will shuttle you back after your hike, giving you the remainder of the day to relax in the thermal waters and spa. Otherwise, you will be treated to a tasty lunch, an enjoyable and relaxing visit to nearby mineral hot springs and then escorted to your La Fortuna de San Carlos hotel.

After breakfast, you will have the rest of the day to explore the area before we transfer you to the airport where you may continue your Costa Rica vacation,  go on to one of our many Latin America destinations or return home.

*Note: these prices are not valid for the high season and certain holidays. Please contact a Costa Rica Travel Advisor for prices based on your specific travel dates.

• 6 nights at comfortable hotels based on US standards.
• Guided visits with English speaking tour guides.
• All transfers and entrance fees.
• All breakfasts and meals mentioned in the itinerary.

• San Jose City Tour
• Irazu Volcano Half Day Tour
• The Green Expedition Tour
• Doka Coffee Tour, Poas Volcano & Waterfalls Gardens Tour
• Poas Volcano, Grecia Town & Sarchi City Tour*
• Aerial Tram
• Braulio Carrillo Canopy Tour
• San Lorenzo Canopy Tour
• Pacuare River Whitewater Rafting
• Carbon Neutral Pacuare River Whitewater Rafting
• Sarapiqui River Whitewater Rafting
• Reventazon River Whitewater Class I - II* Rafting Tour
• Pejibaye River Whitewater Class I-III Rafting Tour Class I-III
• Canyoning Turrialba Tour
• Mountain Biking CATIE Tour
• Turrialba Volcano Tour
• Inflatable Kayaks Tour - Pegibaye River
• Guayabo Archeological National Monument Tour
• Butterfly Farm & Coffee Tour
• Coffee Tour
• San Jose to Arenal Volcano & Hot Springs Waters Tour
• Tortuga Island Cruise
• La Paz Waterfall Gardens

• Arenal Lake on Kayak
• Caño Negro Rio Frio Boat Tour
• Safari Float Trip on the Peñas Blancas River
• Arenal Volcano Tour
• Horseback Riding to La Fortuna Waterfall
• Biking Tour around Arenal
• Hiking to Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano
• Tour to the Venado Caves
• Arenal Canopy Tour
• Hanging Bridges & Natural Hike Tour
• Natural History Walk Tour
• Sarapiqui River Whitewater Rafting
• Sky Tram & Sky Trek Tour
• Maleku Indigenous Tour
• Pure Trek Canyoning Tour