Explore Two Amazing Active Volcanoes With a Local
» San Jose » San Jose » San Jose
From $127.00
17 reviews (4.88)
Price varies by group size
Lowest Price GuaranteePricing Info: Per Person
Duration:
Departs: San Jose, San Jose
Ticket Type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Free cancellation
Overview
We will visit two of the most impressive active volcanoes in Costa Rica and the most historical city of Costa Rica on a full day of adventure and excitement experience in an authentic local way.
What's Included
Air-conditioned vehicle
Bottled water
We will take you nice photos on the best spots.
What's Not Included
Entrance Tickets (Irazu and Turrialba Volcanoes Entrance Tickets around $30 per person)
Guide tip
Traveling With a Local is an unique and flexibility experience, we prefer to give you the freedom of what to eat, we will take time for lunch together and recommend some places in base of your wishes.
We pretty recommend you to have a good breakfast before the departure otherwise we can stop for some fruits or snacks but we will no able to stop for a complete breakfast.
Traveler Information
- ADULT: Age: 12 - 100
Additional Info
- Face masks required for guides in public areas
- Gear/equipment sanitised between use
- Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
- Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
- Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
- Face masks required for guides in public areas
- Gear/equipment sanitised between use
- Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
- Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
- Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Experience may be cancelled due to Insufficient travelers
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
What To Expect
Ruinas Sanatorio Carlos Duran
We will stop in a viewpoint to see the Sanatorio Duran Ruins.
Sitting in a beautiful area of the Cartago mountainside is the mysterious Finca Sanatorio Duran. Many people who visit Irazu Volcano drive right past it thinking it’s another abandoned farm when in reality, it was an important hospital back in the 1910’s – 1920’s for tuberculosis patients.
Since the hospital closed in the 1960’s, it has decayed and now lays abandoned. Only in recent years was it turned into a tourist attraction for those curious and brave enough to venture into this place called the most haunted building in Costa Rica.
Sitting in a beautiful area of the Cartago mountainside is the mysterious Finca Sanatorio Duran. Many people who visit Irazu Volcano drive right past it thinking it’s another abandoned farm when in reality, it was an important hospital back in the 1910’s – 1920’s for tuberculosis patients.
Since the hospital closed in the 1960’s, it has decayed and now lays abandoned. Only in recent years was it turned into a tourist attraction for those curious and brave enough to venture into this place called the most haunted building in Costa Rica.
• Admission Ticket Free
Irazu Volcano National Park
During the journey of approximately one hour we will observe beautiful natural landscapes and agricultural fields on the slopes of these brother volcanoes, to go to our first destination, the highest volcano in Costa Rica, the Irazú Volcano.
After observing the main crater and walking around the different craters of this volcano surrounded by an amazing lunar landscape we will go to the restless Turrialba Volcano where we will observe his volcanic cone with its characteristic activity of gases and ash.
After observing the main crater and walking around the different craters of this volcano surrounded by an amazing lunar landscape we will go to the restless Turrialba Volcano where we will observe his volcanic cone with its characteristic activity of gases and ash.
2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
Turrialba Volcano
Once in the Turrialba Volcano we will venture to walk through the impact zone of the 2014 and 2016 eruptions where we will be able to appreciate the destruction that these eruptions left as well as the changes in the vegetation and the affectation to the life of the local people.
3 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
Santuario Nacional Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles
We will visit the Basilica, it was constructed in honor of the apparition of the Virgin of the Angeles in 1635 who is the patron saint of Costa Rica. The stone statue is located in this church. The first building (chapel) was erected in 1639 and was later expanded, rebuilt and renovated.
The current building is in Byzantine style and was constructed between 1912 and 1930 and designed by the architect Luis Llach. The facades were designed by the engineer Fabio Garnier. It was declared a historic architectural heritage site of Costa Rica in 1999. Our Lady of the Angels Basilica is a first-rate National Sanctuary. Hundreds of thousands of Costa Ricans make the pilgrimage to this site to profess their faith. It is one of the most important religious events in Costa Rica.
The current building is in Byzantine style and was constructed between 1912 and 1930 and designed by the architect Luis Llach. The facades were designed by the engineer Fabio Garnier. It was declared a historic architectural heritage site of Costa Rica in 1999. Our Lady of the Angels Basilica is a first-rate National Sanctuary. Hundreds of thousands of Costa Ricans make the pilgrimage to this site to profess their faith. It is one of the most important religious events in Costa Rica.
• Admission Ticket Free
Ruinas de Cartago
We will visit the Cartago Church Ruins, built in 1575, Las Ruinas de la Parroquia's outer walls only remain today after being destroyed by two earthquakes, but the unique architecture and intricate design is still worth a visit. This isn't the only area of ruins that are worth a peek. Las Ruins of Cartago has a deep-rooted past that began with two brothers who were fighting over the same woman. After one brother killed the other one night, he decided to build a church on the site. Each time it was constructed, an earthquake destroyed it. After devastation in 1910, the ruins were left as they were, and it remains as the town square today.
• Admission Ticket Free
Reviews
Highlight of our entire trip!
X1777YMshannonc, 05-08-2022
This was my favorite tour in Costa Rica! It was a privilege to explore two very different volcanoes. Our guide, Alexander, was engaging, helpful, and informative. He helped us create and capture the most unforgettable moments from our trip.
Follow the tour guide's advice and wear layers! These guys know what they are doing and are ready to show you what they love most about their country! The changing mountain weather at multiple elevations had us soggy, foggy, sunburnt, frozen and windburnt by the end of the day. But what a day!
After pickup, we finally got an explanation on why there were so many people walking and riding in one direction outside of our downtown hotel that morning! Apparently, our tour was scheduled at the same time as a major annual pilgrimage from the city center to the Basilica in Cartago. Since millions of people come to San Jose for this pronation, we were not going to intrude to visit the Basilica. Instead, Alexander wound us around the crowds to show us to a colonial church operating since the 1500's in Cartago.
Next, we wound up the mountain roads into the dense cloud layer. The roads were carved out of dense dripping jungle and rich terraced farmland. We hiked to the base across private farmland exploring the results of old landslides, trees burned by gas clouds, and runoff rich with mineral oxidation.
The hike was moderately difficult‐ I wimped out only a few hundred feet from the highest point, but my husband and son didn't have a problem. I got to wander around taking stunning pics in a level tree debris field and watched the guys climb the last rise. I was watching the dense clouds cover the peaks of Irazu on the opposite horizon while getting clear shots at Turrialba's peak.
However, when we made it back through jungle fog and over to Irazu, we were lucky to have (a freezing cold) wind pushing the clouds through the craters fast enough for perfect views. The landscapes of the two areas were wildly different. Here, we walked through fields of old ash sands ringed by two newer craters. We drove up to the high point overlook for an even better sense of scale. One side of the peak was nothing but the tops of clouds, and the other side was clear enough to see all the way to the Sarchi lake/ hydroelectric project. Frozen and elated, we made our way to great food and coffee to talk about everything we had seen.
We had a blast!
Follow the tour guide's advice and wear layers! These guys know what they are doing and are ready to show you what they love most about their country! The changing mountain weather at multiple elevations had us soggy, foggy, sunburnt, frozen and windburnt by the end of the day. But what a day!
After pickup, we finally got an explanation on why there were so many people walking and riding in one direction outside of our downtown hotel that morning! Apparently, our tour was scheduled at the same time as a major annual pilgrimage from the city center to the Basilica in Cartago. Since millions of people come to San Jose for this pronation, we were not going to intrude to visit the Basilica. Instead, Alexander wound us around the crowds to show us to a colonial church operating since the 1500's in Cartago.
Next, we wound up the mountain roads into the dense cloud layer. The roads were carved out of dense dripping jungle and rich terraced farmland. We hiked to the base across private farmland exploring the results of old landslides, trees burned by gas clouds, and runoff rich with mineral oxidation.
The hike was moderately difficult‐ I wimped out only a few hundred feet from the highest point, but my husband and son didn't have a problem. I got to wander around taking stunning pics in a level tree debris field and watched the guys climb the last rise. I was watching the dense clouds cover the peaks of Irazu on the opposite horizon while getting clear shots at Turrialba's peak.
However, when we made it back through jungle fog and over to Irazu, we were lucky to have (a freezing cold) wind pushing the clouds through the craters fast enough for perfect views. The landscapes of the two areas were wildly different. Here, we walked through fields of old ash sands ringed by two newer craters. We drove up to the high point overlook for an even better sense of scale. One side of the peak was nothing but the tops of clouds, and the other side was clear enough to see all the way to the Sarchi lake/ hydroelectric project. Frozen and elated, we made our way to great food and coffee to talk about everything we had seen.
We had a blast!
Wonderful trip with an extraordinarily dedicated guide
Jan_G, 07-05-2022
Overall the trip was wonderful: Both volcanoes are definitely worth the time and reward visitors with astonishing views. Carthago was quite exciting from a historical point of view. Our guide Adrian gave us plenty of information about the volcanoes and Costa Rica in general during the trip, so the ride in the car never got boring and was truely enjoyable. Since the tour group consisted only of my girlfried and myself, Adrian took the time to take a great load of remarkable pictures of us. I would recommend the trip any day of the week! :)
Turriabla with it’s...
Ting_M, 30-03-2022
Turriabla with it’s beauty of wildness , becomes my favourite Volcano in Costa Rica, really worth to visit
Adrian was an amazing...
Kymbra_W, 16-01-2022
Adrian was an amazing tour guide and wealth of knowledge about historical and scientific aspects of these active volcanoes, the outlying topography, as well as the city of Cartago. I highly recommend this tour. It is highly comprehensive.
Best way of fulfilling a dream of seeing volcanoes! Highly recommend!
839ol_viap, 13-09-2022
This tour made my trip to Costa Rica!! I went to San Jose for work, and had only one day for tourism, and this was the perfect way of spending this single day off. Alexander, our guide, was great. He knows so much about Cartago, the volcanos, and Costa Rica, and you can tell how much he cares about the place and for the travelers too. I really liked the order that we did things (Cartago, Turrialba, Irazu), I thought it was good to do Turrialba first when we have the energy to do the hike up the volcano. This tour was one of the few that I saw that take you to Turrialba. The altitude on the hike can be a little rough but we all did it with a smile on our faces!! Alexander also knows the best spots for photos, and he became our photographer haha we were a group of four people traveling by ourselves, which was really nice because we ended up talking a lot to each other. I also really liked that it was a small group! Being picked up and dropped off at the AirBnb I was staying was definitely a plus.
I've always been fascinated by volcanoes, and this was absolutely the best way of fulfilling my dream of seeing not just one but two volcanoes! I highly recommend this tour! Thank you Alexander & crew :)
I've always been fascinated by volcanoes, and this was absolutely the best way of fulfilling my dream of seeing not just one but two volcanoes! I highly recommend this tour! Thank you Alexander & crew :)
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