Top Central Valley Private Sightseeing Tours

San Jose is the cultural capital of Costa Rica and boasts a rich and varied history. Get acquainted with the city’s charms on a private tour, featuring a customizable itinerary of must-see attractions and private transportation through the city’s maze of trafficked avenues.

Learn about the chocolate industry in Costa Rica on this private 7-hour tour from San Jose. You'll visit Tirimbina, a private biological reserve in the rain forest and take a guided hike across a suspension bridge to a cacao plantation. Get an intimate look at the chocolate-making process, from fruit to chocolate bar. Lunch is included.

Aromatic coffee, sweet sugarcane, and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate are three of Costa Rica’s top agricultural exports—and its favorite products among locals and visitors alike. Learn about these three crops first-hand on this tour of a family-owned farm near La Fortuna. See how coffee is created from bean to cup, and then taste other delicious crops along with a guide.

As one of Costa Rica's biggest exports, coffee plays a big role in Costa Rica's economy—and its culture, too. Learn about artisanal Costa Rican coffee from bean to cup complete with harvesting, roasting, and grinding on this tour of a family-owned coffee farm near Arenal Volcano. As a bonus, try other favorite Costa Rican crops such as chocolate and sugar cane.

Explore the rain forest around Arenal on this horseback riding adventure that takes you to the enchanting, sky-blue waters of the Rio Celeste. Here you are free to swim in a natural river pool and splash into the water on a giant Tarzan swing — things you can't do inside Arenal Volcano National Park. Well-trained horses and a local guide help ensure a safe, one-of-a-kind experience near La Fortuna.

Discover San Jose’s hidden delights with this unique evening tour of the Costa Rican capital. Get up close and personal with the nightlife in San Jose, starting with the Morazán Park where we will learn post-colonial Costa Rican history. From there, our appreciation for San Jose’s historical architecture continues, with a walk by the Metallic Building, then on to Spain Park for a fantastic view of the Yellow House (now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). We’ll continue to charming Barrio Escalante, one of the oldest residential areas in San Jose. Finish the night with a 3-course meal and wine or beer pairings at a gourmet Costa Rican restaurant.

Get a taste of Costa Rica’s famed biodiversity without straying too far from the city with this all-access day pass to La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park. Featuring hiking trails through the cloud forest, cascading waterfalls, a rescued jungle cats educational program, and numerous specialty wildlife exhibits, La Paz Waterfall Gardens guarantees good fun for the whole family. This pass can be redeemed anytime during the park’s normal operating hours and is good for accessing all of the exhibits.

In just one day, it’s possible to visit top Costa Rica attractions like Arenal Volcano, La Paz Waterfall, and Arenal Hot Springs when you book this guided tour from San Jose. All-inclusive private transport smooths over otherwise tricky transportation logistics, and your guide keeps you well entertained and informed as you explore. This tour includes all entrance fees plus two meals, adding up to a great value.

Get a taste of San Jose’s culture and cuisine on this 3-hour walking tour. Explore Costa Rica’s capital accompanied by an expert guide and learn about the city’s history, architecture and flavor. Explore the produce stalls of two traditional markets and discover what makes Costa Rican coffee so delicious as you sample some local brews. The tour is capped at 12 people for a personalized small-group experience.

From La Fortuna, you'll meet at Tifakara Lodge then walk through a frog sanctuary with red-eyed frogs, and look for all the other species of amphibians and more as you make your way through the jungle at night with your guide. This will take a little over an hour. You'll see lots of surprises along the way, and at the end, enjoy a complimentary cocktail, beer, or wine.

San José is characterized by its Spanish colonial buildings, Victorian mansions, and rich historical sites. This zero-emission bike tour allows you to see the city up close, avoid car traffic, and cruise through San José’s vibrant neighborhoods—past notable buildings, parks, and squares. Your guide navigates through the city and provides useful background information as you stop to appreciate local highlights.

Whether you’re an art collector or enthusiast, you’ll enjoy this tour that explores the contemporary Costa Rican art scene. Visit galleries featuring indigenous works, fashion, paintings, sculptures, furniture, and more, and possibly meet the artists. Along the way, you’ll also catch sight of the local graffiti and learn about the history of the city and its current events.

Spend a beautiful honeymoon in the natural environment in Costa Rica on this 10-day organized trip, where you drive yourself, including several destinations and activities. Know that all of this will be planned, so you don't have to worry about anything. Just enjoy this time with your husband or wife. Just some of the highlights are Arenal Volcano, Rio Celeste, and Nosara.

Experience the best Costa Rica has to offer in this 8-Day tour of the Arenal Volcano and Monteverde Cloud Forest area. Relax knowing that all the transportation, activities, lodging, and breakfast are taken care of for you so you just need to have fun and enjoy the nature all around you. You'll also spend time at the beach in Manuel Antonio.

This day we will leave your Hotel for the Poás de Alajuela area, we will make a stop for a brief explanation about our golden grain, the coffee where we will stop to see the coffee bushes, also having the opportunity to take a photograph of the Ventral Valley and from the coffee plantation. We will continue the tour through fern, flower and strawberry crops. .

Get out of the city and experience Costa Rica’s rich wildlife heritage with this half day private tour to the Toucan Rescue Ranch. What started out as a rescue facility for toucans has expanded to include other charismatic species such as sloths, monkeys, parrots, and owls. Learn all about them from the dedicated staff committed to their care.

Exclusive trip where you stay in luxury hotels that offer spectacular views. Relax in the hot springs and visit a secluded place with dense forest offering 5% of biodiversity worldwide

Take a nice drive from La Fortuna through the Costa Rican countryside to one of the most-remote and ecologically-sacred parts of Costa Rica called Caño Negro along the Rio Frio! This Wildlife Refuge encompasses an area of about 10,000 hectares near the border with Nicaragua.This is one of the best place for birding in Costa Rica. It's one of the few places in Costa Rica where you can catch a glimpse of the exotic Jabiru Stork, the tallest flying bird found in Central and South America. You may see wood storks, cormorants, and other varieties of birds -- this is a must-do tour for avid birdwatchers! Plus, everyone loves to spot sloths, howler monkeys, and caimans that inhabit this lush area. The travel time from La Fortuna to the Caño Negro area is about 1.5 hours where you will board the boat with your nature guide at the Los Chiles dock.We will travel by boat along the edge of the Caño Negro Wildlife refuge on Rio Frio for about 3 hours and return to the same dock.

Your private driver will meet you at the airport or your hotel and escort you to your first destination. He describes the culture and the country and shares little known facts on the way. An example of just one of our tours: You arrive to the river where your guide meets you to go over safety rules and make sure you are comfortable and ready for your experience. You start your adventure down the class III and IV rapids with an experienced guide who demonstrates his skills navigating down the river. Hold on, smile and enjoy!! You will stop midway on the river shore for a unique lunch Pacuare river style! After lunch you continue down the river where you meet indigenous families and see native wildlife. Look for turtles, birds and sloths! At the end of the tour we meet up with our driver to take us back to the hotel. Pura Vida!! Well Done!!

Explore Tortuguero National Park in depth during a 3-day tour from San Jose that includes accommodation and transportation to this remote wilderness destination on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. Travel by car and boat with a guide who shows you through the canals and rivers of Toruguero, and where you might spot Atlantic green turtles, monkeys, and other wildlife. This all-inclusive tour takes care of the logisitcs so you can have fun.

With its sandy shores, lush rainforest, and mountain backdrop, Jaco Beach is a scenic destination for a road trip. On this tour, travel from San Jose in a comfortable air-conditioned minivan, look out for crocodiles along the Tarcoles River, then set out to explore on a 4x4 quad bike (ATV). Drive along forest trails, hop off to visit a natural waterfall and ocean viewpoints, and stroll along the beach.

Enjoy some of the most beautiful attractions in Costa Rica on this private full-day excursion to the Tenorio Volcano National Park. Visit the highlights of the Rio Celeste area, including the Rio Celeste waterfall and the Blue Lagoon. If you wish, you will have the opportunity to swim in the Rio Celeste. Receive personalized attention from your guide and enjoy tons of wonderful sights in just one day.

First visit a real plantation in less than ten minutes from La Fortuna and learn about the nature and the cultivation of cocoa. Then learn to make your own handmade chocolate in our artisanal factory.

This full-day coffee farm tour provides an authentic day-in-the-life experience you won’t find on many of the other coffee farm tours. While tours often only demonstrate a small fraction of the process, at Aquiares, coffee lovers can see what it takes to bring coffee from the seed to the cup. Plus, you can experience the welcoming community, rich foods, and stunning scenery of a farm in the Costa Rican rainforest.