Day Trips & Excursions in Costa Rica

Escape the ordinary on this immersive bike-riding day trip to the charming town of Cartago. Experience the Costa Rican rail system with a short train ride, and then hop on your bike for a two-wheeled tour around Cartago's historic streets. Learn about the town's colonial history with your expert guide, and visit a local market to sample delicious produce and traditional treats before heading back to San Jose by bus. A small group limit of 12 people provides a personalized experience on this half-day tour.

By booking this zipline and cultural tour in La Fortuna, you can split the day between exploring Costa Rica's famous rain forests and learning about one of the native groups that keep Costa Rica culturally rich. Safety-minded guides lead you on an exhilarating zipline course and then bring you to a Maleku community for an uncommon chance to learn about one of Costa Rica's few remaining indigenous groups.

Spend a delightful day surrounded by Costa Rica's natural beauty with this combo river and wildlife tour. Enjoy a relaxing float down the Corobici River, where you'll glide on a raft past lush tropical scenery and have a chance to spot many animals in their wild habitat. Then, get an up-close encounter with some of Costa Rica's famous felines at the Las Pumas Jaguar Rescue Center.

Find your bliss with a classic Costa Rican experience that combines a seismic dose of adventure and relaxation! On this full-day trip from San Jose, visit the very active Arenal Volcano and explore its base with a guided nature hike. Then, unwind with a soak in a variety of geothermal pools at the luxurious Tabacón hot springs. The tour also includes a stop at the artisan town of Sarchí, plus delicious lunch and dinner.

Get lost in a lush tropical paradise complete with mineral pools, butterfly gardens, miniature horses, and even dinosaurs on this family-friendly Blue River combo tour. Feel ancient history come to life as you encounter the Jurassic robots of Dino Park, and admire majestic Rincon de la Vieja Volcano on a hike through the rain forest. Stroll among the botanical gardens and turtle ponds of a luxury resort, and soak your cares away in natural hot springs while a freshwater pool and water slide keep the young at heart entertained.

Support sustainable tourism with this eco-adventure to the Cinco Ceibas Rainforest Reserve and Adventure Park. On this full-day trip from San Jose, get an up-close peek at toucans, bats, red-eyed frogs and howler monkeys with a trek across an elevated jungle boardwalk. Create your own adventure with the choice of kayaking down the Rio Cuarto, horseback riding along a river trail or a exploring the reserve in an ox-pulled wagon. A locally sourced lunch, snacks and round-trip transport from San Jose are included.

Visit a lush primary rainforest with a full-day tour of Cinco Ceibas from San Jose, and experience one of Costa Rica's most remarkable landscapes. Meet an air-conditioned bus at your San Jose hotel, then watch for brilliant birds and blooming plants as you stroll a boardwalk through the heart of the jungle. Enjoy lunch at the reserve before spending an afternoon exploring; ride a horse along the forest's edge, paddle a kayak down the Rio Cuarto or take an educational tour of the property in a traditional oxcart.

Costa Rica is famous for its rugged volcanic landscapes, rich biodiversity, and well-preserved colonial history. This tour allows you to experience all three highlights in a single day - while your guide navigates and drives, you can admire the steaming craters of Irazú Volcano, visit the Virgin of the Angels Basilica in Cartago, stroll through Lankester Gardens, and see centuries-old colonial churches in the Orosi Valley.

Make the most of your time in Costa Rica with this 9-hour Dino Park, Penjamo River, and hot springs adventure by Rincon de la Vieja from Tamarindo. Visit Dino Park to see life-size, moving replicas of dinosaurs, and take a hike along Penjamo River to stop at one of its waterfalls to swim. Then go to Blue River Resort & Hot Springs, and choose from a variety of free-time activities, including soaking in the hot springs, taking a natural mud bath, or strolling through a botanical garden.

Travel to Nicaragua on a full-day round-trip tour from La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Cross the border to visit the neighboring Central American country and see Lake Nicaragua, the islands of the Solentiname Archipelago, wildlife, national monuments, and more. Includes light breakfast, lunch, guide, entrance fees, and transportation including hotel pickup and drop-off.

Experience the best of 'pura vida' life on an 8-hour day trip to the mountains from the Playa Hermosa area. Fly by a waterfall on a zipline course, ride a horse through the countryside, and relax in volcanic mud baths and hot springs on this small-group tour near Rincon de la Vieja National Park.

Get close-up and personal inside Dino Park with life-size moving dinosaurs inside a "Paradise on Earth".  The thrills take place inside a lush rain forest followed by a nature walk to a real blue river, to an 80 meter waterfall for dips, incomparable views of majestic smoking Rincon de la Vieja volcano and much more. The Dino Park Adventure is all about family exhilaration and learning too.  Taken lunch at Blue River Resort & Hot Springs, followed by swims in 3 different "natural mineral" hot spring pools & 2 fresh water pools with bullet water slide; a natural mud bath and sauna; tropical botanical gardens with over 700 varietals; the butterfly gardens; the fish & hummingbird sanctuary; fish, turtle & bird & caiman ponds and lagoons; pet miniature donkeys and horses and more.  From where to are staying be picked-up with a bi-lingual driver and delivered back home in time for supper.

Combine visits to Dino Park and the Blue River Resort on this 9-hour, family-friendly excursion from Liberia. View the life-size animatronic dinosaurs at Dino Park, then explore the hot springs, waterfalls, butterfly gardens, and views of the smoking Rincon de la Vieja volcano at the Blue River Resort. Round-trip transportation from Liberia and lunch at the resort are included.

Visit the Braulio Carrillo National Park on this bird-watching tour from San Jos e. Located northeast of the city in the Caribbean lowlands, the park boasts an average of 365 species of birds from 50 different families; 72 species are considered to be abundant and common. For avid birders, the park is a must-see destination when visiting Costa Rica.

Indulge in nature, culture and food during this full-day retreat to the Casona Río Private Reserve with lunch included. Nestled in La Fortuna near the Arenal Volcano this private, traditional estate is where travellers come to see country life Costa Rica style. Learn about the surrounding wildlife and vegetation and cook a traditional meal on a wood-burning stove before soaking in hot springs made warm by the nearby volcano.

Complete your trip to one of Costa Rica's top attractions with ease and efficiency on this trip to Arenal Volcano from the Guanacaste region. Travel on a small-group tour of 15 people or fewer to explore Arenal before relaxing in the nearby hot springs. This tour includes all transportation, activities, lunch, and dinner.

Take a walk in the clouds on one of Costa Rica's premier hanging bridge tours at the Selvatura Adventure Park in Monteverde. Explore different levels of the famous cloud forest ecosystem with a guide as you cross eight different suspended walkways on a relaxed 2-hour tour. Featuring the country's longest and strongest hanging bridges, it's a safe and memorable way to be immersed in Monteverde's incredible biodiversity.

Explore one of Costa Rica's most famously diverse ecosystems with a full-day tour from Guanacaste to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Travel into the heart of the country and ascend into a misty, verdant landscape that's home to an astonishing array of plant and animal species. See winged wonders at hummingbird and butterfly gardens, admire brightly colored frogs and snakes, and wander through the treetops along hanging walkways. Breakfast, lunch, and round-trip transport from Guanacaste hotels are included.

Get to know Cinco Ceibas National Reserve during this day tour from Puerto Viejo of Sarapiqui. Embark on a walk through the rain forest on an elevated boardwalk, learning about reforestation efforts from your guide. Choose to participate in a variety of activities, including an ox cart tour, horseback riding tour or kayaking. Round-trip transportation from Puerto Viejo of Sarapiqui hotels is included.

Experience the jungle in two ways on this canopy walk and riverboat tour that gets you up close and personal with the country's incredible bio diversity. Defy gravity by crossing 17 canopy platforms using various apparatus like a suspension bridge. See tropical animals like crocodiles, toucans, sloths, and monkeys as you float down the Sarapiqui River accompanied by a naturalist guide.