Private Days
Poás Highlands Private Days
Direct access to Poás Volcano and the highlands, with enough flexibility built in to adjust to what the mountain is actually doing that day.
From$150Recommended Day from $160
- Duration
- 8 to 9 hours
- Group
- Up to 5 guests
Why This Day Works
Poás is one of the most direct volcano experiences near San José, and this family is built to get you there without overcomplicating the rest of the day. What changes between the three versions is pace and what comes after the crater, not how close you get to the volcano itself.
Our recommended day, Volcano & La Paz, adds La Paz Waterfall Gardens for a fuller day at a moderate pace. It’s a strong choice for groups who want to make the most of the trip north, but it depends on us confirming La Paz’s terms and availability for your date, so we lock that in before the day is finalized.
If you’d rather keep things lighter, Volcano & Local Flavors runs at an easy pace and trades the waterfall gardens for a local food stop. Coffee & Volcano sits in the middle, pairing the crater with a coffee estate visit, and like La Paz, it depends on the estate’s own availability.
The volcano itself doesn’t run on a schedule we control. Cloud cover rolls in, the crater sometimes closes for safety, and park entry is timed. We watch conditions and plan the day around what’s actually possible that morning, rather than promising a view we can’t guarantee.
Recommended Day
Volcano and La Paz
RecommendedOur recommended day. Direct volcano access paired with La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a full day at a moderate pace. This one is conditional on confirmed La Paz terms and availability for your date.
Activity level: ModeratePace: Full8 to 9 hours
Your Way & Welcome private-day price
$160 USD
Party size: 1
Make It Yours
- Choose between three days built around the volcano: La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a local-food day, or a coffee estate
- Pace ranges from an easy day to a fuller, moderate-paced day, matched to what your group wants
- Good as a solo day, a couple's day, or a family day, especially for first-time visitors
- Meal stops and specialist add-ons chosen around your group
What stays fixed
- Volcano & La Paz is conditional on confirmed La Paz terms and availability for your date
- Coffee & Volcano depends on the coffee estate supplier's availability
- Park admission, La Paz or coffee-estate admission, meals, and optional specialist services are paid separately
- Cloud cover, volcanic activity restrictions, and timed park entry can all change what the day looks like, and we adjust around them rather than promising a fixed itinerary
Photos from this day
If you want something else, we build it
These are the days we already have ready, and they are not the only ones we can run. Tell us what you have in mind and we will work it out with you.
What's Included
Way & Welcome normally includes:
- Private vehicle
- Bilingual host and driver
- Fuel
- Ordinary tolls and parking
- Route planning and coordination
- Standard-zone pickup and return, or approved hotel drop
- Standard hospitality items
Paid Separately
These are paid separately from the Way & Welcome day price:
Poás and La Paz admissions, meals, and any extra activity you add to the day. Poás tickets are sold online with a set entry time, so we buy yours ahead of the date.
We do not add these into one combined trip total, and there is no processing surcharge.
What to Expect
- Guest duration
- 8 to 9 hours
- Activity level
- Moderate
- Pace
- Full
- Group
- Up to 5 guests
- Pickup and endpoint
- We pick you up and bring you back in Alajuela and around it, Heredia, and San José as far as San Pedro. If you are staying past that, in Cartago or Tres Ríos for example, write to us and we will look at it.
- Privacy and format
- The vehicle and the host are yours alone. La Paz and the park run on their own format.
- What the walking is really like
Best For
- First-time visitors to Costa Rica
- Solo travelers
- Couples
- Families, particularly on the easier-pace local flavors day
Good to Know
- Cloud cover, volcanic restrictions, and timed entry at the park can change the day, and we plan around whatever conditions actually are that morning
- Volcano & Local Flavors is our easy-pace option if your group wants a lighter day
- Volcano & La Paz needs confirmed La Paz terms and availability before we can book it, and Coffee & Volcano depends on the estate's availability
- Park, waterfall garden, or coffee-estate admission, meals, and any specialist services are paid separately from the W&W price
- There's no crater-view guarantee. Poás is a working volcano, and the crater is sometimes closed or clouded in
Seasonality
Poás sits high in the clouds, so mist and closures happen at any time of year, and we treat the crater view as a bonus rather than something we can promise.
We plan around the conditions we actually get that day. We never guarantee weather, wildlife or views.
Questions Travelers Ask
Will we get to see into the crater?
We hope so, but we can't guarantee it. Poás is an active volcano with real access restrictions, and cloud cover happens often at that altitude.
What's the difference between the three options?
The recommended day pairs the volcano with La Paz Waterfall Gardens at a fuller pace. The local flavors day is the easier version with a local food stop instead. The coffee day swaps in a coffee estate visit.
Why does the price show two numbers, a 'from' and a 'Recommended Day from'?
The lower number is our starting price across the family's options. The higher one is specifically for the recommended Volcano & La Paz day, once La Paz is confirmed for your date.
Is this a long day?
Usually six to nine hours depending on which style you pick. The local flavors day runs easier and a bit shorter; Volcano & La Paz is the fuller day at a moderate pace.
Your day, your party size
Selected style:Volcano and La Paz
Your Way & Welcome private-day price
$160 USD
Whole-party total in USD.
This option is not open for booking right now, so we are not showing a price for it. Tell us what you have in mind and we will take it from there.
The Way & Welcome vehicle and host/driver are private to your booking. Third-party experiences may operate privately, in a shared format, or in public spaces depending on the experience you choose. We confirm the applicable format before booking.
If you want something else, we build it
These are the days we already have ready, and they are not the only ones we can run. Tell us what you have in mind and we will work it out with you.