Costa Rica is a fantastic country to visit. It’s full of beautiful landscapes, unique animals and friendly people. The capital city of San Jose is also the country’s largest.
While this city might not be on your Costa Rica bucket list, it’s a great spot to base yourself to see this part of the country — especially if you don’t have 3 weeks to take your time and explore the whole country!
Here are the 5 best day trips from San Jose Costa Rica that can easily fit into a week’s vacation. Plus I’ll share some great San Jose hotels too.
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The Best Day Trips From San Jose Costa Rica
The city of San Jose, Costa Rica is located in the San Jose Province in the central part of the country. While it’s not on the top of tourist attraction lists and isn’t located near a beach, it’s a great spot to base yourself from to do some great day trips.
1. La Paz Waterfall Gardens
Distance from San Jose: 1 hour 10 minutes
Cost: Adults – $28 plus tax, Children ages 3 to 12 – $19 plus tax
Tours with transportation included:
Everyone told me to not miss the waterfalls in Costa Rica, and they were right. I loved our visit to La Paz Waterfall Gardens which is a privately owned nature park and animal sanctuary.
In addition to 5 gorgeous waterfalls, you can visit the animal sanctuary which is home to lots of animals including toucans, jungle cats, butterflies, monkeys, and frogs.
La Paz Waterfall Gardens Tips:
Since this is in the rain forest and the word “waterfall” is in the name, expect to get a little wet. It’s usually raining (sometimes a mist and sometimes more), so it’s a good idea to wear a light rain jacket or bring a travel poncho. Wool socks would be a great idea too to help keep your feet as dry as possible.
2. Tabacon Hot Springs
Distance from San Jose: 2 hours 55 minutes
Cost: Day Pass including lunch – $85 per person
Tours with transportation included:
If you are looking for ultimate luxury in a lush Costa Rica jungle, this is it! It’s a long day trip from San Jose, but it’s totally worth it. If I ever get back to Costa Rica, Tabacon Hot Springs is on the top of my list of places to go!
The hot springs at Tabacon are naturally heated by the underground magma from the Arenal volcano. Water temperatures range from about 98° F to 102° F. These thermal pools are all connected by a series of waterfalls — it’s total heaven.
Read More: A Day of Luxury at Tabacon Hot Springs
3. Toucan Rescue Ranch
Distance from San Jose: 25 minutes
Cost: Adults and kids ages 11 and up – $37, Kids ages 6 to 10 – $19, Kids 5 and under are free
Tours with transportation included:
Looking for sloths, toucans, monkeys, birds, and other exotic animals? The Toucan Rescue Ranch has them all! This non-profit organization is dedicated to the care, rehabilitation, and release of these animals.
Animals come to the Ranch because of illness, injury, or as a result of being held as an illegal pet. They receive medical treatment and rehabilitation with the goal of eventual release back into the wild. The animals that can’t be released stay at the Ranch full time.
This is a great opportunity to see animals like sloths and toucans up close and personal.
4. Coffee Plantation Tour
Distance from San Jose:
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- Doka Coffee Plantation – 40 minutes
- Britt Coffee Estate – 25 minutes
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Cost: varies
Tours with transportation included:
Costa Rica knows coffee! Did you know that Costa Rica is the only country where it’s actually illegal to produce anything other than 100% Arabica? Yep, it’s actually illegal to produce bad coffee in Costa Rica!
The country has 8 distant coffee-growing regions that each produce their own unique blends. Costa Rican coffee growers take their craft seriously, handpicking their beans to ensure the best quality.
Both Doka Coffee Plantation and Britt Coffee are near San Jose and make great day or half-day trips. Coffee also makes a great Costa Rica souvenir to bring home!
If you can’t make it to Costa Rica or just want to try some Costa Rican coffee at home, you can order online.
5. Braulio Carrillo National Park
Distance from San Jose: 1.5 hours
Cost: $7 entrance fee; activity costs vary
Tours with transportation included:
Braulio Carrillo National Park is located in Costa Rica’s central valley and makes a great day trip from San Jose. The park was established in 1979 and includes everything from volcanoes and rainforests to lakes and rivers.
Braulio Carrillo is home to over 130 species of animals, over 500 species of birds, and 6,000 species of plants and trees. Activities you can find at the park include hiking, zip-lining, aerial tram rides, nature walks, and more.
One of the more interesting things I saw on my tour was a bullet ant. Our guide informed us that they have the most painful sting of any insect in the world…then he proceeded to coax one out of its nest onto a stick so we could get a closer look! (If you are really curious, go check out YouTube for some crazy videos of people getting bitten by these things…on purpose!!)
This park also has one of the better zip line courses I have done — including the “Adrena-Line” which is about a half-mile long and takes a full minute to complete.
Where to Stay in San Jose, Costa Rica
Now, let’s talk about the best places to stay in San Jose, Costa Rica.
I stayed at the Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belen and it was fantastic, so of course, it’s my top recommendation. The grounds were beautiful, the staff was wonderful, and it’s centrally located making it a great base for all of your day tours. Plus it’s only a 10-minute drive from the airport.
You can even use Marriott Bonvoy points to pay for your stay so you have more money to spend on activities!
Here are some other hotels in the San Jose, Costa Rica area:
- Holiday Inn Express San Jose Costa Rica Airport
- Hotel Presidente – San Jose City Center Costa Rica
- Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, San Jose Airport Costa Rica
Read More: If you’re looking for Costa Rica luxury on the beach, check out the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo on the country’s west coast.
Things to do in San Jose, Costa Rica
If you’re looking for some things to do in San Jose between day trips, here are a few ideas:
- Half-day San Jose evening bus tour with dinner
- San Jose Costa Rica private city tour with lunch
- Private foodie experience in San Jose Costa Rica
Final Thoughts
There are so many great day trips from San Jose Costa Rica! San Jose is a great city to base yourself out of if you want to check out central Costa Rica. You’ll get to experience waterfalls, volcanoes, hot springs, and sloths — there is so much to do and see in Costa Rica. Pura Vida!
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are these in usd or costa rican money? for your five days do those activities take all day and if not what else did you do with your rest of your day?
Hi Annita,
All of these prices are in USD. Not all of these took the whole day. If we had extra time we relaxed by the pool at our hotel (The Marriott Costa Rica San Jose…it was fantastic!).
A few years back, we spent entire summer in San Jose. I just couldn’t help browsing through your post bringing back some sweet memories. Tapir, by the way, looks awesome. Cheers!
There is a lot to do in the area, isn’t there!
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i admire this place, even planning to go there once in this summer vacation. Thanks for sharing good trip experience.